Last week the Mariners’ Museum’s neighbor, Christopher Newport University, hosted some of the foremost Lincoln scholars for the Fifth Annual Conference on America’s Founding Principles and History. This year the focus of the conference was Lincoln, the Constitution and the Nation at War which coincides perfectly with the on going sesquicentennial of the Civil War. [...]
Remarks 28 February From midnight to 4 AM Weather clear And cold From 4 to 8 AM Weather clear and cold wind N.W From 8 to Meridian Weather clear and cold wind from NNW Mechanics employed on board From Meridian to 4 PM Weather clear and cold and strong wind From N.N.W Mechanics employed [...]
With the anniversary of the Battle of Hampton Roads right around the corner it is only right that Music Monday is dedicated to a song that is inspired by the events of March 8-9! Hearing the intro of the song entitled “The Ironclads” by the rock band The Last Placid Days of Plenty there is [...]
Remarks February 27 Comes in cloudy weather light Wind from N.E. Two A.M commenced towing. From 4 to 8 A.M.Thick weather and Snowing Seven A.M Pilot came on board And took charge Proceeded from Navy Yard accompanied By Steam Tug Free boarne had not proceeded far before they found a Defect in the Steering Gear. [...]
Remarks the 26th February 1862 Comes in clear & cold All hands employed getting ready for sea All this 24 hours clear weather and fine breezes
The first entry in the log book of the newly commissioned vessel, U.S. Steam Battery Monitor reads almost like a haiku – sparing with words, yet saying all it needs to say. Remarks 25th February1862 Comes in with fine weather At 3 o clock P.M. Received crew from Receiving Ship North Carolina Vessel put in [...]
For all of you that skipped that day of Latin class habeas corpus literally means “you have the body.” In the modern legal world the phrase usually refers to the writ of habeas corpus which gives the right to an individual that has been detained to appear before a court (view a full definition and [...]
This week Music Monday goes psychedelic with Melting Euphoria! Melting Euphoria is a band from San Francisco that is described as falling into the genre of psychedelic rock or space rock. This categorization is evident after listening to Melting Euphoria’s song Duel of the Ironclads, which is the spotlight of this week’s Music Monday. [...]
The old Merrimack had undergone a transformation at Gosport. Though there was still work to be done, Flag Officer French Forrest wanted to launch and rechristen the new ironclad. And so, on February 17, 1862, with very little fanfare, the Merrimack got her new name. Workmen continued to pound away during the ceremony. William Cline, who [...]
On the anniversary of the naming of the Virginia, it would seem appropriate to comment on the Hampton Roads area; the battle in the Chesapeake immortalized our humble home after all. However, if you had been flipping through the New York Times on February 17, 1862, you would have happened upon the article “The Meaning [...]
