Hammpton Roads

The Battle of Hampton Roads took place on March 8 Ð'- 9, 1862, in Virginia near the mouth of the Elizabeth River. The battle is also called The Battle of Monitor and Merrimack. Under the Union, they had the USS Monitor and three wooden warships. The Confederates had the Merrimack, two wooden warships, two tenders, and one gunboat. The commander of the Union was John L. Worden and the commanders of the Confederate were Franklin Buchanan and Catesby R. Jones. These ships were both iron-clad, meaning they had a sheet of iron covering the exterior of the ship for extra protection. The USS Monitor was of a new design, while the CSS Virginia was a reincarnation of the burned ship, the USS Merrimack. In Norfolk, Virginia, an article was published about the Merrimack, saying it would not work well because of its previous downfall.

When the Merrimack was destroyed, it was partaking in a battle at Gosport, Virginia. The Merrimack was sunken and burned to its copper-line, and down through to the berth deck. Thee spar and gun decks were also burned. After the Merrimack sunk it was immediately raised from its submersion in water. The powder in the air-tight copper tanks was still in good condition. Mr. Mallory, secretary of the navy, wrote a letter to the naval committee stating: "I regard the possession of an iron-armored ship as a matter of the first necessity. Such a vessel at this time could traverse the entire coast of the United States, prevent all blockades, and encounter with a fair prospect of success their entire navy." The ship was then handed off to John L. Porter a Naval Constructor and W. Williamson the chief engineer of the navy. The Merrimack was covered in iron while docked. It became then known as the CSS Virginia and its first battle would be The Battle of Hampton Roads.