EOG Review

The Iron Ships

On March 8, 1862, almost a year after the start of the American Civil War, a strange warship ruled the waters of Hampton Roads, Virginia. Shells fired at the warship bounced off of her harmlessly. The ship was a Confederate ironclad called the Virginia. In a short time it had destroyed two of the wooden Union ships that were blockading the southern port at the mouth of the James River. The battle was a part of the effort of the Confederacy to break the Union blockade, which had cut off Virginia's largest cities, Norfolk and Richmond, from international trade. The Confederacy had hoped to reduce the North’s great naval advantage. The Confederate ironclad had been built around the engines and hull of a captured Union ship, the Merrimac, and most people called the ship by that name instead of the Virginia. Above her waterline, ten heavy guns were mounted behind thick sloping iron plates. The Merrimac dominated the day and probably could have destroyed the rest of the fleet at Hampton Roads, but night was coming. The ironclad sailed back to Norfolk, and the Southerners were certain they had a weapon to destroy all of the Union’s wooden fleet. When the morning of March 9 broke, the Merrimac returned to Hampton Roads. But now she found a union ironclad, the Monitor , waiting for her. The Monitor moved toward the Merrimac , and they exchanged fire as their guns roared, and a pall of dense smoke visible for miles hung over the battling ships. After two hours, the firing ended. The Merrimac withdrew to Norfolk, while the Monitor remained at Hampton Roads. Neither ship had won, but now the North had an ironclad to protect its wooden ships. The Union fleet was saved. This battle between the Merrimac and the Monitor was the most noted and arguably most important naval battle of the American Civil War from the standpoint of the development of navies. The major significance of the battle was that it was the first meeting in combat of ironclad warships. The ships did not fight again, and the blockade remained in place. The battle between the Monitor and the Merrimac began a new chapter in naval warfare. The battle received worldwide attention, and it had immediate effects on navies around the world. It meant all navies had to abandon their wooden ships and begin to build ironclads. The preeminent naval powers, Great Britain and France, halted further construction of wooden-hulled ships, and others followed suit. A modern era of shipbuilding had begun!

Based on the passage, what can the reader infer about the importance of the battle between the Monitor and the Merrimac?

• It changed the way navies decided to build their ships.

• The battle signified the end of the war.

• The Monitor was the ship that destroyed the Confederate navy.

• Neither shipped influenced the Civil War.

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Which was the most important reason the battle received worldwide attention and had immediate effects on navies around the world?

• the ease with which the ironclad ship named the Merrimac had destroyed the two Union wooden ships

• the securing of a Union victory over the South in the American Civil War

• the speeds the Monitor and Merrimac traveled while retreating and attacking other ships

• the successful naval blockade by Union ships of the James River

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What prevented the Merrimac from destroying most of the Union fleet on March 8, 1862?

• Bad weather of heavy rain and high winds forced it to retread to Norfolk.

• Daylight was ending, and the ship needed to return to Norfolk for the night.

• The Monitor arrived late in the afternoon that day and protected the rest of the fleet.

• The ship was damaged and began to take on water and had to return to Norfolk for repairs.

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Which is the most important reason the Merrimac won the first day of the battle at Hampton Roads?

• The Merrimac had more cannons than the Union ships.

• The Merrimac had placed itself strategically at the mouth of the Virginia River.

• The Monitor maneuvered much more slowly than the Merrimac.

• The Monitor was not present the frist day of the battle at Hampton Roads.

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Which resource would most likely give you more information about the impact the battle of the Monitor and Merrimac had on future navies?

• a book entitled Greatest Naval Blockades of the 20th Century

• a magazine article entitled "5 Major Causes of the American Civil War"

• a newspaper article entitled "Ironclads Force Retirement of Wooden Naval Fleets"

• a website entitled "World's Greatest Navies"

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Which sentence is a summary statement of this passage?

• A year into the Civil War, the introduction of two ironclad ships, the Merrimac and the Monitor, both of which could easily withstand gunfire, greatly changed how naval warfare was conducted.

• Two great ironclad ships, the Monitor and the Merrimac had an amazing battle during the Civil War.

• The Monitor forced the Merrimac to retreat in a great battle during the Civil War.

• The Monitor saved the North during the Civil War.

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Which statement offers information important enough to be included in a summary of the passage?

• Shells fired at the warship bounced off of her harmlessly.

• Above her waterline, ten heavy guns were mounted behind thick sloping iron plates.

• When the moring of March 9 broke, the Merrimac returned to Hampton Roads.

• This battle between the Merrimac and the Monitor was the most noted and arguably most important naval battle of the American Civil War from the standpoint of the development of navies.

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Which sentence is a summary of paragraph 4?

• The Monitor and the Merrimac fired at each other on March 9th.

• After two hours of firing on each other, the Monitor remained in place, while the Merrimac retreated.

• The Monitor was waiting for the Merrimac, and fired upon it when it arrived.

• The Monitor won the fight on March 9th.

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What did the Merrimax and the Monitor have in common?

• The both fought on the Union side during the American Civil War.

• They were both the last American wooden battleships.

• They were both ironclad battleships.

• They were both made in England and sold to the Confederate and Union navies.

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What side benefited more when the naval battle between the Merrimac and the Monitor ended with neither ship winning?

• The North because they had been able to maintain the naval blockade of Norfolk and Richmond.

• The North because they were able to transfer thousands of troops on the Monitor to southern ports to help in battle.

• The South because they destroyed two wooden Union ships.

• The South because they had been able to break the naval blockade and open international shipping to Norfolk and Richmond.

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