The “main bout” the struggle of ironclad versus ironclad had to wait until the next day. As the sun rose on March 9, the Virginia and its crew had already set off to return to Hampton Roads to complete the destruction so successfully began the previous day. However, as it approached the defenseless Minnesota, a “tin can on the shingle” blocked its way and diverted its attention. This of, course, was Ericsson’s Monitor. [46] The two vessels immediately started to approach each other and the small wooden steamers and gunboats supporting the Virginia decided to get out of harm’s way. After stopping for a moment to get a better view of the Monitor, the Virginia unleashed a tremendous volley into the enemy ironclad. To the surprise of the thousands of spectators on the shore, when the smoke cleared, the Monitor remained completely unscathed. The two ironclads continued to close and they traded shots while only a few feet apart as they passed one another. [47] This pattern of circling around and crossing paths was repeated over and over again during the next several hours. Reports are conflicting so it is impossible to recreate an exact blow by blow account of the action, except to say that both vessels kept up a lively fire and sharpshooters attempted to pick off Union sailors by firing through the gun ports. Eventually, the gunners on the Monitor ran out of ammunition in the turret and the vessel had to temporarily withdraw to bring in ammunition from the hull. The desperate fight soon resumed, however. Sensing it was unable to disable the diminutive Union opponent at another point the Virginia tried to ram the Minnesota that had run aground the previous day. The Monitor interceded and nearly rammed the Confederate ironclad’s screw propellers, which had it succeeded would have ended the struggle. The Virginia’s first salvoes had all been fired at the Monitor’s turret. However, the Virginia’s commander quickly realized the vulnerability of its pilothouse and from that point on the Confederate artillerymen aimed their weapons at this part of the Monitor. This tactic would pay off. After about two hours, a shell struck the peek hole. Unfortunately for the Monitor and its crew, just at that moment Lt. Worden, the Monitor’s commander, was peering out and he was blinded by exploding iron fragments and knocked unconscious. The Union ironclad returned to shallower water and it took about 30 minutes for the crew to retrieve their commander and bring him to safety. [48] Later, when the fight resumed, it was the Virginia’s turn to run into problems. Running out of ammunition it was decided to ram the Monitor with the prow that had been damaged when ramming the sloop U.S.S. Cumberland during the previous day. The Confederate ironclad patiently maneuvered into position. However, the ship proved to be as unwieldy as “Noah’s ark,” and at the last moment, the Monitor was able to successfully evade the main blow. The Virginia was only able to deliver a glancing blow that caused no damage. The Monitor with its turret was able to capitalize on the proximity of the enemy vessel and fired two rounds while at only a few feet away. Both struck the Virginia near the after pivot gun half way up the iron shield. This shield was pushed in three inches and the men behind were knocked over by the force of the concussion. [49] Eventually, it became obvious that neither side could do in its opponents and it was a draw. This was a very different outcome than that which had been expected by the Virginia’s crew and feared by the thousand of Union troops and sympathizers that had lined the shore since the early morning. It struck one onlooker that the diminutive Union vessel had about the same chance of success as a “a rat attacking an alligator.” [50] The truth was that the Virginia proved to be less powerful and the Monitor less vulnerable than they each appeared. The Virginia had loss a sizeable part of its motive power when its smoke stack was shot away early in the fight. This lessened the draft of air that entered the boilers, which now was unable to operate at maximum efficiency. This was more than a trivial problem for the southern ironclad, since unlike the Monitor that could change the direction of its guns even from a stationary position, the Virginia had to constantly manoeuvre to bring its guns to bear on the enemy target. [51] The seeming advantage of the Monitor’s rotating turrets was largely an illusion, however. The gunners in the Union vessel could only aim their pair of guns with great difficulty. Firstly, the machinery that rotated the turret did not work properly. The turret presented too much inertia and the gunners could not stop it in the required position. The gunners could only see a very narrow band in the direction the gun was pointing, so they only saw their target for a moment or two as the turret rotated. They quickly discovered that all they could do was to fire the gun at the brief moment the guns pointed at the target as the turret rotated. The pilothouse itself posed another problem. It blocked the line of fire straightforward. Thus, it was impossible to solve the inertia problems simply by pointing the Monitor at the Virginia. This problem was only made worse by the isolated position of the pilothouse at the bow. Only the pilot and the commander had a clear view of what was happening. They could issue orders and directions through a speaking tube, but, unfortunately, this was disabled early in the action. The solution was to have two men run between the pilothouse and the turret. However, these were landsmen unfamiliar with the technical naval jargon of the gunners and they often confused the instructions. [52] Both sides, frustrated and exhausted, decided to disengage as if by mutual consent. The Monitor eventually retired to Old Point, while the Virginia, visibly listing, headed towards Sewell’s Point. The contest would prove to be a strategic Northern victory. The destruction of Union fleets and shipping had been averted. After being repaired, the Virginia would twice steam out into Hampton Roads to goad the Monitor into another action. However, since there were no longer vulnerable wooden ships anchored between Fort Monroe and Newport News, she was simply ignored. Thought to be unable to pass the forts blocking passage out into Chesapeake Bay, the Virginia retired to the Norfolk navy yards and after the Confederate withdrawal two months later was scuttled on May 11. [53] Ironclads Their Development and Use During the Civil War Introduction and Background The Monitor The C.S.S. Virginia The C.S.S. Virginia versus the U.S.S. Monitor The Attack of Fort Henry and Fort Donelson Gaming ACW Naval Actions Back to Table of Contents -- Courier # 89 To Courier List of Issues To MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 2003 by The Courier Publishing Company. This article appears in MagWeb.com (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other articles from military history and related magazines are available at http://www.magweb.com