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The Battle of Hampton Roads: March 8–9, 1862

Hampton Roads Map
On March 8–9, 1862, the ironclad CSS Virginia attacked the Union blockade squadron in Hampton Roads, Virginia, changing the course of naval warfare forever.

The CSS Virginia had formerly been the USS Merrimack, but when the Federals had been forced to abandon Gosport Shipyard (the modern-day Norfolk Naval Shipyard) in 1861, they had scuttled the steam frigate. However, it had only burned to the waterline, preserving the hull and engines. The Confederates refloated the hull and built a superstructure on top with sloping wooden sides covered in iron. They planned to use the newly christened Virginia to break the Union blockade.

Nearly simultaneously, the Union was building its own ironclad vessel, but from scratch. The iron steamer, named the USS Monitor, was nearly completely submerged in the water, except for its deck and revolving gun turret.

On the Virginia’s maiden voyage, it decided to attack the Federal ships in Hampton Roads, the Virginian waterway where three rivers converged before entering Chesapeake Bay. On March 8, the Virginia (along with the gunboats sailing with it) steamed into Hampton Roads and launched its attack, decimating some of the Union ships while sustaining only superficial damage itself, as its iron armor caused shots to more or less bounce off it.

Before it could take on the other Union ships, the tide forced the Virginia to retire for the night, and when it returned the following morning, it found that the USS Monitor had arrived in the night to protect the remaining Union ships. The Monitor and the Virginia dueled for about four hours, during which neither ship sustained serious damage, each protected by their iron plates.

USS Merrimack

Finally, the Monitor pulled away to assess the vessel’s damage, leading the Virginia to believe the other ship was leaving the battle. After the Virginia likewise departed, the Monitor returned only to find the Virginia gone. This confusion caused both sides to declare victory, though historians typically agree the battle was a draw.

Though the Battle of Hampton Roads prevented the Virginia from achieving its objective, the real significance of the battle was its demonstration that wooden ships stood no chance against ironclads, almost instantly outdating navies around the globe.

Do you have any ancestors who fought in the Battle of Hampton Roads? Tell us about them! Or learn more about the battle by searching Fold3.

110 Comments

  1. Randy Merrell says:

    I worked at NNSY in a white collar capacity for 22 years. I was told that the hull of the Merrimac was transferred to old Drydock #1, a drydock built of granite blocks in the 18th century. When the Federals abandoned Gosport, I was told that they tried unsuccessfully to destroy the drydock. Drydock #1 is one of the oldest if not the oldest drydock in the US and is still in use today. Merrimac was converted to the CSS Virginia there.

    • Matt Buchanan says:

      I am distantly related to Captain Buchanan, who was the skipper of the CSS Virginia. I have heard that he was ill and was not on the ship that day.

    • Henry Dillard says:

      RE: your great uncle,private 8th NC infantry. If he died in a Richmond hospital there is probably a record. Chimborazo was the big hospital for soldiers, and records were kept there. There were other smaller hospitals, some even in private homes. 12,000 confederate soldiers are buried at Oakwood Cemetery. All Chimborazo deaths were buried there, but the cemetery records are not complete. Hollywood Cemetery also has many confederates buried there.
      My g’great uncle Alexander Moore was Sergeant in 61st NC, and was also killed at Cold Harbor.

  2. Len Lehman says:

    It is interesting that the turret of Monitors became the gun turrets in modern navel vessels!. Also the captain of the USS monitor Osage is credited with development of the periscope. He developed it as a way of directing fire when the ship was under attack while it was patrolling the Red River and came under Confederate fire. After the war, several double turreted monitor were built of which the USS Dunderburg was most important!

    • James Horn says:

      Actually, per Wikipedia, the turrets for the Dundenberg were removed from the design early in its construction. In final form, it looked more like a conventional warship than a monitor.
      There were, however double turret versions of the monitor in use during the Civil War, including the Milwaukee class and some one offs like the Onandoga.
      ,

    • Randy Merrell says:

      Henry,

      Thanks for the information. I have a cousin who went to Richmond and researched some hospitals and cemeteries. She didn’t have much time to spend there so I don’t know if she made it to any of these or not. I will relay this to her and retain it for myself as I hope to make it to Richmond some day. I haven’t been there since the Civil War Centennial back around 1961. I was about 8 years old so I don’t remember a lot except my parents took me to the Civil War Centennial Building and I don’t remember anything I saw in there. Thank you again. You are a scholar and a gentleman.

      Randy

  3. Jeff Barbour says:

    My great great grandmother at the age of 12 watched the duel with her mother and father on what today is Chesapeake Ave. Hampton VA

  4. Randy Merrell says:

    Monitor turrets were harder to hit. Confederate irlonclads depended on their shape to direct cannon fire away. The most vulnerable part of an ironclad was the stack.

  5. LRWalls says:

    My gg grandfather,Thomas McGuire, volunteered as a wagon master during1862 at Ft. Monroe, located in the vicinity where the Ironclad battle took place. I like to imagine that he may have been a witness.

  6. Randy Merrell says:

    Might well have been.

  7. Sam Lantz says:

    According to “New York, Civil War Muster Roll Abstracts, 1861-1900”, my Great-Great-Grandfather, John Blackwood (alias John Russell) was on board the US Frigate Congress that I believe was also attacked during that battle. According to the record, he was a private and also taken prisoner, March 8, 1862. He had been missing in action for a period of time. He was later exchanged or released. He was discharged May 21, 1862. According to another relative he was injured in the battle and walked with a cane the rest of his life.

  8. Randy Merrell says:

    If I remember my facts correctly, USS Congress was sunk by CSS Virginia on the first day of the Battle of Hampton Roads. The cannon from the ship were later recovered by the Federals towards the end of the war, but they were judged unserviceable. I believe that one of them is on display in Trophy Park at Norfolk Naval Shipyard.

  9. Phyllis Anderson says:

    My step-father’s Grandfather, Michael J. Doyle, served on the Princeton and the Monitor during the Civil War. He sustained a severe injury to his arm, leading to permanent disability. Following the war, he was unable to perform manual labor and was reduced to selling pencils on the streets of Philadelphia to help feed his family. Veterans then and now suffer from post war challenges that are not easily overcome.

    • Randy Merrell says:

      I recently saw a show on one of the educational channels titled “Reconstruction”. One part showed the plight of veterans on both sides. Many suffered not only from disabling wounds, but also from post traumatic stress syndrome. Many were found wandering about with basically no idea who they were or where they were going. Veterans with horrible disabling wounds came home with no means of making a livelihood. Confederate Veterans often came home to utter devastation on top of any mental or physical problems. My great great uncle was a private in the 8th North Carolina Infantry Regiment. He and much of his regiment were captured on Roanoke Island, NC during the Burnside Expedition. He was later paroled, exchanged and rejoined his regiment. At Cold Harbor in 1864, his regiment was decimated, he was captured again and imprisoned at Elmira in NY. He spent the last year of the war there. The last record we have of him was that he was taken to a hospital in Richmond on his release. We assume he died there and is buried in an unmarked grave in Richmond. He never came home to Powell’s Point, NC.

    • Steve Glazer says:

      I have extensively studied the crew of the USS Monitor over the last five years. There is no record of anyone by the name of “Michael (J.) Doyle” ever having served on her. A very quick check of the USN Civil War pension records available here shows that a Michael Doyle served in the Union navy on the Princeton and Miami. He was unable to support himself. His widow was Julia (nee Gallagher) Doyle. She lived in Philadelphia. A reasonably complete reference having a good list of the ship’s crew members is “The Monitor Boys” by John V. Quarstein (The History Press, 2011). Appendix 5 contains an annotated crew roster.

  10. John Sorli says:

    My great great grandfather John Graham (who came from Ireland with his wife and 2 year old son in 1854) was a blacksmith. He worked on the metal armaments for the Monitor in the Brooklyn Navy Yard. I went on a very interesting tour of the Navy Yard with the Irish Family History Forum about three years ago. The original dry dock from the 1860’s was still there, as well as much information about the USS Monitor. It helped both U.S. History and our family history come alive.

