Show MONITOR AND MERRIMAC At the th dedication of ot the statue of John Ericsson In Washington today President Coolidge was the 8 speaker and nd among the guests were the crown prince and princess of Sweden The visitors must have hae been pleased with wilh the tribute the president paid pal to their country and also somewhat surprised to learn that th t while Sweden has his a population of ot less les than thin i there are re over people of Swedish blood in the United I S States h I Referring to the historic batS bat battie tie tle between the Monitor which wu was built by Ericsson ou and th the Merrimac which WM wu fought in Hampton Roads on March 9 1862 President Coolidge said ld A A strange new craft described as s a chee cheese e box on a raft steamed Into Hampton Humpton Roads Ro dalit late after dark on the day of March 8 t 1862 It Jt arrived none too soon toon for tor that morning the confederate Ironclad Virginia re reconstructed reo reconstructed constructed constructed- from the th Merrimac bezan a work woric of o destruction among the 16 federal vessels carrying guns tuns located at it that point The Cumberland with 24 guns was battered battered to pieces losing of Its men The Congress ess with 15 guns tuns was grounded rounded and set adre and th the Roanoke and Min Mm- Minnesota were badly damaged and run ashore The Th result was was con con- consternation consternation among the federal au au A cabinet member is said to have hae exclaimed that a shell from this new engine of ot destruction destruction tion might be b expected to fly Into the White House at any time In Inthe Inthe Inthe the south expectations were enter enter- entertained o of a complete destructIon of the northern ships the raising of ot the blockades the th capture of ot Washington and other cities clUes rec- rec rec recognition of o the confederacy by Europe and ultimate victory When the Ironclad Merrimac went out on the morning of ot March 9 to complete Its lIs work of destruction destruction tion It was wasat at at surprised and challenged by th new and ex extraordinary ex- ex extraordinary naval innovation before the naval In 1876 1ST Admiral Luce Luc said add that the Monitor exhibited In a singular lar lar manner the old Norse cle ele clement dc- dc ment In the American nav navy He pointed out that It was Ericsson who built her Dahlgren Dahigren who armed her and Worden who fought her And well wll might headd he headd headd add How the th ancient Skalds would have hav struck their wild harps In hearin hearing such names name In heroic verse How they would have writ written ten tea them In Immortal runes After Arter a i battle lasting la four hours In itt which the Monitor suf no material damage except from one shell which hit the ob- ob observation opening In th the pilot pilothouse house temporarily blinding Lieu Lieu- Lieutenant Lieutenant tenant Worden the commanding the Merrimac later report reportS reported reported ed to have hav been badly crippled withdrew never to venture out again aln ln to meet her conqueror If some of ot the European countries had bad any ay serious thought of ot joining with with the south such intentions were speedily abandoned That engagement revealed that In the future all wooden navies would be beof beof beo of little avail The Th Londo London Times stated that th t the day before this momentous battle England had first class clas warships The day aft aft- after after er she had but two and they were plated plated iron only amidships Naval warfare had been revolutionized All European was In consternation tion over the new monster of ot the sea The Monitor alone could have sunk the tb combined warships of o the world No single Inci weapon of war ever caused such s a radical change In naval warfare Lincoln reCOgnized the high him service ren rca rendered dered the north by Ericsson and the famous engineer and Inventor became th the hero of ot th the day The glorifying of o Ericsson and lila his people might nee need a little ex explanation a as to why they were Pin Min tin tied out It If the tho president did not notS S enlarge upon the point of o view by observing It Is not for tor the purpose of o set set- setting setting se ting tine one people above another that we assemble As we do not rec- rec recognize any Interior Inferior races so we do donot donot not recognize any superior races We glory In the name n mo of ot John Jobi Ericsson and his race as s a a pre pre pre- preeminent eminent example or of the superb super contribution which has been made mado mad by many different nationalities to tc the cause of o our country The Merrimac was built by men born boru In this country The Monitor WM was as from out the brain of ot II a aman man born across th the Atlantic In IB Inthis this case America celebrates the th victory o of the man from overseas because Ericsson though born a 1 foreigner had bad a II heart born of ol freedom and a soul consecrated to liberty and his cause was 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