Secrets of the James

Naval Warfare Was Changed Forever on the James River

Currier & Ives’ 1862 lithograph  of the combat between the “Monitor” and the “Merrimac”

by Judith Warrington, JRA Communications Coordinator

In early March 1862, Union naval forces controlled the lower Chesapeake Bay supplying their land troops and making trade and transport difficult for the Confederacy.  On March 8, five of the Union’s most powerful men o’ war lay at anchor in Hampton Roads, when across the river came the CSS Virginia, formerly the USS Merrimack. Unlike the conventional wooden warships at anchor, the Virginia had been converted into a maneuverable, steam-powered ironclad.

Upon first sighting of the ironclad vessel, the Union ships called all crews to quarters and began firing steadily, hitting the Virginia many times, but never slowing its progress. An eyewitness described the approaching ironclad as looking “like the roof of a very big barn belching forth smoke as from a chimney on fire.” Returning fire from her cannons, the Virginia rammed the wooden-hulled sloop, USS Cumberland. Even as she went down, the Cumberland’s crew continued firing its guns in order to prevent the ironclad from destroying any other ships. A gallant action, but it was all in vain.

The frigate USS Congress was next in the Virginia’s sights. It floundered helplessly, having run aground in a failed attempt to escape. After an hour of exchanging fire, the Congress surrendered, its crew abandoned ship and then set it afire. Likewise, the steam-propelled USS Minnesota had gone aground. Only the fading daylight spared it until the next day when the Virginia would return.

As March 9 dawned, the Virginia returned to finish off the Minnesota and the remaining Union ships. But along side the frigate was the Union’s own ironclad, the USS Monitor, which had arrived from New York not long after the Virginia’s departure the previous evening. So began what many historians consider to be the first modern naval battle as the USS Monitor and the CSS Virginia (or as many people refer to it in this battle, the Merrimack) blasted away at each other off Sewell’s Point. Both ironclads suffered severe damage. At midday, the Monitor’s commanding officer was blinded by shrapnel, forcing the ship to temporarily withdraw. This gave the Virginia an opportunity to return to Norfolk. The engagement was essentially a stalemate, but it changed the history of naval warfare forever.

The Virginia survived another two months, only to be scuttled when Norfolk fell to Union forces in May 1862. Although the Monitor sank off Cape Hatteras on New Year’s Eve of the same year, that’s not the end of its story. To learn more about the fate of the USS Monitor, visit http://www.marinersmuseum.org/uss-monitor-center/uss-monitor-center

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Top 5 Ways to Celebrate the Arrival of Spring on the James

by Gabe Silver, JRA Education and Outreach Manager

A season of change blows in with the windy month of March. As the water and air temperature rise and the days get longer, animals stir with the ancient desire to migrate or find mates. It’s a great time to be a river-lover. Here are five ways to notice and celebrate spring on the James River this year:

1. Mark the arrival of the first osprey back on the James. They are expected to arrive here in mid-March.

2. Monitor the water temperature and go shad fishing when it reaches 50-550 F. You can also check out the Shad Cam at Bosher’s Dam just upriver of Richmond.

3. Pick a place in a nearby natural area you can walk to and visit it each week for the next two months. Keep a journal of the changes you see each week.

4. Follow the young-rearing efforts of a pair of bald eagles in Norfolk on this amazing web cam.

5. Get involved with the North American Amphibian Monitoring Program and help track the health of these important critters, like frogs, by learning to identify their calls and listening for them at night.

Photos courtesy of John Bragg.