    • Randy Merrell says:

      Brooklyn Navy Yard was closed back in the 60’s. I am glad that something of it still remains.

  11. James Chapman says:

    Union steamships relied on anthracite coal, or hard coal, as their fuel of choice. Some 90% of the world’s anthracite deposits are located in northeast Pennsylvania whereas the South had none and had to find fuel wherever it could. Anthracite was transported from the many mines located in Pennsylvania to northern ports where it was loaded into the bulwarks of ships. Anthracite held a great advantage over bituminous coal as it burned cleaner without nearly as much smoke, allowing Union ships to move about with a certain amount of stealth. Blockade runners often fueled at English ports where they could take on superior Welsh coal, although the British government had to be careful not to give the impression that it was on the side of the Confederacy. I have read that the C.S. Virginia used a semi-anthracite variety mined in Virginia which had a higher heating value than bituminous, but there is no conclusive proof that it did. The fuel aspect of warfare tends to be mostly forgotten, but in the days of steamships, large supplies of wood and coal were essential. Coal also powered steam locomotives and fueled forges. Reading the comments here is very interesting especially those by family members whose ancestors were there in person.

  12. Lenny Wagner says:

    William Gold of Moorestown, NJ served aboard the USS Cumberland which was sunk by the Virginia on March 8, 1862.

  13. terry says:

    Read about the war while you can. Confederate flag haters are trying very hard to bury the history under a cloud of political correctness.

    There are two sides to this story. Both sides deserve to be told.

  14. Bejay Grackin says:

    One of the hospitals in Richmond was Confederate Military Hospital. Shockhoe Cemetery is right across the street http://www.shockoehillcemetery.org. Your relative may be buried there or one of the several others in the area.

  15. Randy Merrell says:

    I could not agree with you more. The brave men on the CSS Virginia risked their lives under a Confederate flag. Historical paintings of the engagement with USS Monitor show the the Virginia displaying a Confederate Battle Flag, though the Confederate Navy normally flew the First National Flag. The brave men on the Monitor fought under the United States Flag of the day. Both sides believed their cause to be just. Hate groups which have no true right to display the Battle Flag and those who have a misunderstanding of the real causes of the War would seek to tarnish the Battle Flag. As a member of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, this grieves me. We and the Daughters of the Confederacy are heritage groups who despise hate groups and invite members of all races into our organizations. Confederate Battle Flags are being torn down and Confederate Memorials, protected by law, are being defaced and threatened with removal. This is unfair, and it is just not right.

    • pauldo says:

      Men on both sides were brave. But: the cause of the war was slavery–there is no escaping that fact. Read the articles of secession from each of the confederate states. It is explicit. Remember, but don’t deny.

    • Shirley Cheek says:

      I have 2 great grandfathers who fought in the Cival War. One for the South and one Southern Sympathizer who was conscripted by the Union Army. The later built barracks for the Union.

    • Michael Galey SGT (ret) U S Army says:

      The Naval Jack is currently described as the “Battle Flag” however, it was General Beauregard’s square battle flag with the cross of saint Andrew on a red field with a white border and 13 white stars that was the real Battle Flag for his Regiment. The first congress “Stars and Bars” had seven stars first then thirteen. It was also used by Gen Lee with the stars in a “A” in the canon of blue. Lastly the Confederate Navy elongated the square into a rectangle and removed the white border and had thirteen stars with the center star representing Maryland! my ancestry goes to the Trans Mississippi unit that joined with Tennessee that’s because half of Missouri did not want to join the Confederacy.

    • One cannot change historical facts by choosing to eliminate them. The War of Northern Aggression/American Civil War is one of the formative events of our great nation. Are we going to ban the display of the British flag because we don’t like the facts of the American Revolution? I am proud of all that has made America the greatest nation on Earth. To remove any of its history is to remove some of its greatness!

    • Fuzzbean says:

      People forget that slavery existed legally under the United States flag and United States constitution for far longer than under the Confederate flag and Confederate constitution. And while it was illegal in most or all (I’m no expert) of the Northern states by 1860, there was still slavery in the North when the United States Constitution was adopted… so it was not entirely the South’s fault for it being legal in the first place.

      People also forget that many Confederates, such as Robert E. Lee, would ultimately have given up slavery if it would have saved the Confederacy.

      Slavery was the biggest “iceberg tip” that led to the war, but the broader underlying issue was they just hated us Northerners telling them what they could and could not do. As population trends concentrated political power more and more in the Northern cities, the South had to either accept Northern dictates or get the heck out.

  16. Karen Quandt says:

    My Great Grandfather Stephen Bennett (A.K.A. William Johnson) served on the Monitor during the civil war. He like many others was hurt when he was pinned between the Monitor and a boat bringing supplies to them. He was in ill health for many many years. I found his grave in Milwaukee Wisconsin at the soldiers home there. The story on how he changed his name was amazing and sad at the same time.
    God Bless all who served then and now.

    • Karen Quandt says:

      I have the ship wrong so sorry it was the USS Catskills. I found it on Fold 3 under the name of both Stephen Bennett and William Johnson.

    • Pinki J. White says:

      May I ask the story of your Johnson/Bennett history? I am Johnston/Johnson from Virginia with a connection by marriage to the Bennett’s from Isle of Wight Co., VA. Bennett’s are also intermarried with my Daniel family, also from VA.

  17. Kathleen Manscill says:

    My grandmother’s uncle was there. He was a pilot in the Confederate Navy (this does not mean he flew! But piloted ships). His family lived on the south side of the James at Rescue. Because of his activities, their house was burned.

  18. My great, great grandfather, John Fuller from Philadelphia, was an “Acting Master” on the frigate St. Lawrence during the battle. He wrote a letter home about it. I would love to learn more about him or his brother Thomas Fuller who was a river pilot on the Delaware at the time.

  19. Christine Mika says:

    My great great grandfather was a sailor on the USS Minnesota which was grounded and was being attacked by the Virginia when the Monitor intervened. He came back from the Civil War ill and struggled to continue to support his family, at one point driving a steam fire engine in New Bedford, Massachusetts. His wife applied for a widows pension which provided a wealth of information and he was provided a gorgeous gravestone paid for by the government of New Hampshire granite. We always wondered how they had afforded the elaborate headstone

  20. Yanneka De La Mater says:

    My ancestor, Cornelius Henry De La Mater, born in 1821, built the USS Monitor, the first of the ironclad warships, at the De La Mater Iron Works in NY, at the foot of West 13th Street on the west side of Manhattan. He and the Swedish-born marine engineer and inventor, a genius who later presented some military invention to Napoleon III, John Ericsson, were very close friends for life and undertook the creation of the USS Monitor, which I understand was instrumental in ending the US Civil War.

    • Carolyn says:

      One of my ancestors, Alexander Ferguson, had something to do with either the design or building of the Monitor. I’ve never been able to figure out what role he had. However, my uncle had a set of the original blueprints that were his and are likely now in my cousin’s basement in a box (I hope). In a letter from his son, John Ferguson written to my g-g-grandmother, Anne E. Ferguson Ritchie, during the Civil War, John tells her “Tell father that I saw the Virginia.” My mother has the letter in her safe deposit box. John died before the letter made it home.

  21. Randy Merrell says:

    To Pauldo,

    I think you are interpreting the “Ordinances” and “Declarations” of Secession incorrectly. Right or wrong (and I do believe it was wrong), slavery was a legal institution in the South. Keep in mind, there were also a lesser number of slaves in the so called free states of the North and there were slaves in the border states surrounding the states that seceded. The balance of power in the United States between slave states and so-called free States had shifted in favor of Northern free states. The South felt that it’s state’s rights which included the legal right to own slaves (right or wrong) were being threatened. Thus it was the issue of “state’s rights that provoked the Southern states into secession. Slavery was only one issue. Please read President Lincoln’s first inaugural address for his position on slavery prior to the war. The catalysts that provoked hostilities were the incidents leading up to and including the Battle for Ft. Sumter and President Lincoln’s calling up of 75,000 troops to invade the South. Many think that the Emancipation Proclamation freed all slaves, but it only applied to the states in secession. Slaves in the North and in the border states were not freed until the signing of the 13th Amendment in 1865. A vast majority of soldiers of the Confederacy did not own or care to own slaves. You have to look beyond the politics of the era. Thus, slavery was one of the issues in the Civil War, but it was not the cause.

