Battle of the Ironclads

This video describes the battle between the Monitor and the Merrimack. On March 8, 1862, the world's first ironclad ship, CSS Virginia, destroyed two wooden-hulled U.S. warships at Hampton Roads. This battle revolutionized naval warfare by proving that wooden vessels were obsolete against ironclads. The next day the Union's first ironclad—the USS Monitor—arrived and fought the Virginia to a draw, ensuring the safety of the Union blockade fleet.

This video is part of the “Virginia Studies” series which is based on the Virginia Department of Education's Standards of Learning (SOL).  In this video series, the VMHC animates primary source documents to produce a video that is appropriate for a K-12 audience and even more appropriate for students preparing for the Virginia Studies SOL.  Each video includes a question at the end that will require a student to demonstrate historical and analytical analysis.

"The 'Virginia Studies' videos were terrific – at grade level – and nicely targeted to what our students need to know." -Amy Kleiman 4th grade teacher