Trusted Writing on History, Travel, and American Culture Since 1949
USS Monitor
Although a draw, the fight between the Monitor and Virginia decisively ushered in the modern era
What the USS Monitor’s crewmen remembered most about the moments before the battle on the morning of March 9, 1862, was the silence. Read more >>
The Union desperately needed an extraordinary warship to counter the ironclad the Confederates were building
It was obvious that something very special was needed to confront the ironclad that the Confederacy was furiously building if the Union was to be saved. Read more >>