    • Dave Russett says:

      Lincoln knew that the Emancipation Proclamation would not stand up once the states were again united. That is why he wanted a Constitutional Amendment, the 13th Amendment. While the Confederat States claimed then, and their descendents still claim, that “states rights” was the issue, the one state’s right that was the one that mattered was the right to own slaves. Without that issue there would have been no Uncivil War.

    • Robert M. Jordan says:

      Your post is spot on! Well done
      Yes, slavery was wrong and had to go. But it became such an emotional issue, based on perceived morals, that it boiled into a quagmire of which side was better than the other. In my opinion, the South saw Lincoln’s election as the North trying to tell the South what to do on every issue, to which the South said “No way”
      I am glad the North won, and slavery abolished. It is the right outcome. But the current hatred towards the Confederate flag is nothing less than stupid. Do you wish to provoke people? Just keep going on doing what is being done in the name of political correctness, and watch the ‘counter-hate’ gather momentum. In my opinion, the flag thing is not over !

    • Jeff-o says:

      Well said. And worthy of further consideration, research, study, and discussion over some good sippin’ bourbon and maybe even a good cigar.
      Perhaps we could achieve some closure to this event that had such profound impact to all those who lived through it and actually experienced it.
      An appreciation is the least we can take from this, as current Americans.

    • Eve says:

      So Before the UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION was written what document made this evil called slavery a thing universally accepted activity that made white men and women participated in it? I mean this ownership of flesh and blood human beings who were mostly of the dark races add property, as commodity, as free labor and the protection to treat them as less than human? I mean seriously? Just because the barbaric institution of this evil called “slavery” was empowered by a “man-made written law does not make our right, holy, noble, honourable, respectable, blessed, pure or anything of the sort. It violated many human beings natural God given rights to be free and enjoy , li’ve, and thrive on this EARTH. You people DO have a sickness saying slavery was LEGAL. You can say this or that, the bible said to do it, the Pope said to do it, the Catholic church said to do it, the Spaniards said to do it, you can even use the lie WELL Africans were the first…. bull shit.. all the history of the Pope , Greek, Catholic church, Queen of England and Spain were plotting how to take over wealth in lands they were NOT native to. Slavery IS AND has always been barbaric, savage, evil AND wrong. You should have hired people to do jobs to work on your cotton fields, etc, instead of forcing them. There is absolutely no man on earth who can right a law or create a philosophy that would justify enslaving people.

    • Randy Merrell says:

      I had written you a rather length reply on the history of slavery in the world, but it got blown away by my PC, You would have possibly misinterpreted much of it anyway, just as you misinterpreted my earlier post, so I will summarize. If you had carefully read my post, you would know that I said that I felt slavery was wrong. I don’t remember anyone in any post that has classified slavery as anything but wrong or immoral. You must understand that slavery has been practiced since the dawn of civilization, and it has been practiced “by all races and “against all races”. Most people who practiced slavery did not feel it was immoral. We can make judgements about their beliefs, but we can not change them. I don’t think that anyone in this forum believes in slavery today, but it still exists in some parts of the world. I know that the African slaves along with indentured servants of all races suffered greatly. Some of them continued to suffer for many years. There has been suffering by all races in the formative years of this nation. As for the African American, I don’t think that you or anyone else can deny that there have been vast if not monumental strides made by the African Americans in this country not only by the their own efforts buy by the efforts of all races in and outside of the Federal Government.

      As for your use of profanity in your post, I think you do an injustice to yourself and all who read your post. This is a historical forum, not Facebook.

  22. Pinki J. White says:

    Very true… Most that volunteered to fight had no slaves. They volunteered because their ancestral home of VA was being attacked and destroyed. Three of my “great”uncles walked from GA to VA in 9 days to protect the land that their Scottish grandfather settled. Nothing more, nothing less… Except two of the three brothers did not come back. Then Sherman came through, and burned what little else my grandfather had. He never recovered his son’s losses, and was forever changed… He did not live long in LA where he moved next.

  23. Art Slater says:

    My triple Great Uncle, Loudon Campbell was an engineer on the CSS Virginia during the battle of Hampton Roads

  24. Randy Merrell says:

    Dave Russett,

    I am sorry, but I don’t agree, and will never agree. Study up on Lincoln’s true agenda for the War. History does not support your claim. It was shortly after the Confederate victory at Fredricksburg that Lincoln issued the. Emancipation Proclamation in Jan. 1, 1863 by executive order. Up to that point, Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia was overwhelmingly winning the war in the East. This continued with overwhelming victories at Chancellorsville and Salem Church.

    Lincoln foresaw the very high potential of a Confederate Army rolling into Washington. Despite Union victories in the West, Lee’s victories were a direct threat personally. Lincoln’s support for the War was waning in the North. His chances for re-election were beginning to look grim.

    Now I will quote an excerpt from Lincoln’s first inaugural address. “I have no purpose, directly or indirectly, to interfere with the institution of slavery in the States where it exists. I believe I have no lawful right to do so, and I have no inclination to do so.” Does this sound like a man who is ready to fight a war to free the slaves? The answer is “no”. The Emancipation Proclamation was a ploy by Lincoln to gain political favor and boost his popularity with voters. He spoke out of both sides of his mouth. And guess what. It didn’t really work. Despite Lee’s lack of men and supplies, Gettysburg could have gone either way. It was that lack of men and supplies that eventually brought the Army of Northern Virginia to eventual defeat. Slavery did not become a ” cause ” in the War until Lincoln made it one, in direct opposition to his former statement. Now, if anyone else wants to make a claim that the War was caused by slavery, please read my two lengthy replies on the subject, and do some research on your own.

    This forum is supposed to be on the subject of The Battle of Hampton Roads. We’re getting way off that subject, and I must apologize for being a major party to that. Let’s get back to congenial posts about the subject Battle, other Civil War naval topics, posts about our ancestors who fought in the War, and congenial replies to the posts of others. By law, slavery ended 150 years ago. It’s time to let it go.

    • Jeff-o says:

      Randy
      I Do agree with you – this is such a fascinating subject though.
      I for one, truly would like to hear other”s opinions on it.
      Lettin it go will be great _ thats what I want to do once I have more of points of view from people such as you and yours.

    • Henry Dillard says:

      please stop these email comments, unless they pertain to civil war, cold harbor
      i do not want to delete or spam your site, but this is an over load for me.

    • Randy Merrell says:

      Thanks, Jeff.

    • Mark Humphrey says:

      A little history of the Emancipation Proclamation: The founders of the Republican party were two newspaper publishers – Horace Greely and Cassius M. Clay. Both were avid abolitionists. Clay fought several duels in defense of his beliefs, always as the challenged. His son was murdered in his arms defending his father from a knife attack in the street. He was also one of Abraham Lincoln’s heroes.

      When Lincoln was elected president, Clay was made ambassador to Russia. This was as much to get him out of the country as a reward for his service to the party. He was considered an embarrassment by some of the more prominent money men the party was attracting.

      Russia at that time was a strong ally of the United States, even sending it’s navy to unofficially help patrol our coast in support of President Lincoln. In 1861, the Tsar emancipated Russia’s serfs. Clay, while not the instigator of this, did play some part. When Clay returned home on leave some time later, it was decided to promote him to the rank of General in the United States Army. This was purely honorary. When the presentation was made, Clay publicly refused it saying to Lincoln that he could not in conscious bear arms against his fellow countrymen while others of his countrymen remained enslaved. This greatly embarrassed the Lincoln administration both at home and abroad, especially in Russia.

