![]() The Monitor remained with the blockade, and helped keep the Virginia bottled up until her crew was forced to destroy her in May 1862 to keep her from falling into Union hands. You can find extensive first-hand accounts of the Battle of Hampton Roads from men on board both the Monitor and the Virginia in my new book War Stories. ![]() The Virginia returned to Norfolk, and the Monitor remained in Hampton Roads to protect the Union blockade. The two ships hammered away at each other continuously but ineffectually for several hours, before the battle ended in a draw. On the morning of March 9th, when the Virginia returned, the Monitor went out to meet her, and the historic first battle between two ironclads was underway. That evening, under cover of darkness, the Monitor slipped into Hampton Roads and took up a position alongside the helpless Minnesota. As night fell, the Virginia withdrew, intending to return in the morning to finish off the Minnesota. She sank two Union ships, the USS Congress and USS Cumberland, and ran a third ship, the USS Minnesota, aground. On March 8, 1862, the Virginia steamed out to meet the Union blockade, and wreaked havoc in Hampton Roads. The design was finally accepted as an experiment however because, due to its small size, Ericsson's ship (which would soon be named the USS Monitor ) could be built more quickly and less expensively than the other designs. Many people doubted that with such an innovative design could even float, and the idea of guns on a revolving turret seemed dubious at best. In his design, Ericsson called for a very shallow draft, raft-like, ship with a revolving gun turret in the middle. The design came from John Ericsson, a Swedish born inventor who was not well liked in the Navy. One of those designs was an innovative design for an entirely new type of vessel, and it was only approved because of the insistence of Abraham Lincoln. for either sea or river service."īy the fall of 1861, the board had approved three designs for construction. The board immediately advertised its interest in seeing what designs inventors might come up with for, " One or more ironclad steam vessels of war. Congress approved funding to form a Navy board to oversee the construction of ironclads for the Union. ![]() Some thing had to be done.įinally, in August, the U.S. This new ship would be called the CSS Virginia, and it was feared that it would be able tear through the Union's wooden navy with impunity. ![]() News had arrived that the Confederates had raised the old USS Merrimac, and were refitting her as an ironclad warship. In the summer of 1861 fear was spreading through the North. Today, Confederate money has gained a large following among collectors, and are an essential part of United States history.The USS Monitor was born in a time of great uncertainty. The images feature various depictions from classic portraits and structures to military personnel and slaves at work. These beautiful and exciting notes were hand-signed, the designs portraying many different scenes of the daily lives of Confederates. Collecting Confederate Currency TodayĪlthough these notes were not official legal tender, Southerners traded them as a medium of exchange. Confederate notes held little monetary value due to the lack of Gold and Silver reserves by the Confederacy and their setbacks on the battlefield. Beginning with the issues of 1861 and running through 1864, 72 major types were created. Issued into circulation in 1861, the currency ran through 1864. During the Civil War, the Confederate states attempted to solve their huge financial problems by issuing their own paper money. ![]()
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