Overview
The Battle of Hampton Roads was fought on March 8–9, 1862, near Hampton Roads, Virginia. Before the battle, Confederate forces took control of the Gosport Shipyard after Union forces evacuated it in April 1861. Union personnel tried to destroy the facility and sank several ships, including the USS Merrimack. Confederate officials later salvaged the vessel and rebuilt it as an armored warship. On February 17, 1862, they commissioned it as the CSS Virginia.
The Virginia’s first major mission was to break the Union blockade of Hampton Roads, which restricted Norfolk and Richmond from overseas trade. On March 8, Flag Officer Franklin Buchanan led the Virginia into Hampton Roads against five Union warships. Union shells bounced off its iron armor. The Virginia rammed the USS Cumberland, sinking the ship and killing 121 sailors. Buchanan then attacked the USS Congress, which had run aground. After the ship surrendered, continued Union fire wounded Buchanan. He ordered the Congress destroyed, resulting in another 120 Union deaths.
The USS Minnesota also ran aground, but the Virginia withdrew for the night. Lieutenant Catesby R. Jones took command after Buchanan received medical treatment.
On March 9, the Virginia returned and encountered the USS Monitor, a Union ironclad that had arrived the previous evening. Lieutenant John Worden commanded the Monitor. For about two and a half hours, the two armored vessels exchanged fire at close range without seriously damaging each other. Jones eventually withdrew, and the first battle between ironclad warships ended without a clear winner.
The Confederates failed to break the Union blockade. The Monitor’s presence helped the Union maintain control of Hampton Roads and allowed General George B. McClellan to launch the Peninsula Campaign with an amphibious landing near Fort Monroe on March 17.
Essential Facts
- Also Known As: Battle of the Monitor and Merrimack, Battle of the Ironclads.
- Date: March 8–9, 1862.
- Location: Sewell’s Point, Hampton Roads, Virginia, near the Gosport Shipyard.
- Participants: The United States of America (USA) and the Confederate States of America (CSA).
- USA Commanders: John Marston, John Worden.
- CSA Commanders: Franklin Buchanan, Catesby Jones.
- Who Won: The Battle of Hampton Roads ended inconclusively.
- Campaign: Peninsula Campaign.
- Era: Civil War, January–June, 1862.
Key Details
- The Battle of Hampton Roads was important because it was the first battle between two ironclad ships and changed the way ships were built.
- The Battle of Hampton Roads was a naval engagement between two ironclads, the CSS Virginia and the USS Monitor.
- Hampton Roads is a bay-like body of water formed by the confluence of the James, Elizabeth, and Nansemond rivers in southeastern Virginia.
- In the case of Hampton Roads, the word “roads” is a nautical term for a partially sheltered body of water where ships may ride at anchor.
- Passage through Hampton Roads is the only point of connection between Norfolk and the Chesapeake Bay (and subsequently the Atlantic Ocean).
- On March 8, 1862, the Confederate commander of the CSS Virginia was Flag Officer Franklin Buchanan.
- On March 9, 1862, the Confederate commander of the CSS Virginia was Lieutenant Catesby R. Jones.
- The commander of the USS Monitor during the Battle of Hampton Roads was Lieutenant John Worden.
- The Battle of Hampton Roads was the first engagement between two ironclads in the history of naval warfare.
- The USS Monitor’s continued presence in Hampton Roads following the Battle of Hampton Roads enabled Union General George B. McClellan to initiate his Peninsula Campaign with an amphibious landing near Fort Monroe on March 17, 1862.
- Flag Officer J. Tattnall scuttled the CSS Virginia in the James River on May 11, 1862, rather than let his ship fall into Union hands.
- On January 1, 1863, the USS Monitor foundered during a storm off Cape Hatteras and went to the bottom of the Atlantic along with four officers and twelve crewmen.
Statistics
United States of America
- Casualties: Estimated at 369, including 261 killed and 108 wounded.
- Forces Engaged: USS Monitor, various ships, and an onshore artillery battery.
- Troop Strength: Roughly 1,400.
Confederate States of America
- Casualties: Estimated at 95, including 78 killed and 17 wounded.
- Forces Engaged: CSS Virginia, various ships, and an onshore artillery battery.
- Troop Strength: Roughly 188.
Significance
The Battle of Hampton Roads is important to American History because it was the first battle between two ironclad warships. On March 8, the CSS Virginia showed the effectiveness of iron armor by destroying the USS Cumberland and USS Congress. The arrival of the USS Monitor prevented the Virginia from driving the Union fleet from Hampton Roads. Although the battle ended inconclusively, the Union maintained its blockade. The Monitor’s continued presence also helped General George B. McClellan launch the Peninsula Campaign. The battle showed that armored, steam-powered warships could replace traditional wooden vessels.
History
When the American Civil War erupted in April 1861, Southern sympathizers seized control of the Gosport Shipyard (later named the Norfolk Naval Shipyard) in Virginia. Before evacuating the site on April 20, the commandant, Captain Charles S. McCauley, ordered his men to destroy the facility and to scuttle nine naval vessels at anchor. Among those ships was the USS Merrimack, which burned to her waterline before sinking.