      Lincoln then asked Clay to tour the boarder states, particularly Kentucky and Tennessee and sound out their acceptance of an emancipation proclamation. Clay did so and, not surprisingly, advised the President that the proclamation would be well received. This wasn’t done to curry favor with voters at all, as they tended to be against it, in spite of Clay’s claims, especially in those states where it mattered – the boarder states. It was done because Lincoln was pushed into doing something he wanted to do anyway.

      My own ancestors were associated with both Clay and Lincoln and like members of both those families, had members fighting on both sides of the conflict.

    • Randy Merrell says:

      Your post is appreciated, well stated, and I hold you as a man of honor. You have provided me congenially with facts that I was not aware of. Thank you.

  25. Gary says:

    The captain of the Monitor was under orders to restrict the loads in his two cannon to half power so as to avoid possible failures which had caused fatalities in the crews of similar guns. If he could have used full charges he probably could have pounded the Virginia to bits. As it was the Virginia suffered severe damage.

    • Randy Merrell says:

      Both vessels suffered only minor damage. Monitor actually retired from the Battle to access her damage, leaving Virginia to believe she had achieved victory. Thus, the Virginia retired from the scene, and when Monitor returned, she thought she was victorious. The battle was a draw. CSS Virginia was built to take full charges. Virginia was not the only Confederate iron clad built, and they could all withstand full charges.

  26. Fuzzbean says:

    If the battle looked like the picture shown, I do not imaging the guns were missing their opposing ships too much at such ranges. It must have been mighty noisy inside those ships when a round hit the armor.

  27. mark bailey says:

    Battle flags mean different things to different people. It is amazing how close to the surface feelings are even after 150 years. The civil war was a great tragedy . Hampton Roads was a turning point in naval history, i wonder how many went deaf on both ships?

  28. William Rettew says:

    I had two maternal Great Grandfathers who fought for the South, one at
    Gettysburg. I served aboard two submarines in Norfolk during Viet Nam.
    My Dad who was born in Lancaster Pa, served in North Africa and Italy
    during WWII. Passing Fort Wool inbound was our message to our command upon arriving near our pier. Slavery is wrong, but our current political
    landscape is revealing a national distrust of Government Imperialism making us all subjects to them. This is one reason one candidate has so much of a following. This country needs to repent and depend on our creator not men who find themselves in power thru deception and secrecy.

  29. Dr. Stan McDaniel says:

    The battle over “states rights” vs. “preserving the union” and a strong federal government neither began nor, obviously, ended with the Civil War. The Articles of Confederation, predecessor to our constitution, essentially treated each state as an independent country with no responsibility to the national good. Our founding fathers soon realized that this didn’t work, and the constitution replaced it. Southern states, speaking generally, never got over that. They didn’t appreciate being “told what to do”, but on broad national issues, constitutionally, that was exactly federal government’s role. Sadly, the Civil War did not resolve the issue of state’s sovereignty. There are still those, it seems, who would like to return to an Articles of Confederation which would be a disaster for us as a nation.

    • Yanneka De La Mater says:

      Thank you! Very helpful comment!

    • Randy Merrell says:

      Your post is well written, and the Civil War did not resolve the issue of state’s rights. The attempt to reinforce the garrison at Ft Sumter right in the face of a newly seceded state forcing defensive action by that state, and the call for 75,000 volunters by Lincoln to invade the South certainly did not re

    • Dr. Stan McDaniel says:

      Randy, if it makes a difference, I am a “child of the south” myself. My mother’s side of the family, back many generations, is from Georgia. I suspect we may never agree on aspects of this historic narrative, what might have been, and so on. There were so many opportunities to end the debate over slavery during the century before “the War”. By the time Lincoln took office, when you wade through all the rhetoric, it’s questionable whether there was anything Lincoln could have done differently – and I hope you would agree that had some of the more radical abolitionists gotten into the executive mansion, it could have been much worse.

      Putting this aside, I really do appreciate your thoughtful and thought provoking response. Do you worry, as I do, that our young seem to have so little interest in the history of our nation and what we can learn from it? Of course I am soon to be 70 – an old foggy you might say. Oh well…
      SRM

  30. Randy Merrell says:

    My apologies.. My “smart” phone locked up and sent an unfinished post. I will resume. … and the call by Lincoln for 75,000 volunteers to invade the South did not solve the issue of state’s rights. The Anaconda Plan did not resolve the issue of state’s rights. The rape, pillage and plunder inflicted by Sherman’s army, and the horrors of Reconstruction which affected our ancestors for generations did not resolve the issue. The South wanted to secede without hostilities. Had Lincoln attempted peaceful attempts to solve the crisis without bloodshed, perhaps with concessions on both sides, the issue of state’s rights might have been resolved along with the issue of slavery. There would have been opportunity with time for a peaceful healing of the Union. No one I know wants to see civil war again, and we certainly would have preferred that the 600,000 casualties of war had not occurred.

  31. DougK says:

    State’s rights to do what? Hold slaves. While there were other grievances, slavery was what drove a wedge between North & South. It was the burning issue of the day. When Lincoln & Douglass held their debates, it was all they debated about–slavery, the Kansas-Nebraska Act, etc.

    Compromises like 1850 failed to resolve it, the Dred Scott decision and especially John Brown’s raid inflamed it, and Lincoln’s election was the last straw. In his inaugural address he tried to reassure his “dissatisfied fellow countrymen” that he knew he had no lawful right to ban slavery, didn’t even wish to, and would make no move to attack them.

    However, it was no secret that he & the Republicans wanted to eliminate slavery by admitting every future state as a free state, outnumbering the slave states and eroding away their influence, until the inevitable laws would be passed banning the institution.

    Regarding Fort Sumter, Lincoln told Congress he’d wanted to resupply the fort in order to hold onto Federal property not already taken by the Confederates, relying on time, discussion and the ballot box to resolve the crisis. When Jeff Davis decided to attack the fort, Robert Toombs urged him to reconsider: “It is unnecessary; it puts us in the wrong; it is fatal.”

    It’s hard to believe the South wanted to secede without hostilities in view of the seizure by force of arsenals, forts, and shipyards like Gosport. Lincoln had promised the secessionists, before the whole world, that it was all up to them and they could have no conflict without being themselves the aggressors. The extent of the new president’s aggression was to send unarmed supply ships to Sumter after notifying South Carolina’s governor. Had Davis listened to Toombs and held his fire, how would it have all turned out? It’s an interesting question, but we’ll never know. The secessionists were spoiling for a fight. They wanted one, they insisted on one, and so Lincoln, Grant & Sherman gave them one.

    I’ve also always wondered why Davis set fire to Richmond before he fled in 1865. Much is made of Sherman burning Atlanta, but what about Richmond? What was the point? It wasn’t going to make any difference in the war’s outcome. Lee was even living there at the time, after his surrender to Grant.

  32. DougK says:

    Correction–the Richmond fire started on April 2nd, 1865, and Lee did not surrender until the 9th.

    • Randy Merrell says:

      Davis left Richmond at 11:00 PM on April 2, when it was evident that Union forces would soon occupy the city. He had no intent to burn Richmond, nor did he leave any orders to have it burned. Lt . General Richard S. Ewell was left in charge of the city. Orders were left for massive amounts of official documents to be carried into the streets and burned. Ewell was also ordered to destroy all supplies of liquor, tobacco, cotton, and foodstuffs to prevent them from falling into Union hands. Liquor was poured into the gutters to prevent the harsh treatment received by Columbia, SC when stores of whisky fell into the hands of Union soldiers. Ewell had only a few staff officers and convalescent soldiers, and most of the foodstuffs and clothing were seized by Richmond’s panicking citizens. The tobacco was transferred to a location where it was thought it could be safely burned. The wind picked up and embers from the fires spread,
      and the center of the city was burned. The burning of sections of Richmond was not an intentional act. Gen. Lee hoped to take what remained of the Army of Northern Virginia, join with Gen. Johnston’s Army of Tennessee and retake Richmond. Reports by Union Gen. Weitzel stating “The rebel capitol, fired by men placed in it to defend it” were false.

