up the fight to the very last gasp. When she sank with a roar her
topmasts still showed above water and her colors waved defiance.
An hour later the terribly mauled Congress surrendered; whereupon
her crew was rescued and she was set on fire. By this time
various smaller craft on both sides had joined the fray. But the
big Minnesota still remained, though aground and apparently at
the mercy of the Merrimac. The great draught of the Merrimac and
the setting in of the ebb tide, however, made the Confederates
draw off for the night.

Next morning they saw the "tin can on the shingle" between them
and their prey. The Monitor and Merrimac then began their
epoch-making fight. The patchwork engines of the deep-draught
Merrimac made her as unhandy as if she had been water-logged,
while the light-draught Monitor could not only play round her
when close-to but maneuver all over the surrounding shallows as
well. The Merrimac put her last ounce of steam into an attempt to
ram her agile opponent. But a touch of the Monitor's helm swung
her round just in time to make the blow perfectly harmless. The
Merrimac simply barged into her, grated harshly against her iron
side, and sheered off beaten. The firing was furious and mostly
at pointblank range. Once the Monitor fired while the sides were
actually touching. The concussion was so tremendous that all the
Merrimac's gun-crews aft were struck down flat, with bleeding
ears and noses. But in spite of this her boarders were called
away; whereupon every man who could handle cutlass and revolver
made ready and stood by. The Monitor, however, dropped astern too
quickly; and the wallowing Merrimac had no chance of catching
her. The fight had lasted all through that calm spring morning
when the Monitor steamed off, across the shallows, still keeping