Hampton Roads essays

Hampton Roads essays The Battle of Hampton Roads The battle of Hampton Roads often called the battle of the Monitor and the Merrimac was a naval battle (a battle fought using ships, which mainly occurred at sea.) The American Civil war taking place from March 8 to March 9 off Sewells Point a place near Hampton Roads, Virginia. There were a total of five ships engaged in the battle. From the US Navy, there were four ships, the USS Congress, USS Minnesota, USS Cumberland, and the USS Monitor. The CS Navy had only one ship the CSS Merrimack. On March 8, 1862 when the first Confederate ironclad steamed down the Elizabeth River into Hampton Roads to attack the wooden sided USS Cumberlands. After ramming and sinking the twenty four gun wooden Cumberland the Merrimac headed for the fifty-gun frigate Congress. The Merrimac fired shots into the Congress with terrific aim while the shots from the congress hit the iron without any injury. The result of the first day of fighting proved the superiority of iron over wood. The next day the U.S.S Monitor arrived on the scene prepared with iron against iron. The Confederate ironclad carried more guns than the Union monitor, but it was very slow, clumsy, and had many engine problems. The Union was the fastest ironclad but it lack rebels and power. Since bot h ships we iron neither one of them had any greater power over each other. Neither ironclad seriously damaged the other in their one day of fighting. The results of the battle were inconclusive, neither side could claim victory. The Union lost about 409 sailors and the Confederacy lost about 24 sailors. ...