  33. Randy Merrell says:

    You make a lot of unsubstantiated points and undefendable assumptions. You are quite eloquent, but I urge you to “reread” my posts, and do some objective research. Don’t make your assumptions on slavery as a cause of the War based on what you learned from your grade school history books. Here it is in a nutshell. The South wanted independence from what they viewed as a tyrannical power just as the colonies wanted independence from the King of England. They felt they had the same right. When Lincoln attempted to reinforce Sumter, it was an act of war. South Carolina learned of the ships through intelligence reports, not from anyone in the Lincoln administration. Unarmed or armed, deploying ships to reinforce a fort that commanded the entrance to Charleston, the primary port of the State of South Carolina in secession “was” an act of war. It was rumored that the first ship that Lincoln tried to send to Sumter was a passenger ship, but it’s purpose was still an aggressive one. The next three reported to have embarked from New York were Union frigates, warships, that definitely carried ordnance.

    • Randy Merrell says:

      One more comment/query. Do you have anything to add to the discussion on the Battle of Hampton Roads? That is supposed to be the objective of this forum.

  34. Frederick John Mayes says:

    The CSA Virginia was originally the monitor. The Merrimac was the union frigate. It was sunk April 9,1897. My name is birth John Alexander Smith now Frederick John Mayes I was an ordinary seaman on board the Virginia a Spy. when it went down. It was sabotaged by pipe wrenches hitting the interior pipes. I helped sink the vessel I enlisted into the marines in June on the 5th of 1895. I am a fully retired Rear Admiral of the US Coast Guard

  35. Michael Johnson says:

    While not connected to the Monitor and Merrimac/Virginia, my Great-great-grandfather, Theodore E. Underwood, was appointed as Pilot First Class of the Union Ironclad/Gunship USS Chillicothe of the Mississippi Squadron by Read Admiral David D. Porter on 21 September 1862. He was wounded by schrapnel from a shell explosion during either the Battle of Fort Pemberton (Mississippi) in 1863 or at engagement at Fort Adams (Mississippi) in 1864, his records being not totally clear about which.

  36. LTC Steve Glazer, USA (ret.) says:

    A lot of misinformation in some of these posts. For example, it was President James Buchanan, not Lincoln, who attempted resupply of Fort Sumter (by chartering the Star of the West). And South Carolina was covertly informed of the attempt by Buchanan’s secretary of the interior, Jacob Thompson of Mississippi, as well as by Texas senator Louis Wigfall. Moreover, the USS Brooklyn was sent by Buchanan to stop the Star of the West once the security breach had become known; the Brooklyn was not sent to resupply Fort Sumter. Finally, at the time an artillery battery manned by Citadel cadets fired on the resupply ship, there was no “Confederacy”; only South Carolina had seceded as of that time. (Although Mississippi seceded later that day, as I recall.)

    As an historical footnote, the Star of the West, flying a large federal flag as it steamed into Charleston Harbor as the sun rose, was struck several times, but with little damage. Some historians believe the artillery shells fired by the Citadel cadets were the first actual shots of the Civil War. However, Sumter’s commander, Major Robert Anderson, hesitated too long in returning fire and coming to the aid of the flagged vessel, as then Captain Abner Doubleday purportedly urged. The Star of the West, under command of a former senior officer of the U.S. Revenue Marine, aborted the resupply mission and headed back to New York harbor. If the artillery fire of the cadets had been timely answered by Major Anderson, January 9, 1861, would probably be considered the start of the Civil War, rather than April 12, after Lincoln was in office. The Citadel still commemorates the event every year, and has several monuments on campus celebrating it.

    • Michael Johnson says:

      An interesting tie-in to my Great-great-grandfather on the USS Chillicothe, The Star of the West was captured by the Confederates in April 1861, and renamed CSS St. Philip. The ship was sent up the Mississippi near Ft. Pemberton, where Confederate Major General William Loring had ordered the Star of the West sunk broadside in the Tallahatchie near Greenwood to block the passage of the Union flotilla.

  37. John Sorli says:

    Some of these posts are actually funny. We have a retired admiral who enlisted in the marines over 120 years ago who was actually on one of the ships (not quite sure which) when it went down , but is still alive posting about it. and I thought that I was old!

  38. Randy Merrell says:

    Dr. McDaniel,

    Thank you for your congenial response, and I apologize for appearing to allow emotion to override reason in some cases. I am a little younger than you, having recently turned 63. I have a son who is 35, and I am proud of what he had become, but there are times when it seems to me that he has less love for history than I would expect. About a month ago, I was watching a news program where college students were asked questions about the Civil War. One question was “who won the Civil War?”. Easy question, right? The closest thing to a right answer was still wrong when this young man after some thought, responded “the South”. The rest of the answers were so off base, they don’t bear repeating. I was mortified. I can only hope that these kids were the exception and not the rule. Take care.

    RLM

  39. LTC Steve Glazer, USA (ret.) says:

    Since this is the forum for Fold3, I provide the following information directly relevant to one of its main uses, as a database of historical military records.

    After the Civil War, many Civil War veterans, especially of the Union navy, claimed to have been a former member of the crew of USS Monitor, including at the time of its iconic engagement on March 9. Many — if not most — such claims were patently false. Indeed, the ship would have sunk under the weight of the load if all such men had been aboard!

    Several years ago I started a unique collection of these erroneous assertions. I have scores of different obituaries from the first half of the 20th century claiming that the “last survivor” of the Monitor had now passed away. Some of the men had served on “a monitor” and family lore, if not the veteran while still alive, had morphed the fact by adding the article “the” preceding “monitor.” Some men traded on having a name similar to a crew member who actually had served on the vessel. Still others apparently just fabricated the story out of whole cloth or permitted the mistakes of others to go uncorrected.

    In any event, the extensive Union navy pension files available in the Fold3 database have often been instrumental in debunking many of the foregoing false assertions. By the way, the actual documented “last survivor” of the USS Monitor passed away with little fanfare in upstate New York on May 18, 1927. (Like Ted Cruz, he was born in Canada . . . .) The last documented Union survivor of the iconic naval engagement passed away on June 13, 1921, in Philadelphia. Nevertheless, veterans were still claiming into the 1940s that they were the “last survivors.”

  40. Randy Merrell says:

    LTC. Glaser,

    Thank you for your additional information. I will concede that Lincoln had been elected before the Star of the West incident but had not yet been innagurated. Whether he had any influence in the matter is debatable. Your general assertion of “A lot of misinformation”, bears scrutiny of course. I have made assertions of misinformation also, and I expect those to be scrutinized in time. The additional details you provide are also appreciated. Those which are not already common knowledge will also bear further research by those of us who have conflicting sources.

    There are, as you state in another post, a number of posts from folks who believe they are descended from crew members of USS Monitor. I have no personal connections to either Monitor or CSS Virginia, but I am sure they cherish those beliefs. Some may have been based on personal research. Some may have been passed down through oral tradition over many generations. While it might be appropriate to question the voracity of general historical information, I think it would be remiss for any of to cast doubt into the hearts of folks who ” truly ” believe their ancestors might have been a part of something great, regardless of any collection of data we might have. This is a forum, not a source of information to be published.

    v/r
    RLM

  41. LTC Steve Glazer, USA (ret.) says:

    Although some may believe otherwise, as well demonstrated in this election season, facts are not debatable. For example, Lincoln did not take office until two full months after Buchanan dispatched the Star of the West to resupply Fort Sumter. And there is not a scintilla of evidence that Buchanan ever consulted Lincoln on the issue — a farcical thought, in any event — and no credible source has ever asserted otherwise. My own research on the affair has recently been cited by Yale University.

