Osprey Special Editions (Military) : Dual of the Ironclads : USS Monitor and CSS Virginia at Hampton Roads 1862

When the ironclad USS Monitor steamed out to meet the CSS Virginia on 9 March 1862, the face of naval warfare was changed forever. A four-hour duel left neither ship victorious, but in the wake of the battle wooden warships were rendered obsolete. This book details the clash at Hampton Roads, as well as tracing the development of ironclads within the Union and Confederate fleets. Union ironclads evolved quickly from the time of the production of the Monitor, so that by the end of the war the US Navy possessed the most powerful artillery afloat. The Confederate fleet, meanwhile, was born out of the hulks of existing vessels in naval yards and backwaters within sight of the enemy - its very existence was a tribute to the ingenuity of Southern shipbuilders. Text by Angus Konstam with illustrations by Tony Bryan.

Contents

• The Confederate Ironclad
• Creation of a Fleet
• Ironclad Designs
• European Option
• Shipbuilding
• Ironclad's Role
• Officers and Men
• Ordnance
• Life on Board
• Tactics
• The Union Monitor
• Monitor Design and Construction Methods
• Monitors in Operation
• Catalog of Ocean-going Union Monitors
• The Duel
• Opposing Commanders
• Opposing Forces
• Background to the Battle
• The Battle of Hampton Roads
• Aftermath
• Battlefield Today
• Chronology