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Naval history was made on March 8, 1862, when the first Confederate ironclad steamed down the Elizabeth River into Hampton Roads to attack the woodensided U.S. blockading fleet anchored there. Built on the hull of the U.S.S. Merrimac (which had been scuttled and burned when the Federals abandoned the Gosport Navy Yard in April, 1861), the new warship had been christened C.S.S. Virginia, but in common usage retained its original name. After ramming and sinking the twenty-four-gun woodenhulled steam-sailing sloop Cumberland, the Merrimac headed for the fifty-gun frigate Congress. An awestruck Union officer watched the one-sided fight as the Merrimac fired "shot and shell into her with terrific effect, while the shot from the Congress glanced from her iron-plated sloping sides, without doing any apparent injury."
The results of the first day's fighting at Hampton Roads proved the superiority of iron over wood, but on the next day iron was pitted against iron as the U.S.S. Monitor arrived on the scene. It was just in time to challenge the Merrimac, which was returning to finish off the U.S. blockading squadron. The Confederate ironclad carried more guns than the Union Monitor, but it was slow, clumsy, and prone to engine trouble. The Union prototype, as designed by John Ericsson, was the faster and more maneuverable ironclad, but it lacked the Rebel vessel's brutish size and power. The Merrimac's officers had heard rumors about a Union ironclad, yet, according to Lieutenant Wood: "She could not possibly have made her appearance at a more inopportune time for us...... Lieutenant S. Dana Greene, an officer aboard the Monitor, described the first exchange of gunfire: "The turrets and other parts of the ship were heavily struck, but the shots did not penetrate; the tower was intact, and it continued to revolve. A look of confidence passed over the men's faces, and we believed the Merrimac would not repeat the work she had accomplished the day before." Neither ironclad seriously damaged the other in their one day of fighting, March 9, 1862 though the Merrimac was indeed prevented from attacking any more of the Union's wooden ships. A new age of naval warfare had dawned.

http://www.civilwarhome.com/ironclad.htm

Sweden SG898

HAMPTON ROADS 1862. This, the famous battle between the Confederate MERRIMACK and the Unionist MONITOR was fought 8th March 1862. On this day the MERRIMACK was towed to sea to attack the Union ships lying off Newport News. The Union had the 50 gun frigates CONGRESS, MINNESOTA and ROANOAKE as well as the 52 gun screw sloop ST LAWRENCE and the 24 gun sloop CUMBERLAND. Of the unprepared Union ships the first to be attacked was the CONGRESS whose replies bounced off the armour of the ironclad as she rammed and sank the CUMBERLAND who continued firing on her attacker to the last. The CONGRESS was then run ashore and struck her colours as red-hot shot set her ablaze, where she blew up around mid-night. The remaining Union ships ran aground trying to avoid the gunfire of the shore batteries, where because of her draught, the MERRIMACK could not reach them. This victory Of the MERRIMACK's was attained for only 21 casualties and minor damage from the ramming. That night the MERRIMAC lay up under the guns of Sewel Point. Next day the MONITOR arrived and interposed herself between the grounded Minnesota and the MERRIMACK. Battle was joined at once though the MONITOR's 11 inch guns had no more effect on the MERRIMACK than those of the other Union ships the previous day, but neither did the MERRIMACK's guns effect the MONITOR. The MERRIMACK now tried to ram the MONITOR but this was .avoided and striking her only a glancing blow the MERRIMACK got passed the MONITOR and opened fire on the MINNESOTA which caught fire. At this time the MERRIMACK ran aground, the MONITOR however was struck on her gunnery control cabin which stunned her commander and he failed to finish off the MERRIMACK who freed herself and retreated back across the bay. This indecisive battle was the first to be fought between two ironclads. - Sweden 1976 1 k30 SG898