    Nor is it debatable whether someone served on the USS Monitor. There is abundant evidence in many forms of the actual crew, including copies of two crew rosters, as well as sworn averments available right here on Fold3. The subject has been thoroughly researched, both by me and others. A good reference in this regard is Quarstein’s “The Monitor Boys” (The History Press, 2011).

    Finally, I prefer to rely on fact-based evidence for my history, not some mystical knowledge lurking only in the hearts of men (to paraphrase The Shadow) . . . .

    • Jeff-o says:

      Like that
      But dont have Facebook
      So….Just Sayin

    • Randy Merrell says:

      Steve Glaser,

      Before your last remarks, I tried to correspond in a respectful and diplomatic manner due to your former rank I did not then feel that your remarks were above reproach, nor do I now. Nothing you nor I say is above scrutiny. Now you have chosen to insult my honor by calling a thought of mine “farcical”, Please keep in mind that you are not communicating with one of your ex-junior officers. A number of members of this forum feel they have ancestral ties to to USS Monitor. These may be treasured thoughts. What right have you to dash those family memories per your “unique database” and Fold3 research. Not everyone can justify the luxury of memberships in sites such as Fold3 and Ancestry,com. You chose to refer to their thoughts as “mystical knowledge lurking only in the hearts of men”. Based on the above, respect and diplomacy are now off the table..

      While some of your remarks may be indisputable, “anything” one states is “debatable” and subject to review. That includes your statements including that of your self-proclaimed “unique database” and your citations by Yale University. I feel you think too highly of yourself if you feel anything else. Arrogance is a major flaw.

      I have grown weary of your boorish remarks, and will not waste any more of my time responding to them.

      I apologize to all who are reading this post, as this not the forum for remarks of a personal nature, but I felt it had to be said.

      RLM

      PS: Please make a correction to your “facts” concerning the Western Star incident. It was not “two full months” between the Star of the West dispatch and Lincoln’s inauguration. I now have the exact dates and so should you,

  42. Rob Handy says:

    Randy Merrell, I truly feel your anguish about the modern neglect of history, as well as the ongoing debate over the causes of the war. Those who’ve been indoctrinated from childhood with the northern lie of slavery as the cause for which the south fought will, unfortunately, never be swayed by the truth. They don’t want to know the whole truth, because that rightly places the blame on the tyrant, Lincoln, who’ve they’ve come to worship. Thankfully, a day will come when the truth will be manifest to all. Deo Vindice!

  43. Randy Merrell says:

    Rob,

    Deo Vindice, Under God Our Vindicator. Those are comforting words. Are you a fellow compatriot in the SCV? It matters not for you understand the true cause. I really appreciate your positive statements. I have been so frustrated by comments from people, some of whom try to come across as intellectuals who continuasly play the slavery card. The tear down our flag. They desecrate our monuments, often with grafiti including the words slavery and racist. It angers me, but it also breaks my heart. Thank you again for your words of encouragement.

    Randy

    • Rob Handy says:

      Randy,
      I’ve not yet joined the SCV, but I do stand for the cause. It truly causes me pain to see our ancestors and the standard under which they fought and died again under such vicious attacks. I’ve been sharing the truth about the war for many years, my friend, and will, so long as I have breath. I have a special burden for our black Confederate heroes, who’ve been denied the honor and recognition they deserve for all of these long years, and I’m encouraged by their descendants, who are actually coming to the front these days. I hold H. K. Edgerton in special esteem. My clearest connection to the war is my great-great uncle, Pvt. William Henry Harrison Linzy. Uncle William enlisted in May of 1861, serving in company E, 11th Tennessee Infantry. He was wounded and captured at Missionary Ridge on November 25, 1863, and was among the first prisoners sent to the prison camp at Rock Island, Illinois. He remained there until he was released in a prisoner exchange at James Island, Maryland, at about April 1, 1865. Able to see the flames of Richmond, he put the rail pass home to Nashville that he’d been given in his pocket and instead walked to Greensboro, NC, where he’d heard that Joe Johnston and the Army of Tennessee were still in the field. Arriving there, and finding that they had also surrendered, he then walked home to Dickson County, Tennessee, altogether a walk of around 650 miles. His great-grandson still has that unused pail pass, and treasures it. He obviously was committed to the cause, this dirt farmer who owned no slaves, and I’m proud to continue the good fight in his memory, and in the memory of all like him, the finest and noblest warriors to ever take up the sword. G-d bless you, my friend, and know that there are other warriors for truth and honor with you in the field! G-d will vindicate!

    • Randy Merrell says:

      Rob,

      I encourage you to join the SCV, if you have the time to allow for it. You have a wonderful ancestral story to tell, and I think you would enjoy the fellowship with Compatriots who all share your convictions. I joined up when I was in my late 50’s. I even bought the gray uniform with a frock coat and markings with the accents of a Corporal in the North Carolina Infantry. I am 63 now, and have never been physically capable to participate in full reinactments, but I am part of our color/honor guard at memorial services and dress for other Civil War Activities. Our camp in Elizabeth City, NC has dinner meetings. After dinner, we have prayer and salute the US flag, then the Battle Flag and lastly The Secession Flag of North Carolina. Afterwards, we have a president, usually by Civil War Historians on subject of the Confederacy.

      I have heard of Mr, Edgerton. Is he not the African American member of the SCV who dresses as a Confederate artilleryman, often carries the Battle Flag and posts himself outside of schools and other places. I understand he does not force his views on others but talks and answers questions when students and others show interest. I also heard that a school principal called the police on him once to have him arrested, but when the policeman arrived, he praised Mr. Edgerton for his efforts and left him alone.

      If you have time, please read the very emotional response I received to one of my posts earlier today along with my response to that reply. I am really growing weary of fielding these things, and they seldom have anything to do with the Battle of Hampton, but I am led to answer all of them with counter replies that have nothing to do with the Battle of Hampton Roads either. I pretty much exhausted my knowledge of the Battle early in this forum, but when folks started playing the slavery issue as the reason for the War, I had to reply, and I’m still replying.

      Wife just rang the dinner bell so I have to sign off for now. I will try to contact you later to share the story of my Confederate ancestor. I think I included it in a post early in this forum, so if you’ve already read it, please let me know. I didn’t really provide all the details though

      Randy .

    • Rob Handy says:

      Randy, I enjoyed your response, and thank you. A few years ago, a genealogist with SCV helped me firmly establish my connection with my g-great uncle, as I had decided to join, if I could prove my connection. At the time, I had little knowledge of my family, at all. His name was Ron Jones, and he gave me his findings, then added that his Georgia great-granddad was wounded and captured the same day, and sent to the same prison camp, noting that they could have well known one another. Anyway, at that point I started looking for what would be the best camp for me to join, and somehow never took the initiative. The camp in Springfield, TN, would be much, much closer for me, but the camp in Charlotte, TN, is in my uncle’s home county, where his company was actually organized. I didn’t see your ancestor’s story, by the way, and would love to. I actually have another possible connection, not so provable, and I’ll share that later. You are correct about Mr. Edgerton, who is a remarkable man. A former president of the Asheville chapter of the NAACP, he actually resigned from that organization after they got so worked up over his joining the SCV. I suppose you can’t be open-minded and still be part of both? LOL! It’s truly sad to see how close-minded a lot of people can still be, isn’t it. They’d rather believe the stuff with which they’ve been indoctrinated by revisionist “historians” than do a little investigating and find that they’ve been lied to. I also find it impossible to remain silent when the “slavery” nonsense starts, but there’s none so blind as them who will not see, huh? Take good care, my friend! I look forward to hearing from you again.

  44. Peter G says:

    My wife’s family was quite prominent in the Civil War and her grandfather moved north where she was born so we take both sides easily. Her great uncle was Catesby Jones, the commander of the CSS Virginia on the second day of the battle. We visited his grave in Selma, AL and his uniform and effects in the Navel Museum in Columbus GA. Also related to Robert E. Lee (isn’t every southerner) and a direct descendant of John Bell Hood makes the family quite connected. The southern aristocracy was a relatively tight group so these connections would have been normal I’m sure. At an auction years back I purchased an officer’s cane from the USS Cumberland which was at the battle. It has the initials “OHG to JHG” “USS Cumberland” inscribed on it. Does anyone know who these people are?

