Duel of Iron: The Battle of Hampton Roads, March 8th and 9th, 1862

Duel of Iron details the battle of Hampton Roads fought on March 8th and 9th, 1862. Union General George B. McClellan’s steady advance up the James Peninsula threatened the Confederate capital of Richmond, and a Union victory here had the potential of ending the war. A massive fleet of powerful Union warships anchored the northern army’s flank and protected their water-borne supply line.

On March 8th a strange looking Confederate steam ship, one that looked like a floating barn roof to a Union sailor who witnessed it, accompanied by other more conventional Confederate warships, sallied forth to do battle. The CSS Virginia, an ironclad warship built on the hull of the captured USS Merrimac, proved impervious to cannon balls fired from the Union warships and nearby land artillery batteries. Victory seemed within the Confederate’s grasp when action ended on March 8th, leaving two Union warships sinking and another badly damaged, with only slight damage to the Confederate vessels.

The fighting resumed on March 9th, but the Union ironclad USS Monitor had arrived during the night and its commander intercepted the CSS Virginia when it steamed out for battle. The battle between these two ironclad warships was violent, but ended in stalemate, and the Confederate’s ambitions were thwarted. Although inconclusive in military terms, this first fight between ironclad warships marked a decisive turning point in naval warfare.