f.j. bidwell writes in saying how about embedding a heavy gun in the false prow of a tug and in a sense fire through its own hul and sink the merrimac that way. torpedoes, also, i use torpedoes in the 19th century sense, using spar torpedoes to destroy the merrimac is extremely popular. this idea which in a smaller way is used during the civil war when you think of cushing's attack on the albermarl, it is sunk, using the spar torpedo. again the monitor could eliminate it that way. you have talen smith write in with an extremely detailed plan. again i don't know how the would work. the monitor would be equipped with this burr torpedo that has prongs on it and would be shoved

into the merrimac's hull. or, how it would be possible un1u in 1862,i don't know. you have basically a motor attached to the torpedo that operated drills where it would drill itself into its enemy. and then the explosion of course would destroy it. there is also what i call the flying torpedo. you attach a torpedo to a chain, cannonba cannonball. fire the cannonball over the merrimac, enough powder to skim the roof and that would then pull the torpedo through the air, right up to the hull, and once again you could destroy her that way. even from the interior department, census bureau technically, you have joseph kennedy writing in, he has several beautiful illustrations that, the monitor need to tow a torpedo.

and then release it at some point in the channel. as the merrimac comes down the would sail over the torpedo and the monitor would discharge it from a safe distance. there is also the idea of having a torpedo on chains. and, you have two tugs that are chained together. the torpedoes in the middle. when the merrimac came down the two would sail in the opposite direction and create a giant trip wire. also not terribly practical. speaking of not practical. jay payne writes in with the same sort of idea. you have the torpedo in the center, have the two tugs on either side. you have a small boat. several soldiers, several soldiers dressed as women.

pretending to be a pleasure party. why someone would be sailing in the middle of a possible naval conflict. i don't know. they would using a telescope be able to tell when that floating torpedo was getting close to the merrimac, two tugs would make for the hills, and they would basically pull the torpedo under the merrimac and that would be it. these people usually have more than one good idea per letter. he said if you don't like that idea the how about creating a false snout for the monitor that again, loaded with explosives. somehow hooks on to the merrimac and you destroy it that way. a more simplistic way, also using retractible torpedo fences. another one people write in. you can create a barrier of torpedoes. the confederates do something

similar in mobile bay. these are very complicated. self, self-raising and lowering, rather ingenious if impractical. and then, follow the propeller, use fishing nets. string fishing nets across the channel. regular nets, rope, or chain. it will be sucked into the propeller, rendered immobile, and sitting duck. problem solved. in fact the assistant secretary of the navy, fox, suggests the same idea to his friend, admiral golds. borough and says, well a bell-cat idea. what do you think about trailing this and ruining the merrimac's propeller that way. goldborough says that is not going to work.

we una senin a sense -- there a enough nets. it's not workable to do such a thing to destroy it that way. stub marines are also pro posed by quite a few people that again going with your 20,000 leagues under the sea motif. a number of submarines are clever but impractical. in fact, you have an individual c.c. koh, write in, do you want the merrimac destroyed. i can do it. but my methods are secret and submarine. i can do it. but i can't tell. if england assaults our blockade, i can destroy her fleet in one day. the navy did take a chance on a

submarine. oh, although i should talk about this one for a moment. another individual wrote in, how about a glass bottom boat. this would be used to remove torpedoes and obstructions. from 10:00 in the morning, you can see deep enough in the water to suppose lead undo these enemy obstructions. apparently also a one-man submarine as well. but, the one submarine, the u.s. government does invest in proposed by brutus devillearoy. a french immigrant. you are familiar with, remember, warners brother cartoons, wile e. coyote. de villearoy.

he puts on the census, occupation, natural genius. the alligator, a pro tow types built. it is even brought down to hampton roads at one point. but it is also not terribly workable. the navy officers who command it find that, yes it's, it submerges but goes straight to the bottom. it does not, you know, float, very well. doesn't answer, its helm. got all these different problems. and they tinker with it for two years. the alligator is sent to charleston when it sings off cape hatteras, close to where the monitor went down just almost a year before.