    • C.A.Rykard says:

      Have you ever met Catesby ap Jones g g grand son? He lives in Selma . He is about 90-91 years old, A very find man. Catesby Jones was the Commander of the Selma Ala. Confederate Naval Foundry that made most of the Confederate Brooke Heavy guns . You will find him as the inspection officer on the Brooke Rifle cannons

    • Peter says:

      Yes, we almost met him during our visit two years ago. I hear he is quite a character. Apparently Gen. Catesby was shot on the streets of Selma after the war in an argument. Btw, the “ap” is still used by some members of the family.

    • C.A.Rykard [Bullet] says:

      If you get in touch with William E. Lockridge, E-Mail [email protected], He is like a son to Catesby ap Roger Jones. He is also the expert on the Large Brooke rifles built at Salem. If you saw the Issue of the Artilleryman mag. showing the raising of the guns of the CSS Pee Dee from the Pee Dee River, he is the man on the four wheel scooter at the back of the guns. He also wrote the story. The bow and stern guns on the CSS Virginia were single banded Brooke in 7″. They were cast in Richmond.

  45. My great grandfather was in Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia. He was in Hagood’s Regiment from S.C. He had so many cousins with him, one who road with A.P. Hill. There were so many I cannot list them. I had a great great grandfather killed at 7 pines, one who fought with Holcombe’s Legion. I cannot count the ancestors who fought in the confederacy. There is a good book written called the “Seeds of Time” by Henry Savage. A must read by any Southerner. It is about how the North sets out to get back at the South after the war. Which they did. They hit the South in the pocket book. Reconstruction was really Deconstruction. African Americans and whites all suffered. Most U.S. presidents from Andrew Johnson to William McKinley served in the Union Army, most at General rank except Grover Cleveland. It was the Northern Industrialists who wanted payback for what the Southerners had down. And payback they got, from raw materials from the South. It was much like the French did Germany after WWI. The Spoils go to the victors. The war was awful to this country. One of my ancestors actually wrote a letter before he died in Richmond to his wife. ” Caroline, I wish this awful war would end…..” He never saw her again. War truly is hell. I do believe it built character for most Southern and Northern Americans. I do believe it has made us a better country as a whole. We just all need to step back and be objective about the reality of the experience and learn from it and don’t repeat the same mistakes again.

  46. laura snyder says:

    I too have many relatives who fought in this war and an old letter written home about the loneliness and ravages of the times. I would loved to fine more info on them but i’m new at this and don’t quite know how to begin, have enjoyed reading your posts thanks to all.

  47. LTC Steve Glazer, USA (ret.) says:

    RLM

    I learned long ago not to respond to ad hominem attacks and other such nonsense. However, I will pause here only to correct further misinformation being propagated. I take up the more glaring factual errors seriatem:

    1. My rank is not “former.” (Nevertheless, I put aside the disrespect.) Unlike a postbellum Confederate officer, a federal officer may retain his rank, even into retirement. I am still a lieutenant colonel, subject to call by the president to defend the rights of all Americans, even those who post here, again demonstrating the power of the First Amendment in the face of repugnant speech.

    2. The name of the merchant vessel dispatched by President James Buchanan to resupply Fort Sumter was “Star of the West,” not “Western Star.” Another poster here helpfully pointed out that the ship was later unlawfully seized by the Confederacy and renamed CSS St. Philip.

    3. President Buchanan — with no influence at all by Abraham Lincoln being brought to the matter — dispatched the Star of the West, then floating empty in New York harbor, on the evening of January 4, 1861. The following day, January 5, in an admirable display of Union efficiency, the ship was quickly loaded with some 200 men and several months of supplies, leaving New York harbor that evening. Two months later — March 4, 1861 — Abraham Lincoln was inaugurated president of the United States, after making his way to Washington in late February, when the rebels made their first attempt at assassination. Lincoln would go on to save the Union and die a martyr’s death at the hands of unrepentant traitors.

    (I will ignore numerous solecisms peppering your last post, including the misspelling of my name, as well as lesser errors.)

  48. LTC Steve Glazer, USA (ret.) says:

    Res ipsa loquitur.

    • Randy Merrell says:

      Deo Vindice

    • LTC Steve Glazer, USA (ret.) says:

      As a matter of fact, the formally engraved seal bearing that motto was not delivered until just before the fall of Richmond in the very last days of the unlawful rebellion, which was discussed in some prior posts. The denouement of that misbegotten adventure proves that, if anything, the Deity was certainly not on the side of the Confederacy, and the hollowness of any supposed religious underpinnings.

  49. LTC Steve Glazer, USA (ret.) says:

    If anyone has an ancestor believed to have served on the USS Monitor, the subject of the Fold3 piece underlying this particular thread, I would be happy to provide what information I have about him. Just post the name, and what you know about the person. I will also perform some brief research if I don’t already have knowledge of the veteran.

  50. Jack Burnish says:

    I was raised on Craney Island during WW II and lived there until 1953.
    Many memories of frightening nights when the German subs were known to be trying to sneak in and shell the fuel tanks with incendiary shells. Our house was between the tanks and the Elizabeth River.
    Thank goodness they were not successful.
    God bless to all who have served to protect our precious country.

    • Randy Merrell says:

      An excellent post on a fact that is not known by everyone today. I was not aware that German subs tried to access the waters of Hampton Roads, but because of the strategic location, it was certainly a site that they would try to enter just as Union ships less covertly entered Hampton Roads and later encountered CSS Virginia. German subs also came through the inlets and into the sounds of Eastern North Carolina. There were small Coast Guard installations along the Outer Banks, and since the Coast Guard was a threat to them, their intent was likely to reconnoiter or eliminate some of those bases. No bases were ever attacked. It is fact that German subs were sighted near Colington Island on a sound to the west of the Outer Banks. It was thought that their mission there was to re-supply, and because of a rumor of local citizens being a participant in those efforts, it is a fact that Colington residents were mistrusted and shunned by other residents on and around the Outer Banks for a number of years. No one was ever charged with treason. My parents’ home was about 15 or 20 miles inland from these events. Who knows how many other sites along the east coast were also infiltrated for reconnaissance or deadly intent. I hope others with information on this subject will share.

  51. Randy Merrell says:

    In keeping with the concept of reporting history in a factual and objective manner, I provide additional information on the Confederate seal, known in history as The Great Seal of the Confederate States of America and the motto of the Confederacy, “Deo Vindice”.

    In September 1862, a preliminary version of the seal was proposed. It depicted a Confederate soldier with bayonet in the foreground, with a woman, child, church and mountains in the background under a shining sun. This scene was surrounded by a wreath consisting of the main agricultural products of the South. This version was disapproved and was never used. A newer design has an equestrian depiction of George Washington in the center surrounded by a wreath made up of some of the primary agricultural products of the South: wheat, corn, tobacco, cotton, rice and sugar cane, bound at the bottom by a red, white and blue ribbon. Around the perimeter of the seal are the words “THE CONFEDERATE STATES OF AMERICA : 22 FEBRUARY 1862”. The date commemorates the establishment of the Confederate government with the inauguration of Jefferson Davis and is also the birthday of George Washington. At the bottom of the outside circle of the seal are the Latin words, “ DEO VINDICE”, the motto of the Confederacy. This seal was accepted, and the design finalized on April 30 1863, and a set of embossing dies were ordered from a London engraver. The seal dies from London did not reach Richmond until just prior to its evacuation. Design of the seal and development of the motto were largely due to the efforts of the Hon. Thomas J. Semmes, Attorney General of Louisiana.

