Ironclads

Ironclads: The battle of the Ironclads by Brian Gillis toc =Background = One of the Union's first attempts to end the American Civil War was to force the  Confederacy to surrender by blockading its ports. The reason for doing so was to  discontinue the confederate’s contact to supplies, such as weapons and food. To  prepare itself towards this threat, the confederacy began to build numerous ships   covered in iron panels. On March 8, 1862, the newly constructed Ironclad met Union  brigadiers at the James River, Virginia. The Merrimac, rammed and sunk the USS  Cumberland, and forced the Union's Congress into submission. Rather than fighting  the Union's Minnesota, the Confederate's Merrimac retreated, planning to return the   next day. However, over night the Union's ironclad ship, the USS Monitor arrived,  setting the stage for an unexpected naval battle.

= CSS Merrimac = Otherwise known as the CSS Virginia, the CSS Merrimac was the first of the Confederate "Ironclads". The Confederate navy built it out of the burned out hull of the USS Merrimac that was left behind by the Union in the Newport, Virginia shipyards at the start of the war. The iron panels that covered the entire ship deflected enemy cannon-ball fire, making the ship at the time, virtually indestructible. The ship was also composed of an underwater ram, used to ram and sink the enemy's ships.

== = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = USS Monitor = The USS Monitor, was the first of the Union's Ironclads. Designed by the Swedish engineer, John Ericsson, the 172 foot long, 987 ton ship was completed by February of 1862. By March 6, 2012, after completing many tests it was sent down to join the blockade off the atlantic coast of Virginia, where it arrived three days later. Similar to the CSS Merrimac, the Monitor was also covered with an iron exterior. However, what set the Monitor apart from the Merrimac was its innovative, revolving turret, comprised of two cannons. This permitted the Monitor to be able to fire at the enemy without having to maneuver and reposition itself. The majority of the ship was below the water line, lessening the chance of damage to the ship.

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = The Battle of Hampton Roads = Early in the morning of March 9, 1862, the CSS Merrimac steemed into Hampton Roads, Virginia, returning to battle the USS Minnesota. However, unexpectedly, the Confederate ironclad ran into the Union ironclad, the Monitor, commanded by John L. Worden. The two Ironclads battled for numerous hours, each imposing minuscule damage to each other due to the iron panels covering the ships. After many hours of battling, the captain of the CSS Merrimac, Franklin Buchanan, hit the USS Monitor's pilothouse, momentarily blinding the Monitor's captain. As a result of this hit, the Merrimac was given the little amount of time it needed to escape and repair its ship, and thus it did so, retreating to Norfolk, Virginia. = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Significance of the Battle  =

The major significance of this battle was that it was the first battle between the Union and Confederate Ironclads. Due to the fact that neither Ironclad ship was destroyed, the battle ended in a draw. However, even though it was inconclusive, the battle between the two Ironclads became known worldwide. It soon became clear that Ironclad ships would become the future of naval warfare. The rest of the worlds wooden navies became obsolete.

media type="youtube" key="_ABzaEHQ4Hg" height="315" width="420" //This video describes the battle of Hampton Roads, VA// =After the battle = Two months after the battle the CSS Merrimac was trapped in Norfolk, Virginia by advancing Union naval forces. Rather than surrendering and giving the Merrimac to the Union, the confederate naval troops burnt and sank the ship on April 20, 1862. The sinking of the Merrimac was seen as a Union victory, as the Union now controlled the waters of the American Civil War. The monitor was lost eight months later on December 31, 1862, when drowned by high waves during a bad storm. = =

To learn more about the battle between the two ships [|click here.] To learn more about the USS Monitor [|click here.] To learn more about the CSS Merrimac [|click here.]

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Nelson, James L. 2004. //The Reign of Iron: The Story of the First Battling Ironclads, the Monitor and the Merrimack//. HarperCollins Publishers, NY.

Planetofice1. "Civil War Ironclads." //YouTube//. YouTube, 19 Oct. 2009. Web. 29 May 2012. .

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"USN Ships--USS Monitor (1862) -- Construction." //USN Ships--USS Monitor (1862) -- Construction//. Web. 29 May 2012. .

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