even levelheaded montgomery meggs suggests we need to take out the merrimac in emergency. put men on different ships, have them jump on the merrimac and throw grenades down the smokestack. the merrimac's smokestack an object of sing lar faular fasci by those who view it as an achilles heel, a chinning in the armor that could mean destruction if handled improperly. a number of people write in with this idea, let's send, 10, 50, men, some wearing india rubber shoes to run up the case mate and sometimes, carrying hook ladders, some times chisels to somehow take apart the merrimac smoke take. apparently the confederates aren't going to do anything

about this at all. that's what always amazes me. and again, throw powder down the smokestack. in fact, barnes writes in with an idea to gideon wells, and asks wells, write back, tell me what you think. well, wells probably doesn't write back. but a waggish clerk writes on the back of the letter "would you look to drop in a bomb and run the risk of being blown aloft before your time?" nevertheless, this idea that these armchair generals have this idea that, or admirals, have an idea, that a commando raid could take out the merrimac. in fact -- steel writes in again with the same idea. midway, in fact, his commandos though would have cork life belts. so, once they do their thing, they cannot drown. if they fall or fall off or are shoved off. but he also midway through his

letter, he can almost sort of imagine the wheels turning. he is saying, uh-oh, couldn't the rebel do's the same thing to the monitor. has anything been done to the monitor smokestacks to prevent bombs from being thrown in. there is, a real risk of that happening. in fact, lincoln himself had been warned about this by none other than john warden. the wounded commander of the monitor, that warden was actually afraid that this sort of thing could be done. commandos could jump on the monitor's deck, wedge the turret, and capture the vessel somehow doing that. in fact lincoln issues an order saying, the monitor is not to go skylarking up to norfolk. unattended. that it is such a valuable weapon that we cannot just risk it willy-nilly. and then there are people who write in offering to destroy the merrimac themselves. they're sort of what i would say, sort of 19th century

forerunners of blackwater. they're private contractors, say, for enough money i will blow up the merrimac. and never very specific about their pricing too. it's usually $500,000. to blow it up. de vilaroy writes in, itch you donyou -- if you don't like my submarine. i will blow up enemy ships. you will pay me what the ships were worth. another frenchman, ludwig lahoe writes in extremely specific, i'm in france right now if the government pays for my expenses, pays for the ship, pays for me to command the ship, i get to pick my own crew, and if i get killed unu.s. service, my aged mother gets a $200 pension for life. oh, and also, if i'm proven to

beef inc be incompa tent a coin compa te me. it's a win-win. he writes and does nltd undn't d why he isn't getting a response and much less, round trip tickets. h.k. lawrence writes in, i will destroy the merrimac, jamestown, and yorktown, within 20 daves this date, $500,000 for the merrimac, $100,000 for the other vessels involved. wells is intrigued enough to say, well, state your plan. and he does so again. hamilton tow, also has the the same idea. he says $500,000 to destroy the merrimac. he sees wells personally and wells turns him down. a few days later he writes in. and says how about $10,000 now and $100,000 when i blow up the

merrimac. he cut his price. oh, and of course the navy officers were none too amused by the private contractors wanting to do what they couldn't. louie goldsborough writes to his friend, gustavus fox saying, what has become of the $100,000 blowing up man? has his scheme collapsed or is the water too cold? secret inventions are also proposed. people write in saying my invention is so unbelievable, i can't tell you what it is. i can give you a rough outline. but i really can't tell you, everything, although it can whip anything afloat. and they also insist that i will tell my idea to the president alone. or -- if the president is not available -- the secretary of

war. maybe navy. and in fact, louie winterbower writes in with an idea, the navy does write back, saying thank you for suggesting your idea. however, we cannot judge it because you gave us no particulars. and in fact, everyone wants few get in on the act. lincoln gets an unexpected letter, or letter from an unexpected source, a pastor from a baptist church in new hampshire, william sousan, saying i have perfected an invention of the most marvelous destructive power that can immediately destroy the most powerful warships at a distance. you, sir, may smile at all of this and suppose it is only the dream of an excited brain. but only a few days are needed to convince the world of its reality. the united states will be given the power to resist all the world's navy. and he also, i am fully willing to do ao a test.

