Terrific Engagement between the "Monitor" 2 guns, and "Merrimac" 10 guns, in Hampton Roads, March 9th, 1862 – The First Fight Between Ironclad Ships of War

At the beginning of the American Civil War, shortly after Virginia seceded from the Union in 1861, the Union Navy placed a blockade on Hampton Roads (the channel where the James River flows into the Atlantic Ocean), thereby hindering ocean access for the Confederate capital at Richmond, Virginia, and the main Confederate navy yard at Norfolk Virginia. As the imprinted title and caption indicate, this print depicts the first naval battle using Ironclad ships, which were steam-propelled warships built with their wooden hulls covered by thick iron or steel armor plates in order to minimize damage from explosive shells.

The best known ironclad ships were the northern-built "Merrimac" (also known as the "Merrimack") and the "USS Monitor." The Confederate navy salvaged the "Merrimac" from the Norfolk navy yard and re-hulled it with iron, subsequently rechristening it "Virginia"; it had an improvised "barn-roofed" deck, capable of housing almost a dozen cannons. The smaller Union "Monitor" was faster and easier to maneuver with its flat, water-level deck and its then-innovative revolving gun turret.

The Hampton Roads naval battle began on March 8, 1862, when the "Merrimac" sailed up the James River and attacked the blockade of Union ships -- successfully sinking one of them. This print depicts the second day (March 9, 1862) when the "Monitor" (with the Union flag) arrived to attack the larger "Merrimac." Both ships are shown hull to hull as they fire their cannons at each other sending smoke skyward. Other ships are in the background. During the fierce combat, each ship survived many direct hits without crippling damage, yet after hours of battle, neither side could claim certain victory, so the battle was inconclusive.



Nathaniel Currier, whose successful New York-based lithography firm began in 1835, produced thousands of hand-colored prints in various sizes that together create a vivid panorama of mid-to-late nineteenth century American life and its history. People eagerly acquired such lithographs featuring picturesque scenery, rural and city views, ships, railroads, portraits, hunting and fishing scenes, domestic life and numerous other subjects, as an inexpensive way to decorate their homes or business establishments. As the market for prints expanded, Nathaniel recruited his younger brother Charles to help. In 1857, James Merritt Ives (the firm's accountant since 1852 and Charles's brother-in-law) was made a business partner; subsequently renamed Currier & Ives, which continued until 1907.

The New York City-based lithography firm of Currier & Ives created this print to capitalize on this dramatic battle as a victory for the North. A curious Union public was also eager to see a battle picture featuring the newest naval technology, which made wooden warships obsolete. Currier & Ives produced almost 100 prints depicting American Civil War battles and scenes.