On March 8, the Confederate ironclad ram Virginia, better known as the Merrimack, further upset McClellan’s plans by destroying two Union frigates in Hampton Roads and driving others aground. When word of this naval disaster reached Washington, panic quickly spread. Would that powerful warship sail up the Potomac and destroy the capital and sink McClellan’s transports, thus wrecking the planned offensive? On the morning of March 9, Lincoln sent for Gideon Welles, who joined other alarmed cabinet members at the White House. Feeling in need of a professional opinion, Lincoln fetched John A. Dahlgren, commander at the Washington Navy Yard. As they rode back to the White House, the president indicated that he “did not know whether we might not have a visit [from the Merrimack] here.” Dahlgren was able to provide scant comfort, saying only that “such a thing might be prevented, but not met. If the ‘Merrimac’ entered the river it must be blocked; that was about all which could be done at present.” He explained that since the Confederate ironclad drew less than twenty-two feet of water, it could attack Washington or even sail as far as New York, anchor there, “and levy contributions at will.” In his diary, Dahlgren noted that “the President was not at all stunned by the news, but was in his usual suggestive mood.” The captain felt sorry for Lincoln: “Poor gentleman, how thin and wasted he is!”
Source: Abraham Lincoln ∶ A Life ▫𓂃
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