This was a war of surprises and sudden changes. It is doubtful if the Southerners knew what to make of the strange-looking battery which steamed towards them next morning, or whether they despised it. The _Merrimac_ and the _Monitor_ kept on approaching each other, the former waiting until she would choose her distance, and the latter apparently not knowing what to make of her queer-looking antagonist. The first shot from the _Monitor_ was fired when about one hundred yards distant from the _Merrimac_, and this distance was subsequently reduced to fifty yards; and at no time during the furious cannonading that ensued were the vessels more than two hundred yards apart. The scene was in plain view from Fortress Monroe, and in the main facts all the spectators agree. At first the fight was very furious, and the guns of the _Monitor_ were fired rapidly. The latter carried only two guns, to its opponent’s eight, and received two or three shots for every one she gave. Finding that she was much more formidable than she looked, the _Merrimac_ attempted to run her down; but her superior speed and quicker handling enabled her to dodge and turn rapidly. “Once the _Merrimac_ struck her near midships, but only to prove that the battery could not be run down nor shot down. She spun round like a top; and as she got her bearing again, sent one of her formidable missiles into her huge opponent. “The officers of the _Monitor_ at this time had gained such confidence in the impregnability of their battery that they no longer fired at random nor hastily. The fight then assumed its most interesting aspect. The _Monitor_ went round the _Merrimac_ repeatedly, probing her sides, seeking for weak points, and reserving her fire with coolness, until she had the right spot and the right range, and made her experiments accordingly. In this way the _Merrimac_ received three shots.... Neither of these three shots rebounded at all, but appeared to cut their way clear through iron and wood into the ship.”(21) Soon after receiving the third shot, the _Merrimac_ made off at full speed, and the contest was not renewed. Thus ended this particular episode of the American war. [Illustration: ENGAGEMENT BETWEEN THE “MERRIMAC” AND “MONITOR.”]