The Civil War witnessed an overnight change to naval tactics, with both the Union and Confederacy scrambling to construct ironclads to improve their chances of success. 

After the Battle of Hampton Roads, USS Monitor gained the title of "The little ship that saved the nation".  The ship's newfound fame set off a "Monitor Craze" in the US, as hosts of vessels emerged with the same name. 

After the Battle of Hampton Roads, USS Monitor —“little ship that saved the nation” — seemed perfect. But this illusion was shattered after the James River Flotilla's defeat at Drewry's Bluff. Lt. William Jeffers wrote a detailed report lodging his complaints about the vessel, from intolerable ventilation to questionable design choices, leading to a harsh rebuke from inventor John Ericsson. 

The Battle of Drewry’s Bluff was a dramatic Confederate victory. Richmond was under immediate threat of being captured or at least shelled and destroyed by the Union flotilla, but the cannoneers at Drewry’s Bluff prevented the capital from capture.

History lovers have been transfixed for decades by the clash of the ironclads that erupted at the Battle of Hampton Roads. But one question remains unanswered for many: Why do some people refer to CSS Virginia as Merrimac? And what's more: Why is Merrimac sometimes spelled with a "k" at the end and sometimes without?

USS Monitor was the strangest warship many sailors had ever seen. While all the enlisted men were volunteers, as soon as some arrived on board, they immediately deserted to “parts unknown.” When the ironclad was repaired in the Washington Navy Yard, the sailors were granted liberty. Many did not return. Not only was Monitor unseaworthy, it was also very uncomfortable, prompting many to desert.