In March of 1862, the CSS Virginia of the Confederate States Navy destroyed two of the most formidable warships in the U.S. Navy. Suddenly, with this event, every wooden warship in every navy in the world became totally obsolete. Conceived in the fertile minds of such men as John L. Porter, Stephen R. Mallory, and John M. Brooke, and constructed from the sunken and charred remains of the USS Merrimack, the Virginia in one afternoon changed the course of naval warfare forever.

Described here in detail are: the mechanical difficulties uncovered during the Merrimack's early world cruises; the desperation and panic that led to her commitment to the flames along with the Gosport Navy Yard; the mad scramble by the Confederates to resurrect her as an ironclad warship; the heart-stopping two-day Battle of Hampton Roads where she destroyed two Union warships, damaged a third, and fought the equally innovative USS Monitor to a draw. Within two months, surrounded by an advancing enemy and unable to escape, she was scuttled by her own crew. Utilizing previously unpublished sources, the authors have pieced together a fascinating and unparalleled account of her de-sign, construction, commitment to battle, and final destruction.

About: R. Thomas Campbell

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