Confederates Salvage the Merrimack
After taking control of the shipyard, Confederate officials salvaged the Merrimack, whose steam engines were still intact. For the next nine months, Southern engineers developed and implemented plans to convert the Merrimack to a new kind of ship that would revolutionize naval warfare—the ironclad.
By February 17, 1862, the Confederates had completed enough of the work to commission the Merrimack into the Confederate navy as the CSS Virginia.
Union Blockade of Hampton Roads
The Virginia’s first challenge was to end the Union naval blockade of Hampton Roads that had isolated Norfolk and Richmond from trans-Atlantic trade. Belying its name, Hampton Roads is a bay-like body of water formed by the confluence of the James, Elizabeth, and Nansemond rivers in southeastern Virginia. The word “roads” is a nautical term for a partially sheltered body of water where ships may ride at anchor. Passage through Hampton Roads is the only point of connection between Norfolk and the Chesapeake Bay (and subsequently the Atlantic Ocean).
The Virginia Sinks the Cumberland
On the morning of March 8, 1862, the Virginia left her mooring at Norfolk, under command of Flag Officer Franklin Buchanan, and steamed into Hampton Roads to confront the five U.S. warships blocking access to the Chesapeake Bay. As shells from the frigates USS Cumberland and Congress bounced harmlessly off of her iron surface, the Virginia pierced the Cumberland’s hull with her iron ram, sending the Union frigate to the bottom along with 121 sailors.
The Virginia Destroys the Congress
Buchanan next focused on the Congress, which had run aground during the maneuvering. The Virginia’s crew shelled the Congress into submission. Seeing the Congress’s white flag of surrender, Buchanan went on deck to accept her surrender, but Union batteries continued to fire on the Virginia, wounding Buchanan. In retaliation, Buchanan ordered the destruction of the Congress, claiming the lives of another 120 Union sailors.
At that point, the Union frigate Minnesota closed on the Virginia but also ran aground. Seeing that the Minnesota was helpless, Buchanan withdrew and anchored at nearby Sewell’s Point, with intentions of sinking the Minnesota on the following day. During the night, doctors took Buchanan and hospitalized him. Lieutenant Catesby R. Jones assumed command of the Virginia.
The Monitor Intercepts the Virginia
The next morning changed the history of naval warfare. As the Virginia steamed out to dispose of the Minnesota, she encountered the USS Monitor, the Union’s version of an ironclad. The Monitor had arrived under tow from New York on the previous evening. Commanded by Lieutenant John Worden, the Monitor immediately engaged the Virginia. For the next two-and-one-half hours, the two ironclads shelled each other at close range, producing little damage. At approximately 12:15 PM, Jones realized that continued shelling of the Monitor would be a waste of munitions and he withdrew. The first battle between two ironclads in the history of naval warfare ended in a draw.
Outcome
Although the results of the engagement were inconclusive, the Virginia failed to dislodge the federal fleet from Hampton Roads. The Monitor’s continued presence in Hampton Roads enabled Union General George B. McClellan to launch his Peninsula Campaign with an amphibious landing near Fort Monroe on March 17.
Later, commanded by Flag Officer J. Tattnall, the Virginia attempted to block McClellan’s advance up the James River. After failing to prevent a Union landing at Yorktown, Tattnall unsuccessfully tried to retreat upriver. Rather than let his ship fall into Union hands, Tattnall scuttled the Virginia on May 11, 1862.
Later in the summer of 1862, following the failed Peninsula Campaign, the Monitor helped cover McClellan’s retreat from the Virginia Peninsula. In December, officials ordered the ship to support Union operations off of Wilmington, North Carolina. On January 1, 1863, the Monitor foundered during a storm off of Cape Hatteras and went to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean, along with four officers and twelve crewmen.
Timeline
- 1861, April 20 — Union forces evacuated the Gosport Shipyard after attempting to destroy the facility and sink nine naval vessels, including the USS Merrimack.
- 1862, February 17 — Confederate officials commissioned the rebuilt USS Merrimack as the CSS Virginia.
- 1862, March 8 — The CSS Virginia entered Hampton Roads, sank the USS Cumberland, and destroyed the USS Congress.
- 1862, March 9 — The USS Monitor fought the CSS Virginia for about two and a half hours in the first battle between two ironclad warships.
- 1862, May 11 — Flag Officer J. Tattnall ordered the CSS Virginia destroyed rather than allow Union forces to capture it.
- 1862, Summer — The USS Monitor helped protect George McClellan’s retreat from the Virginia Peninsula later that summer.
- 1862, December — Union officials ordered the USS Monitor to support operations near Wilmington, North Carolina.
- 1863, January 1 — The USS Monitor sank during a storm off Cape Hatteras, killing four officers and twelve crewmen.
AP US History
Definition
Battle of Hampton Roads (1862) — The Battle of Hampton Roads was a major Civil War naval engagement fought on March 8–9, 1862, near Hampton Roads, Virginia. On March 8, the Confederate ironclad CSS Virginia sank the USS Cumberland and destroyed the USS Congress. The next morning, the USS Monitor intercepted the Virginia. The two ironclads fought for about two and a half hours but caused little damage to each other. The battle ended inconclusively, and the Union maintained its blockade of Hampton Roads.
Alignment
The Battle of Hampton Roads is part of the following AP US History sections:
