Tales of Whalers in the Civil War 369 



They had reported the new ship (known as the 

 Merrimac) nearly ready for action, but the com- 

 manding officer of the Union ships was one of the 

 conservatives who did not have any faith in the 

 negroes, and, what was of more importance, he 

 had no idea that the "new-fangled" notion of a 

 ship would amount to anything even if she did 

 come. 



A little before i o'clock, when she was by no 

 means expected, the Confederate ship came into 

 view. She was out for a trial trip, and her com- 

 mander, Commodore Franklin Buchanan, was de- 

 termined to give her such a trial as no ship had 

 ever had before. Steaming across the bay he 

 headed first of all for the Cumberland. The drums 

 beat to quarters, and the crew were standing at 

 their guns as the strange-looking craft drew 

 near. They saw her pass the frigate Congress, 

 firing her bow gun at that ship as she came, and 

 then they opened on her with such guns as would 

 bear. Chief among these was the after pivot gun, 

 under the command of Master Randall. With 

 cool precision he loaded and fired, as coolly as 

 he had in former times loaded and fired the bomb 



2B 



