Prior to the Civil War, Franklin Buchanan was the first superintendent of the Unites States Naval Academy (1845 - 1847). The shot flew past Monitor and struck Minnesota, which answered with a broadside; this began what would be a lengthy engagement. A.async = !0; }); On that day, Virginia was able to destroy two ships of the federal flotilla, USSCongress and USSCumberland, and was about to attack a third, USSMinnesota, which had run aground. Even with this lower gunpowder charge, the 165lb solid shot projectiles did much to dent and disfigure the armor plating on the Virginia. At the best facility, the Tredegar Iron Works in Richmond, building engines from scratch would take at least a year. init: function() { "https:" : "http:") + Per the well-established norms formed during the Age of Sail, it was customary for a defeated ship and its captain to formally surrender to their victorious counterparts. [80] Confederate advocates can counter, however, by arguing that Virginia had a military significance larger than the blockade, which was only a small part of the war in Tidewater Virginia. Hampton Roads March 8 - 9, 1862 The Battle of Hampton Roads Monitor vs. Merrimack, Battle of the Ironclads In the earliest weeks of the war, President Abraham Lincoln declared a blockade of the Southern coast. Even in the American Civil War, the Virginia and Monitor were not the first ironclads. [27] Trials showed that these rifles firing solid shot would pierce up to eight inches of armor plating. It was fought over two days, March 89, 1862, in Hampton Roads, a roadstead in Virginia where the Elizabeth and Nansemond rivers meet the James River just before it enters Chesapeake Bay adjacent to the city of Norfolk. "https://":"http://";i+=f?g:k;i+=j;i+=h;c(i)}if(!e.ue_inline){if(a.loadUEFull){a.loadUEFull()}else{b()}}a.uels=c;e.ue=a})(window,document); What followed has been described as "Monitor mania". The Union had lost two ships and three were aground. The re-modeled ship's offense, in addition to the ram, consisted of 10 guns: six 9in (230mm) smooth-bore Dahlgrens, two 6.4in (160mm) and two 7in (180mm) Brooke rifles. (function() { Monitor steamed into the Chesapeake Bay to protect the rest of the Unions wooden fleet, including the U.S.S. Resolved . The Union ironclad had been rushed to Hampton Roads in hopes of protecting the Union fleet and preventing Virginia from threatening Union cities. Return fire from Cumberland and Congress bounced off the iron plates without penetrating, although later some of Cumberland's gunfire lightly damaged Virginia. On the morning of March 8, 1862, the Virginia made steam and moved slowly out into the Elizabeth River for its inaugural voyage. "Events.SushiEndpoint": "https://unagi.amazon.com/1/events/com.amazon.csm.csa.prod", Over the two day battle, the Federal navy suffered 261 killed and 108 wounded in its struggle with the Virginia more killed and wounded than any other sea battle in American history at that time. for(var i=0; i, The Memoirs Of General William T. Sherman, Memoirs of Gen. William T. Sherman - Volume 1. The Majority of our funds go directly to Preservation and Education. Happy Bang Clang Day. return null; The First American President: Setting the Precedent, African Americans During the Revolutionary War, Help Save 820 Acres at Five Virginia Battlefields, Save 343 Acres at FIVE Battlefields in FOUR Western Theater States, Save 42 Historic Acres at the Battle of Chancellorsville, Phase Three of Gaines Mill-Cold Harbor Saved Forever Campaign, An Unparalleled Preservation Opportunity at Gettysburg Battlefield. A headline in a Boston newspaper the day after the battle read "The Merrimac Driven back by the Steamer! Call Number: E467.1 .B76 2002. Virginia, met off Sewell's Point on March 9, 1862, their drawn battle signalled the end for navies of wooden warships: everyone already knows that, too. [23] Mallory gathered about himself a group of men who could put his vision into practice, among them John M. Brooke, John L. Porter, and William P. However, the cannon balls simply deflected off the iron ships. We hope that these ten interesting facts will help expand your knowledge and appreciation of this important Civil War naval battle. All parties continued to use the name after her capture by secessionists while she was being rebuilt as an ironclad. And March 8, 1862 would remain the bloodiest day in American naval history until December 7, 1941, when the Japanese navy struck the American fleet at Pearl Harbor. As such, he could control the movements of Virginia. gads.src = (useSSL ? }); Its presence meant that the guns could not fire directly forward, and it was isolated from other activities on the ship. In 1987, the site was declared a National Marine Sanctuary, the first shipwreck to receive this distinction. Shipbuilders also incorporated rams into the designs of warship hulls for the rest of the century.[7]. googletag.pubads().enableSingleRequest(); Despite the late start and the novelty of construction, Monitor was actually completed a few days before her counterpart Virginia, but the Confederates activated Virginia first. })(); Convinced that Virginia was quitting, with orders only to protect Minnesota and not to risk his ship unnecessarily, Greene did not pursue. In New York City, where the designer of the Monitor, John Ericsson, died in March 1889, a statue was commissioned by the state to commemorate the battle between the Ironclads. The Virginia's engines had not been fully tested and the armored shields for its broadside gun ports had not been installed, but these "minor details" did not greatly concern the ship's new captain, Franklin Buchanan. On the day of battle, Goldsborough was absent with the ships cooperating with the Burnside Expedition in North Carolina. } The ships did not fight again, and the blockade remained in place. googletag.pubads().collapseEmptyDivs(true); But, my enemy, it's your name on my lips as I go to sleep. Virginia's draft was too great to permit her to pass up the river, which had a depth of only 18ft (5.5m), and then only under favorable circumstances. [37], On the Union side, command of the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron was held by Flag Officer Louis M. Goldsborough. S Greatest Harbor Marker since the start of the century. [ 7 ] a clear defeat assured colleagues... Was fought over two days, March 8-9, 1862, in Hampton Roads - world & # ;! 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