and will then sit back and wait for the offers to flood in. well if -- shells and other machines couldn't destroy the merrimac, it is suggested how about using one of nature's basic elements, fire, or fire and petroleum. this idea of turning the -- the monitor into some sort of flame throwing vesuvius, equip the monitor with tanks of flammable, benzine, coal oil, naptha, very close to modern-day gasoline, you put a fire engine or a force pump on the monitor, you spray the merrimac, using fire hoses, and, then, either the fire of her own guns will ignite it or you use a rocket to do so. and that in a sense this will take the enemy out with -- with almost no effort.

in fact, one of the most elaborate plans that are sent in, is by robert chessborough. you all may have come into contact with -- robert chessborough within the last weeks or days. he is the inventer of vaseline. so, chessborough writes in and he works for a petroleum company at the moment and i was very amused to find that one of the letters how to melt the merrimac its written on a company called the brooklyn fire insurance co. so apparently they, they knew how to start fires. chessborough again says, what you do, you put a 5,000 gallon tank on the monitor, use a worthington force pump and you spray the merrimac with this fluid. in 15 minutes her gun deck will be untenable. in 30 there will probably be an explosion. it can be readied in three days,

cost as the bis about $5,000. i am aware the cry of inhumane warfare will be raised. but he says the object is to only induce surrender. as soon as the rebels surrender then the monitor can switch to spraying water an it will wash the flames off. and again you will achieve your ends. if fire couldn't be used, how about live steam? in fact there are several people who suggest that if you want a dead ironclad, you inject live steam. and you basically do -- very similar. you have -- hoses attached to the monitor steam drum or special extra boiler. you spray live steam through the merrimac's gun ports. and if steam is not practical, let's just use plain water, again, that smokestack was an object of -- fascination, that again, you use a force pump, you

direct these jets of water, i'm sort of imagining the monitor like one of those fire boats in new york harbor, you know, with water spraying out everywhere. only, in this time, this case it is either naptha or water. if we can get water to go down the merrimac smoke stacks. ten gallons will blow out the furnace doors, scalding everyone, within reach. and no doubt the confederate would surrender in a great hurry. but there was also then the fear that, what was good for the rebel goose, might also be applied to the union gander. and there were fears that this exact same tactic could be used against the monitor. people write in with all different strategies about how to go about destroying the merrimac. some offer basic ideas. the navy officers of course had already thought of.

some say, well let's use a giant net. as if the merrimac is some sort scooped up, you have two tugz witugz -- tugs, grab the merrimac that way. swarm and sink. i have already mentioned. and then to use again, sort of a chain lasso, you fire this grappling hook over the merrimac and capture it, that way. the -- you have two individuals, ed win post and samuel mitchells write in with the grappling hook attachment, the monitor can latch on to the merrimac so she couldn't get away and hammer her into submission that way. or there was the cradling option. again, that you use this grappling hook and a chain, you shoot it over the merrimac, it latches ahold. and, according to its author, j.

miller, that you could then rock the merrimac back and forth until walter starts pouring in and it surrenders or sinks. because he says, let this rough suggestion be well studied. reminding gideon wells how simple a thing was david's sling in taking on the goliath. c.l.pasquale has one of the crazier ideas which i call dump and sink in which what you do is you have 20 large cannon on the back of this steamer -- again, look how small the merrimac is in comparison -- you ram the merrimac, dragging with it another cannon falling on the other side, and basically like a large dump truck you would sink the merrimac using, basically, just excess weight.

but as i said, there were fears that the confederates could use basically these exact same tactics. you have a number of worried northerners writing in saying, can the monitor defend itself against a vessel that has superior steam power? most of the northern public did not realize the merrimac's engines were barely able to move it, much less this idea that the merrimac is going to shoot these grappling hooks over the monitor and drag it back to norfolk. and then the rebels would have both ironclads and then the union cause would be lost. in fact, there is an anonymous letter from norfolk that's sent to lincoln saying that this diabolical plan is under way and that, quote, take warning in time. in fact, there was some reality to this.

