The Battle of Hampton Roads: New Perspectives on the USS Monitor and the CSS Virginia (Mariners' Museum Publication) [Hardcover]

Harold Holzer (Editor), Tim Mulligan (Editor)

Book Description

Series: Mariners' Museum Publication | Publication Date: January 31, 2006

On March 8 and 9, 1862, a sea battle off the Virginia coast changed naval warfare forever. It began when the Confederate States Navy's CSS Virginia led a task force to break the Union blockade of Hampton Roads. The Virginia sank the USS Cumberland and forced the frigate Congress to surrender. Damaged by shore batteries, the Virginia retreated, returning the next day to find her way blocked by the newly arrived USS Monitor. The clash of ironclads was underway. After fighting for nine hours, both ships withdrew, neither seriously damaged, with both sides claiming victory. Although the battle may have been a draw and the Monitor sank in a storm later that year, this first encounter between powered, ironclad warships spelled the end of wooden warships-and the dawn of a new navy. This book takes a new look at this historic battle. The ten original essays, written by leading historians, explore every aspect of the battle-from the building of the warships and life aboard these iron coffinsto tactics,strategy, and the debates about who really won the battle of Hampton Roads. Co-published with The Mariners' Museum, home to the USS Monitor Center, this authoritative guide to the military, political, technological, and cultural dimensions of this historic battle also features a portfolio of classic lithographs, drawings, and paintings. Harold Holzer is one of the country's leading experts on the Civil War. His books include Lincoln and Cooper Union: The Speech That Made Abraham Lincoln President and, for Fordham, Lincoln on Democracy (co-edited with Mario M. Cuomo) and The Lincoln-Douglas Debates: The Complete, Unexpurgated Text. Tim Mulligan's books include Virginia: A History and Guide.

Editorial Reviews

Review

". . . a new look at this historic battle" -- Publisher's Weekly

"...a fresh look at the historic battle off the Vigina coast that radically altered naval warfare." -- Daily Press, 3/26/06

"...a refreshing look at the most significant naval battle of the Civil War...highly recommended." -- The Free Lance-Star

"...an interesting and quick read." -- Civil War Interactive

"A tremendous amount of scholarship on the battle that is missed in the normal cursory treatments given in history books." -- Books-on-Line

"An insightful collection, enthusiastically recommended for college library and naval or civil war history shelves." -- Midwest Book Review, April 2006

"Its interesting, well-written essays will also find admirers among the general ranks of Civil War enthusiasts. It is highly recommended." -- The Civil War News

About the Author

Harold Holzer, Senior Vice President for External Affairs at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, is one of the nation's leading authorities on Lincoln and the political culture of the Civil War era. He served as co-chairman of the U.S. Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission and has written, co-written, or edited 35 books. TIM MULLIGAN's books include Virginia: A History and Guide.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Fordham University Press; 2 edition (January 31, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0823224805
• ISBN-13: 978-0823224807
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 0.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,006,090 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Excellent Series of Scholarly Papers, June 20, 2006

By 

John Matlock "Gunny" (Winnemucca, NV) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Battle of Hampton Roads: New Perspectives on the USS Monitor and the CSS Virginia (Marine's Museum) (Paperback)

I suspect that anyone with even a modest interest in American history has heard of the battle of Hampton Roads between the USS Monitor and the CSS Virginia (ex-Merrimac). The battle essentially ended in a tie with the two ships injured but still functional.

This book is the report on a symposium held at the Mariners Museum in nearby Newport News. Fittingly it was held on March 5, 2003, the weekend closest to the date of the battle (March 9, 1962) and the 141st year since the fight. The reports given at the conference were so interesting that they have been published in this book.

There are nine chapters that cover the battle itself, how the ships were built, fought, and finally lost. Most important is the aftereffect that the battle had on the navies of the world.

England which had been tempted to come into the war on the side of the south realized that her wooden ships could not face the Monitor (or more specificaly the several Monitors that were being built). In fact all of the navies of the world suddenly realized that their entire navy was obsolete. The future belonged to the steam powered ironclads. And this future lasted until World War II proved them dead and the submarine and aircraft carrier were now supreme.

In recent years the original Monitor has been found and major parts of the ship have been brought to the surface. The final paper in the book is a report on what had been done in the formation of the new USS Monitor Center museum located at the Mariners Museum.

This book brings out a tremendous amount of schlorship on the battle that is missed in the normal cursory treatments given in the history books.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The history of the first encounter between ironclad warships, April 5, 2006

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Battle of Hampton Roads: New Perspectives on the USS Monitor and the CSS Virginia (Marine's Museum) (Paperback)

Set during the American Civil War, The Battle of Hampton Roads: New Perspectives on the USS Monitor and CSS Virginia is the history of the first encounter between ironclad warships, the end of wooden warships, and the beginning of the machine-age navy. An anthology of essays by scholarly authors examine such topics as daily life aboard the USS Monitor, a historical debate of which side won the battle of Hampton Roads, and the battle as depicted in art. An insightful collection, enthusiastically recommended for college library and naval or civil war history shelves.