In early March of 1862, the ironclad ships of both the Confederacy and the Union finally encountered one another and engaged in a naval battle that would forever change naval technology. Even at the time, back in 1862, many people understood that this one encounter was a monumental event. Amazingly enough, one of the perks [...]

September 2nd was a grim day on the Monitor.  Sadly, Wardroom Steward Lawrence Murray, whom we met back on March 3rd in an event that did not show him at his best, died on this day. The logbook entry below records the event rather matter of factly. But crewman George Geer went into far more detail in [...]

Hey readers, welcome back to the good ol’ blog! Today’s tidbit of information about me is: I’m an enthusiastic Civil War reenactor with the 17th VA Company D and I will be proudly joining them on May 19th and 20th at the 148th Battle of New Market in New Market, VA. (This concludes my shameless plug). [...]

First off I have to apologize for my brief hiatus from the blog and missing last Music Monday.  That being said I have a gem of a song that’s a perfect conclusion to the 150th anniversary weekend of the Battle of Hampton Roads. The song is entitled “The Cumberland and The Merrimac” and it comes [...]

And so we begin. Today is the day the CSS Virginia steamed into history. We’ll discuss that later today – but for now, we will remember the men of the USS Cumberland in particular – but all those who fought that day, 150 years ago, today. Here are the lyrics to a song which was published in [...]

150 years ago – the Union Navy engaged in its first real action of the war – just up the road aways from The Mariners’ Museum – at Gloucester Point. The Virginia forces who held the Point weren’t yet part of the Confederate Army. They were volunteers – the Richmond Howitzers, and they arrived at [...]

Flag Officer Garrett J. Pendergrast, commander of the USS Cumberland, is ordered to keep his ship in Gosport Navy Yard ‘and, in case of invasion, insurrection, or violence of any kind, to suppress it, repelling assault by force.’ At the same time, however, Secretary of the Union Navy, Gideon Welles, ordered McCauley to remove all [...]