Part one of term paper
The U.S.S Monitor and the C. S. S. Virginia were the first ironclads to grace the waters of the American Civil War. Their battle in 1862 at Newport News Point is still considered one of the best and most exciting naval engagements of all times. The reason people think of it as the battle of the "Monitor and the Merrimack" is because t ...

Part two of term paper
... only her deck was destroyed. Her lower hull was left intact. The Confederates took her and fitted her with an iron deck. Each side carried 5 guns and one on the bow and on the stern. She was also fitted with an iron ram submerged at the bow for ramming wooden union ships. Now named the Virginia , she ran amuk in Chesapeake Bay disposing of Union warships. Her iron hull was almost impervious to cannon balls and her ram made short work of the giant wooden targets. The Union knew t ...