William Keeler Quiz

The previous was an excerpt from a letter written by William Keeler, paymaster of the USS Monitor, to his wife following the battle on March 9, 1862. Keeler was aboard the Monitor during the battle; his station was midway between the turret and the pilot house passing directions from the captain to the turret concerning the position of the Virginia. Read the letter closely and answer the following questions:

• In the letter Keeler refers to the Confederate ship Virginia as the Merrimac. What could be a reason for him not adopting the Confederate name↓

• What was the feeling on board before and during the fight↓ Were the crew confident that the ironclad would hold up during the battle↓

• >What was the reason for the Monitor to draw back from the battle↓ What reason did the newspaper account give↓ How did the Confederates in the Virginia interpret this backward movement↓

• How could these views on the movement of the Monitor lead to the disagreement over who won↓