![]() While the battle was inconclusive, the Monitor’s action’s prevented the destruction of the Union navy. Worden, it was prepared to defend the rest of the Federal fleet from the seemingly invincible Confederate monster. A new and innovative warship silently slipped into Hampton Roads during the night of March 8, 1862. The USS Monitor, a steam-powered ironclad with a revolving gun turret, was the radical invention of John Ericsson. The Union navy quickly had to come up with their own answer to the ironclad warship. News of the Virginia caused panic in Washington. They rechristened the ship the CSS Virginia. The Confederates raised Merrimack from the mud of the Elizabeth River, moved her into an undamaged graving dock, and transformed her into a heavily armed ironclad vessel. The USS Merrimack had been scuttled and her upper works destroyed by fire. Navy at the Gosport Naval Yard in Portsmouth were hastily sunk or destroyed by retreating Union forces. To achieve this goal, the Confederates sought to take advantage of what the Yankees left behind. After Virginia seceded in April 1861, many of the ships and repair facilities of the U. With no formidable vessels to choose from, Mallory decided instead to challenge the Union navy with the latest technology: warships clad with iron. ![]() Confederate secretary of the Navy, Stephen Mallory, scrambled to find a solution. Warships were needed to break the blockade, but the Confederates had few resources at hand. In the earliest weeks of the war, President Abraham Lincoln implemented a blockade off the southern coast, preventing Confederate trade, particularly the sale of cotton, with the outside world. However, the Monitor halted Confederate threats to the Union blockade and prevented damage to the Federal fleet. The USS Monitor and CSS Virginia battled for hours before reaching a stalemate-neither carried the kind of armor-piercing shells necessary to pierce an iron hull. While neither side could claim victory, the battle demonstrated the viability of ironclad technology and provided a glimpse into the future of naval warfare. The Battle of Hampton Roads was the first engagement of ironclad warships during the Civil War and was fought between the USS Monitor and the CSS Virginia. Saved Land Browse Interactive Map View active campaigns.Stop the Largest Rezoning in Orange County History.Support the American Battlefield Protection Program Enhancement Act.Protect the Heart of Chancellorsville Battlefield.Save 343 Acres at FIVE Battlefields in FOUR Western Theater States.Help Save 820 Acres at Five Virginia Battlefields.Help Acquire 20 Sacred Acres at Antietam.Help Us Save Hallowed Ground in Tennessee and Kentucky.Help Restore History at Gettysburg, Cold Harbor & More.Help Save 125 Battlefield Acres in Virginia.Help Preserve 32 Acres at Chickasaw Bayou and Champion Hill.Virtual Tours View All See Antietam now!.National Teacher Institute July 13 - 16, 2023 Learn More.USS Constitution In 4 Minutes Watch Video.African Americans During the Revolutionary War.The First American President: Setting the Precedent.
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