Monitor: The Story of the Legendary Civil War Ironclad and The Man Whose Invention Changed the Course of History [Paperback]

James T. de Kay (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 9, 1999

NonfictionLarge Print EditionA lively popular history . . . his vivid rendering of the tough decisions faced by men at the front of innovation makes the greatest impression. Publishers Weekly On March 9, 1862, an epic battle was fought. It was one that not only affected the course of the Civil War but one that changed the face of naval warfare forever. It was on that fateful day that two ironclads met for the first time the Monitor and the Merrimac. And here is the fascinating saga of the events that led up to the battle and the people who made it happen.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Many writers have described the famous clash between the Monitor and the Merrimac, but James Tertius deKay's book probably belongs at the top of the stack. Much of Monitor focuses on how these ships came into being, including John Ericsson's struggle of more than 20 years to have his vision of an ironclad warship become a reality. As the title suggests, Monitor is more about the Monitor than the Merrimac, but both vessels get their due in deKay's wide-ranging narrative. Like so much of Civil War history, the coincidences and ironies of what happened at the mouth of the Chesapeake in 1862--how the two ships met, how brother fought brother, how neither impregnable warrior survived the calendar year--make for a spellbinding story, and deKay tells it as well as it has ever been told. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Naval historian deKay spins a good seaman's yarn about the making and fighting of the ironclads during the American Civil War. DeKay wants readers to believe that the significance of the Monitor lay less with the technology than in the battle it fought against the Confederate ironclad Merrimac in 1862, but, as he shows so well, innovations in ship design, screw propellers, and even waste disposal made the ironclad functional and helped point the way to modern naval warfare. DeKay provides useful discussions of naval strategy, personality clashes, and ship construction, and he refights the battle with verve. But the story is well known and the author offers no new facts or interpretation. He also founders on his bloated claims that not only the war but the world's future hinged on the events at Hampton Roads. The result is a rollicking good read but a dubious argument. For general readers.?Randall M. Miller, St. Joseph's University, Philadelphia
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine Books (March 9, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345426355
• ISBN-13: 978-0345426352
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,213,549 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars JUST LIKE THE SHIP IT PORTRAYS...., January 4, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Monitor: The Story of the Revolutionary Ship and the Man Whose Invention Changed the Course of History (Hardcover)

....Like the Monitor itself, this book is short and concise and yet it packs quite a wallop. In a little more than two hundred well-written pages, Mr. DeKay manages to cram a lot. The book is all about the first ironclad warship of the U.S. Navy and its duel in Chesapeake Bay with the Confederate vessel Merrimac. The book starts with a biography of the ship's cantankerous Swedish inventor John Ericsson and his efforts to get the government bureaucracies of two continents to show interest in his his prophetic ideas for naval warfare (propeller engines, armor plating, torpedoes, revolving gun turrets). The book then talks about the labyrinthine maneuvers of Ericsson and his financial backers through the government contract process to get the ship built. Finally, the author describes in blow-by-blow detail the epic battle between the "cheesebox on a raft" Monitor and the vastly larger and better-armed Merrimac. Every page crackles with factual gems (e.g. The Civil War really was "brother against brother". The Merrimac's commander rammed and sank a Union ship while his brother was on board). Landlubbers and civilians need not be discouraged from reading this book. Engineering and naval concepts are presented in jargon-free language. The book can be finished in two or three days of casual reading. Great for the bathroom-er, uh, excuse me, head.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Most famous ship in US Navy history?, January 18, 2003

By 

C. Ryan (Winthrop, WA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Monitor: The Story of the Legendary Civil War Ironclad and The Man Whose Invention Changed the Course of History (Paperback)

This slim volume recounts the history of USS Monitor which, in its famous engagement with the CSS Virginia (Merrimac) on March 9, 1862, rendered all wooden warships obsolete and initiated a naval arms race among world's navies that climaxed 80 years later in the Pacific battles of World War II.

Monitor's creator was a Swedish engineering prodigy named John Ericsson who had supervised 400 men as a canal engineer by age 16. For an 1829 railroad design competition built a steam locomotive that established a land speed record by covering a measured mile in 57 seconds (63 mph). But the contest sponsors changed the rules to defeat foreigner Ericsson and his attempts to provide innovate designs to the Royal Navy were also rejected. In frustration Ericsson emigrated to the United States and in 1837 invented the first practical screw propeller to drive steamships through the water.

In 1861 Union intelligence indicated the Confederates were rebuilding the scuttled former Union warship USS Merrimac as a heavily armed ironclad. If that ship (rechristened CSS Virginia but generally called simply "Merrimac"), broke the blockade of Hampton Roads then US coastal cities, including Washington, DC, would be vulnerable to attack. The Union needed an ironclad quickly, and Ericsson already had a plan!

Monitor's keel was laid in Brooklyn, NY on October 25, 1861, and Ericsson and his numerous subcontractors worked 108 days and nights until on February 9, 1862 USS Monitor was turned over to the Navy. Exactly one month later Monitor faced Merrimac at Hampton Roads. Objectively the battle was a tactical draw, but strategic victory went to the Union. The Union blockade was preserved, the Confederates remained bottled up and Britain and France, who were leaning toward supporting the South, decided to remain officially neutral.

This book tells the story of the design, construction, combat history, demise and legacy of USS Monitor in a well-written narrative format. It provides enough details for general readers interested in naval, engineering and civil war history. It may be too general for the serious buff, but I recommend it as an amazing tale to everyone else who wants to know more about this important historical event.

There are some small reproductions of period etchings and photos and a good map of the Hampton Roads battle area. The only thing missing are good schematics of Monitor's interior design.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The first pre-dreadnought, November 6, 2003

By 

Kevin C. B. "Opportunistic reader" (Kansas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Monitor: The Story of the Legendary Civil War Ironclad and The Man Whose Invention Changed the Course of History (Paperback)

Monitor skillfully holds the reader spellbound about the ship, and her irrascible genius inventor. I also came to realize just how technically advanced this ship was compared to her contemporaries. This book is a quick and powerful read that you don't want to put down, and it conveys the depth and level of accomplishment achieved by John Erriccson in getting her built in the short time he did. An outstanding history replete with circumstances and entertaining anecdotes as well. A highly recommended book.