![]() ![]() Requiring upwards of 800 tons of iron, there simply was not that much iron available. In October of 1861 it was determined that the Virginia (the converted ex-USS Merrimack) would require two layers of two inch iron armor plate covering its entire casement. These gunboats played an important role in the battles for Fort Henry and Fort Donelson in February of 1862.įact #2: The Confederacy had great difficulty in sourcing the iron plating needed for the Virginia To support Union naval operations on the rivers in the western theater, ironclad river gunboats (City Class gunboats) had been built, launched, and deployed by January 1862. The Royal Navy, in response to the new French warship, had launched HMS Warrior, an iron-hulled frigate, in October of 1861.Įven in the American Civil War, the Virginia and Monitor were not the first ironclads. In November 1859, the French navy had launched La Glorie, the first ironclad battleship. The Virginia and the Monitor were not the first ironclad warships. We hope that these ten interesting facts will help expand your knowledge and appreciation of this important Civil War naval battle.įact #1: The CSS Virginia and USS Monitor were not the first ironclad warships, but they were the first ironclads to battle against one another And it was here that the revolutionary USS Monitor, with its armored rotating turret would first enter combat. It was here at Hampton Roads that the true power of ironclad warships would be discovered. Saved Land Browse Interactive Map View active campaigns.Stop the Largest Rezoning in Orange County History.Send Students on School Field Trips to Battlefields – Your Gift Tripled!.An Unparalleled Preservation Opportunity at Gettysburg Battlefield.Phase Three of Gaines’ Mill-Cold Harbor Saved Forever Campaign.Save 42 Historic Acres at the Battle of Chancellorsville.Save 343 Acres at FIVE Battlefields in FOUR Western Theater States.Help Save 820 Acres at Five Virginia Battlefields.Help Acquire 20 Sacred Acres at Antietam. ![]() Virtual Tours View All See Antietam now!. ![]()
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