In graphic format, tells of the Civil War battle known as the Battle of Hampton Roads, the first-ever between ironclad warships.

“An utterly absorbing account of one of history’s most momentous battles” (Forbes) that not only changed the Civil War but the future of all sea power—from acclaimed popular historian Richard Snow, who “writes with verve and a keen eye” (The New York Times Book Review). No single sea battle has had more far-reaching consequences than the one fought in Hampton Roads, Virginia, in 1862. The Confederacy, with no fleet of its own, took a radical step to combat the Union blockade, building an iron fort containing ten heavy guns on the hull of a captured Union frigate named the Merrimack. The North got word of the project, and, in panicky desperation, commissioned an eccentric inventor named John Ericsson to build the Monitor, an entirely revolutionary iron warship. Rushed through to completion in just one hundred days, it mounted only two guns, but they were housed in a shot-proof revolving turret. The ship hurried south from Brooklyn, only to arrive to find the Merrimack had already sunk half the Union fleet—and would be back to finish the job. When she returned, the Monitor was there. She fought the Merrimack to a standstill, and, many believe, saved the Union cause. As soon as word of the fight spread, Great Britain—the foremost sea power of the day—ceased work on all wooden ships. A thousand-year-old tradition ended and the naval future opened. Richly illustrated with photos, maps, and engravings, Iron Dawn “renders all previous accounts of the encounter between the Monitor and the Merrimack as obsolete as wooden war ships” (The Dallas Morning News). Richard Snow brings to vivid life the tensions of the time in this “lively tale of science, war, and clashing personalities” (The Wall Street Journal).

In this historic clash in March 1862, the Union Monitor, called by many a “cheese box on a raft,” exchanged cannon shot after cannon shot with the Confederate Merrimac, comically referred to as a “floating barn roof.” Although an indecisive victory for either side, the spectacular event, witnessed by hundreds of people on nearby boats and shorelines, forever changed the way naval warfare was to be fought.

In comic book format, describes the first battle between two steam powered ironclad warships, discussing the events leading up to the battle, the strategies on both sides, and the indecisive outcome.

The Battle of Hampton Roads, often referred to as the Battle of Monitor and Merrimack (or Merrimac), was the most noted and arguably the most important naval battle of the American Civil War from the standpoint of the development of navies. It was fought over two days, 8-9 March 1862, in Hampton Roads, a roadstead in Virginia where the Elizabeth and Nansemond Rivers meet the James River just before it enters Chesapeake Bay. 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 significance of the battle is that it centered on a new class of warship, the ironclad. The Confederate fleet consisted of the ironclad ram CSS Virginia and several supporting vessels. On the first day of battle, they were opposed by several conventional, wooden-hulled ships of the Union Navy. On that day, Virginia was able to destroy two ships of the Federal flotilla and threaten a third, USS Minnesota, which had run aground.

This book in the Osprey Graphic History series lets you advance into the Civil War battle with the first ironclad warships, ¿CSS Merrimac¿ and USS ¿Monitor,¿ as they struggle for supremacy in a four-hour duel to control the seas. Join Franklin and McKean Buchanan, two brothers who faced each other from opposite sides, as sailors fought in cramped and dangerous conditions in one of the most revolutionary naval battles in world history. Full-color illustrations. Limited edition poster inside. Graphic novel format.

In comic book format, describes the first battle between two steam powered ironclad warships, discussing the events leading up to the battle, the strategies on both sides, and the indecisive outcome.