What follows is a letter written by John L. Porter, who was the Naval Constructor for the Merrimack, to the editor of the Examiner, a newspaper during the Civil War. 

The Paper claimed Lieutenant Brookes drew up the plans for the Merrimack.  Porter claimed he and Williamson where the primary architects.  The battle took place March 8, 1862 and this letter was written to the paper shortly after on
March 29, 1862.