supposedly there were attempts that the confederates would attempt to board the monitor, wedge the turrent, and then use tarps to cover the pilot house and other openings and pour in chloroform. that somehow the union crew would all be put to sleep and the confederates would capture the ship that way, you know, figuring that nothing else could possibly go wrong with this particular scheme. but, of course, this never happens. the monitor and the merrimac never officially engage again. in fact, it's only fitting that, really, the end of the merrimac comes partially at the instigation of abraham lincoln. lincoln had received all these letters asking him, cajoling him, and lincoln himself comes down to hampton roads on may 6 to survey the military

situation, and he and secretary solomon p. chase and stanton will actually cruise around hampton roads and he's found a spot where the union army can land to capture norfolk. once norfolk is gone, the confederate ship is untenable. lincoln orders this attempt to be made. in fact, lincoln actually gets to see the merrimac come down the river to investigate some shelling that the union maybe is doing, and there's conflicting reports. the union reports say that merrimac shows up, we withdrew trying to lure her further down so that vanderbilt and the other big rams could get a shot at her where the confederates say, well, the union saw the merrimac come and fled. they all went to hide under the guns of fortress monroe. the union landing does take

place, norfolk does fall, and on may 11 the confederates blow up the merrimac. in fact, solomon p. chase, who finds it sometimes reluctant to praise abraham lincoln writes to his daughter saying, if lincoln had not come down, the merrimac would probably still be as great a terror as previously. lincoln's presence and his forceful insistence that something be done actually garnered results. but the ghost of the merrimac comes back to haunt the union after the end of the war. again, we think merrimac is blown up, end of story. that's not really the end of the story, because one of the other things i've run across in my wandering through the national archives, the federal government has three contracts after the war with salvage firms to do something about the wreck of the

merrimac, which is sort of blocking the elizabeth river's shipping channel. apparently two of the contracts fall through, for whatever reason, and the third contract, which is apparently executed and finished by may 18, 1871, the salvage outfit is not terribly happy. they basically don't make any money at all. they bring up about 30 tons of wrought iron which largely gets sold for souvenirs, but again, they weren't terribly happy that they thought it would be a much more lucrative operation than it turned out. what was left of the hull and everything was left, but most of the iron was brought up. well, the one portion of this paper that i regret not having to give to you is the confederate response. one thing i really wanted to see is if people in the confederacy are coming up with similar lunatic ideas of how to deal with the monitor. unfortunately, most of those records were destroyed when richmond fell and the

confederates burned most of the archives, so unfortunately, i don't have those to give you. a partial answer, of course, can be divined by the construction of are experimental ships like the hunley or the use of stationary torpedos. the confederates were extremely inventive at trying to find ways of equalizing naval combat with such a powerful enemy. in the words of gideon wells, the clash of ironclads 150 years ago in hampton roads was the most remarkable naval combat of modern times perhaps of any age. the challenge of the merrimac had been met and then repelled, and thus a new era was open in the history of maritime warfare. the world and naval combat have never been the same since. thank you. [ applause ] >> i'd be happy to take any questions if there are any.

i believe there is a microphone set up if you wish. no questions? hopefully i covered everything so thoroughly, there can be no doubts in your mind. anyway, thank you very much. [ applause ] >> as commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the civil war continues join us every saturday at 6:00 and 10:00 p.m. and sundays at 11:00 a.m. for programs featuring the civil war. for more information about

american history tv on c-span 3 including our complete schedule go to c-span.org/history. and to keep up with us during the week or to scene us your questions and comments follow us on twitter. we're at twitter.com/cspanhistory. >> a generation before president john f. kennedy action on behalf of a grateful nation designated him an honorary american citizen. winston churchill paid a tribute to his transatlantic origins. appearing before a joint session of congress, day after christmas, 1941. he observed i can't help if my father was american and my mother british instead of the other way around i may have got here on my own. today outside the british embassy on massachusetts avenue, churchill literally described two nations with one bronze foot planted on british soil and the

other on american. this pleased the old man himself to no end. of the statue announced on his 89th birthday, the honorary american said "i feel it will rest happily and securely on both feet." controversy arose over the sculptor william mcveigh's depiction of the war time prime minister, not because of his defiances stance withing the right hand raised in a v for victory salute. no another churchill icon, the cigar in his left hand that offended some members of the english speaking union. the organization responsible for the sculpture. in the end, thencity and the cigar won out. unveiled a year after churchill's death in 1965, the figure seems even larger than its nine-foot dimensions would indicate. almost half a century on, winston churchill still manages to dominate his surroundings.