Posted on 03/09/2012 8:36:56 AM PST by Upstate NY Guy
Washington was replete with panic as word of the previous day’s destruction reached its doorstep. The ravaging and ruin wrought by the ironclad CSS Virginia (once the USS Merrimack) at Hampton Roads was utterly astonishing. After nightfall, as the USS Congress smoldered, fixing its thick black smoke to the Hampton Roads horizon, and as several other ships were run aground, General Wool at Fortress Monroe reported the travesty to Secretary of War Edwin Stanton.
The note had to first travel to Baltimore before being telegraphed to Washington, leaving the citizens the entire night to be peacefully passed. But at 9:30am, the clacking of the wire reached Secretary Stanton in his office. With transcription in hand, he hurried to the White House and ruined Lincoln’s otherwise fine day with the news. Soon, Secretary of State Seward, Senator Orville Browning and General McClellan joined them.
During the meetings, Stanton paced the floor “like a caged lion,” and made brash, yet somehow believable, predictions of the terror to come. The fleet would be destroyed; Fortress Monroe laid under siege; McClellan’s Richmond Campaign delayed; the supply vessels traveling the Atlantic sunk; Washington and even New York bombarded sending the government officials running.
Stanton was frantic, running from room to room, looking out windows towards the Potomac, seemingly to see if the Virginia was steaming up the river.
(Excerpt) Read more at civilwardailygazette.com ...
My favorite of all naval battles, since I was a kid.
There is going to be a Monitor-Merrimac weekend at the Mariners Museum in Newport News.
Yeah, it really took a Confederate superweapon to delay McClellan.
Dittos. It sure changed naval warfare forever.
Here is another great Civil War website that really gets into the "historical significance of the first battle between ironclad naval vessels".
Cool. Wish I could make it.
LOL!!!!
LOL. Exactly.
That’s a great museum, Pretty unknown , but very interesting.
Why do yankees insist on calling it the Merrimac?
It was the battle between USS Monitor ans CSS Virginia.
They probably should have called it the Merrimac too. When the Royal Navy captured a ship, the practice was usually to retain the French, Spanish or Dutch name, to spite the enemy.
Amazing technology from 150 years ago! Pre internet, pre electric light, pre powered flight.
They do not want to admit that they lost it.
I don’t know, Jack. Maybe it has to do with all the newspapers of the day reporting it that way?
I recall correcting my 5th grade teacher on this in class. He was a good teacher, and took it well. Pennsylvania, BTW.
I will be honest in stating that my family history and sympathy lies with the Confederacy. However, with that said, McClellan was abolutely incompetent. He was the General Weasly Clark of the Civil War.
I see our Creators hand in this. The Monitor showed up just in the nick of time to save the Union. The creators hand was also deeply envolved in our Revolution. I can only pray that our Creator will reachout to guide us now.
Neah.
McClellan just had the wrong job.
It today’s terms, he should have been in charge of training and doctrine. Grant fought a heck of a war with the army that McClellan built.
But McClellan just wasn’t capable of fighting such a war, with ANY army...
And that likely would have happened had the C.S.S. Virginia's captain loaded solid shot.
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