" March 9th 1862 ", With Apologies To The Naval Forum, What's In A Photo?

JPK Huson 1863

Brev. Brig. Gen'l
Joined
Feb 14, 2012
Location
Central Pennsylvania
monitor merrimac pic top.jpg
monitor merrimac pic bottom.jpg

" Period Photos & Examinations " means I'm swiping this but it should be in the Naval Forum. It'd be great knowing where on earth it's from? Enlarged on purpose in case photo experts here can spot era ' photo shopping ', seems to be a snip from another photograph? Surely cannot genuinely be what's claimed, " March 9th, 1862 ". That'd be CSS Virginia v. USS Monitor, Merrimac/Monitor at Hampton Roads.

Having said that, feel free to move this to The Naval Forum.

monitor merrimac whole.jpg

You know, saved this so many years ago out of an era book can't be positive- think it's from one of the Miller books. Re-loading files on the new lap top last year, lost some ID's.

You know those Charley Brown adult voices? Here's what I remember from 3rd grade. " Blmbdbebebblub Martha Washington Hmshrntingmshy SeeJaneRunRunJaneRun Sdnghrwmbjhntym Monitor Merrimac ". Pretty much it. Miss Bair tried. I do remember being smitten by those ships hence why they stuck. Civil War isn't there much less Hampton Roads, gunboat Octorara or the fact Spring was around the corner. Just metal ships blasting away at each other, really weird ones.

Will sound foolish relating those 2 days at Hampton Roads in the middle of a forum whose membership knows the blood type, mother's maiden name and childhood best friend of every seaman in that engagement. Why it's memorable to we beginners just for those two behemoths bouncing balls off each other at close range is anyone's guess- the whole thing was crazy. Ships sunk, captured, burned to the waterline and so close to shore spectators wrote accounts. You don't see that every day.

http://usnhistory.navylive.dodlive....on-roads-uss-cumberland-refused-to-surrender/ USN site with a crazy good article. It'll explain this, and a ton of other era illustrations you bump into.
merrimac cumberland.jpg


It was extremely remarkable from a civilian perspective in 1862. Because CSS Virginia's resurrection from Merrimac's original destruction ( we all know the story ) had been so closely followed, by her launch clothed in iron she was already a fire-breathing, man-eating, unstoppable and terrifying legend. She hadn't done anything yet but terrorized the Union. Lincoln's cabinet was convinced this ship would and could steam unimpeded up the Potomac, take aim and put a shell right through Lincoln's eye.

Transpires CSS Virginia was indeed fearsome. If not able to see through the walls of our Executive Mansion, the ship achieved most objectives. The Union felt it behooved them to launch their own dragon, hence the Monitor. Hence Hampton Roads.

Engagement between these two historic ships is too well documented for a beginner to have a shot at. Battering away at each other, neither ' won '. CSS Virginia, like her incarnation as Merrimac, was destroyed by necessity to keep her from falling into enemy hands ( talk about er, irony ), Monitor's fate as yet another victim claimed by Hatteras in a violent temper is also too well documented to attempt.

https://archive.org/details/monitormerrimacb00worduoft/page/n7 , Worden, Greene and Ramsay, The Monitor And The Merrimac, Both Sides Of The Story

Still. This moment in time. Was someone there with a camera? No intention of proving anything- 2 of quite a few, images posted below obviously rendered from accounts.
merrimac mon close range.JPG


merrimac mon close range 2.jpg
 
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