    The equestrian depiction of George Washington was modeled after the 1858 Virginia Washington Monument, located near the Confederate Capitol Building in Richmond. He is shown in his Revolutionary War Uniform securing American Independence from the tyranny imposed by the British government, just as the Confederacy fought a war for independence from a government that it felt was threatening its rights. The use of “Deo Vindice” as a national motto was a matter of much thought and deliberation. The literal translation of Deo Vindice is “God Will Vindicate”, variously translated as “Under God We will be Vindicated”, “Under God , Our Vindicator”, “With God as Our Defender” among others. Another proposed motto which received some consideration was “Deo Duce Vincemus”, translated as “Under the Leadership of God We Will Conquer”. This was disapproved as it was thought to degrade God, reducing him to the leader of an army. Other suggestions were made and disapproved.

    Deo Vindice remained the motto of the Confederacy, and is still in use today as the motto of the heritage organization, The Sons of Confederate Veterans.

    • LTC Steve Glazer, USA (ret.) says:

      Thank you for the confirmation.

    • Rob Handy says:

      Randy, thank you so much for that bit of history! Very illuminating!

    • Randy Merrell says:

      The embossing dies made in London of the Confederate seal were intended to be used on Confederate currency. By the time they were received, printing more Confederate currency wasn’t much of an issue. A different process of reproducing images was lithography which was invented in the 18th century. It entails the use of flat plates of limestone or metal on which images can be drawn using a sort of wax crayon. Using the process, images can be reproduced on paper. It is not beyond the realm of possibilities that The Great Seal of the Confederacy may have been reproduced on Confederate documents using lithography; however, using internet searches, I have found no verifiable examples of this. The motto of the Confederacy, “Deo Vindice” was actually used on some Confederate currency. An example I have found is the Richmond $500 note of February 17, 1864. Of more importance personally is the post-Civil War use of the motto on memorials such as the Southern Cross of Honor displayed at the graves of many Confederate veterans. Of utmost importance to me is the use of the motto as the motto of The Sons of Confederate Veterans, a heritage organization of which I am a member.

  52. Donald says:

    I have read a lot of articles about how the CSA truly believed G-d was on its side, and used it to justify the war. Many Southerners couldn’t get over that He allowed them to lose. Supposedly, there was a widespread crisis of faith.

  53. Randy Merrell says:

    A Short History of Norfolk Naval Shipyard and its Part in the Battle of Hampton Roads

    The following is a narrative based on several internet sources including Norfolk Naval Shipyard archives and also from personal knowledge. My father was employed at NNSY for 32 years as a master mechanic and welder before and after service in the Army during WW II, and I worked there for 22 years as a financial analyst/manager. The history of NNSY, especially its connection to USS Merrimac and CSS Virginia are of special interest to me.

    Gosport Shipyard (later NNSY) was established on Nov. 1, 1767 under the British flag as a merchant and naval shipyard. It was confiscated by the Colony of Virginia during the Revolutionary War In 1775. The British burned the Shipyard in 1779. It was rebuilt by the United States after the Revolutionary War and renamed Norfolk by the Union in 1862 (after its evacuation by the confederates) for its location in Norfolk County vs. its location in the city of Portsmouth, VA. It is the largest shipyard on the East Coast, is the oldest U.S. Naval Shipyard and features the oldest dry dock (opened on June 17, 1833) in the western hemisphere (Dry Dock 1). It was in this granite dry dock that CSS Virginia was created, and the dry dock is still in use today. NNSY was the birthplace of numerous Navy ships up to 1952. Many of these ships were of great historical significance, and a number of these were the first of their kind. Its mission now is the repair, alteration, conversion, fitting out, post-shakedown modification and inactivation of Navy ships.

    On April 21, 1861, the Confederacy took possession of the Gosport Navy Yard, without armed conflict, after it was abandoned by the Union. The Federals destroyed parts of the Shipyard and unsuccessfully tried to blow up Dry Dock 1. They set fire to the steam frigate USS Merrimac, and it burned to the waterline, leaving much of the hull and the engines intact. The Federals left a tremendous amount of war material to fall into Confederate hands, including 1.195 heavy guns which were deployed from Hampton Roads all the way to Ft. Donelson, Tennessee, Port Hudson and Ft. de Russy, Louisiana. During the remainder of 1861, and during the first two months of 1862, this hull was raised, moved to Dry Dock 1 and converted into CSS Virginia by order on June 23, 1861 from the Hon. S.R. Mallory, Confederate Secretary of the Navy. The conversion was based on a plan proposed by Lieutenant Jno. M. Brooke, C.S. Navy. Union forces withdrew to Ft. Monroe across Hampton Roads.

    In the conversion of USS Merrimac to CSS Virginia, a superstructure armored with iron plates was added converting her into a casemate ironclad ram. Virginia was armed with 10 guns, including a seven-inch pivot-mounted single banded Brooks rifle at each end and a broadside battery of two six-inch single banded Brooks rifles and six nine-inch smoothbore Dahlgren’s shell guns. Another source reported 12 guns of unspecified type. She had a 1,500 lb. iron ram attached to her bow. Virginia was commissioned at Gosport in mid-February 1862.

    Gosport Navy Yard (NNSY) was the base of operations for CSS Virginia. The Virginia, under command of Flag-Officer Franklin Buchanan, went into combat for the first time on March 8, 1862 beginning the Battle of Hampton Roads. After steaming down the Elizabeth River into Hampton Roads, accompanied by steamers CSS Raleigh and CSS Beaufort, she engaged, rammed and sank the sloop of war USS Cumberland and also shelled and sank the frigate USS Congress. Upon ramming the Cumberland, the ram stuck in the vessel, and Virginia was nearly carried under as the ship sank. When Virginia was able to free herself, the ram broke off. The Virginia had other operational limitations. Her deep draft restricted her motions largely to the deeper channels. She retired before inflicting further damage on day one due to the change in the tides. Also her engines were insufficient for a vessel of her weight. The Union initially feared she would be steamed to Washington, but these limitations would have prevented that. Casualties in the two day engagement between Virginia and Union ships were over 200 dead ( I found conflicting reports of the exact number) and 108 wounded on USS Cumberland and USS Congress. The Virginia reported two killed and a “dozen” wounded. One source reports this as the bloodiest battle in U.S. Naval history up to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

    Captain Buchanan was wounded by musket fire on March 8, so on March 9; Virginia was under command of Executive Officer, Lieutenant Catesby ap Roger Jones. On that date, CSS Virginia steamed out of Gosport, accompanied by CSS Patrick Henry, CSS Jamestown and CSS Teaser, with the intention of engaging the steam frigate USS Minnesota which had run aground; however she found the Union’s premier ironclad, the USS Monitor waiting for her. The two ironclads engaged into the afternoon with neither vessel being able to inflict enough damage to claim victory. Virginia rammed Monitor with little effect as the iron ram mounted on her bow had been lost the previous day. She also used explosive rounds versus solid shot which may have inflicted more damage on Monitor at close range. Also, it was reported in one source (in conflict with a reply I made earlier on this forum) that USS Monitor used half charges for safety reasons when full charges may have inflicted more damage on Virginia. After firing some “5 tons” of ordnance, the Virginia, was so lightened that her unarmored hull below the iron casemate was becoming exposed. Both ships retired, and the battle ended in a draw and Virginia returned to Gosport. More details of the two days of engagement can be found on the internet in reports of Flag Officer Franklin Buchanan and Executive Officer Catesby Jones under Official Records of the Confederate Navy from “The War Times Journal”.

    Repairs and improvements were accomplished at Gosport, and CSS Virginia, now under command of Commodore Josiah Tatnall, deployed again an April 11, 1862 and again on May 8, 1862, with hopes of once again engaging USS Monitor. As a strategic move, Monitor had taken up position under the guns of Ft. Monroe, and could not be drawn out to do battle.

    With the advance of Union troops in May of 1862, the Confederates burned Gosport once again. On re-occupation of the base, by Union forces, its name was changed to Norfolk. With no base of operation and to prevent her capture, CSS Virginia was taken up the James River and scuttled by her crew, thus ending her short career and her use of Gosport/NNSY as a base.