The Sortie of the CSS Virginia Saturday 8 March 1862
lag Officer Buchanan's plan to attack the Union blockading fleet in Hampton Roads on Thursday 6 March was cancelled. The CSS Virginia was still not ready for action, and Lieutenant Jones begged for a few more days to finish preparing the ironclad. Buchanan had planned a night attack, but local pilots refused to take responsibility for guiding the ship up the Elizabeth River in the dark. The attack was postponed until Saturday morning. Even then, the gunport shields would still not be fitted,...
Ericssons Folly
On 3 August 1861, the Union Navy Department secured Federal funding to build ironclads in response to the threat posed by the Merrimac. The Ironclad Board reviewed the 16 tenders that had been submitted, and encouraged by the financier Cornelius Bushnell, and prompted by Welles, the Board reluctantly approved the design proposed by John Ericsson. None of the board members were engineers, or even advocates of ironclad warships, but all three members understood the danger facing the blockading...
Aftermath
Neither side could claim a victory in the Battle of Hampton Roads. The four-hour battle between the ironclads had been a stalemate. The Monitor had been hit 23 times, and the Virginia 20 times. Neither ship was badly damaged in the engagement. Although Lieutenant Worden was badly scarred, he survived, and eventually regained his eyesight. There were no other casualties. The day before, the Virginia had destroyed two powerful warships and killed or wounded hundreds of Union sailors. Why did the...
The North Atlantic Blockading Squadron at Hampton Roads
The blockading squadron that lay in Hampton Roads during the first week of March 1862 was representative of the blockading forces that encircled the Confederacy. All were unarmored vessels, and almost all were wooden. The most powerful ships were the steam frigates USS Minnesota Captain Gershon Van Brunt and USS Roanoke Captain John Marston , both well armed with the latest shell guns. Marston was also the acting commander of the squadron during the battle. The squadron also included several...
USS Monitor
When reports reached Washington that the Confederates were building an ironclad warship, the Navy Department became alarmed, and lobbied for funds to counter the threat with their own ironclad program. Gideon Welles, the Secretary of the Navy, was a highly experienced and competent administrator, but so far his efforts had been concentrated on expanding the navy by ordering new conventional warships and converting merchantmen for naval service. His primary aim was to create an effective...
Introduction
FT The battle between the ss Virginia and the USS 'mitor on 9 March 1862 was ve first naval engagement tween two ironclad warships, -d represented a turning point h naval history. The Monitor and T gt e Merrimac, oil on canvas by anthus R. Smith. Union League Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA On 9 March 1862, the world's first battle between two ironclad warships took place in the confined waters of Hampton Roads, Virginia. Thousands of soldiers and civilians lined the shores to watch the...
A terrible scene of carnage The second attack on the Congress
It was now around 3.20pm. The Virginia had destroyed or damaged two powerful enemy warships, and was relatively unscathed. She was also facing in the opposite direction from the rest of the Union fleet. She continued bombarding the shore, destroying both the wharf and General Mansfield's headquarters. The Virginia had to turn to port, but it would take about SO minutes to turn the ungainly ironclad through 180 degrees. In the meantime she provided enough of a distraction to allow the James...
Info Cjm
30 January Monitor launched 17 February CSS Virginia commissioned 25 February USS Monitor commissioned 6 March Monitor begins journey to Hampton Roads 8 March Battle of Hampton Roads First Day 10.OOhrs The French sloop Gassendi prepares to move, raising the suspicions of General Wool 10.30 Flag Officer Buchanan orders the CSS Virginia be prepared for sea 11.00 The Virginia begins her journey down the Elizabeth River 11.15 Union signal station on Newport News Point sights smoke on the Elizabeth...
Index 95
THE CONFEDERATE SEABOARD, MARCH-APRIL 1862 The Union North Atlantic Blockading Squadron y moved its base to Norfolk, Virginia in May 1862, s w I-1 moved its base to following the capture of the city._, , , , Flotilla SOUTH _L M- GOI .DSBOROUGI I_ _ Mobile - jj Pensaeola South _ I Atlantic 'T, Blockading I Squadron MIRAL New Orleans fc- Forward Depot South _ I Atlantic 'T, Blockading I Squadron MIRAL Mobile - jj Pensaeola The West Gulf Blockading Squadron was based in Key West. Florida until May...
Hampton Roads 1862
ANGUS KONSTAM is an experienced Osprey author with over 10 titles in print. He has long been associated with the sea, having served in the Royal Navy, practised underwater archaeology and curated a maritime museum. His understanding of the subject is based on years of study of maritime history, and intimate knowledge of the leading maritime museums on both sides of the Atlantic. ADAM HOOK studied graphic design, and began his work as an illustrator in 1983. He specializes in detailed historical...