What happened on March 9 during the U.S. Civil War?

LTC Stephen F. — Wed, 09 Mar 2016 13:35:55 -0500

3/9/1862 was the first use of turreted gun on the USS Monitor in battle. The Monitor effectively ended the short reign of terror that the Confederate ironclad CSS Virginia had brought to the Union navy. 3/9/1864 LTG Ulysses S. Grant replaced Henry Halleck as “General-in-Chief” who requested to be relieved of duty.
http://www.history.com/topics/american-civil-war/battle-of-hampton-roads

Battle of Hampton Roads - American Civil War - HISTORY.com

Find out more about the history of Battle of Hampton Roads, including videos, interesting articles, pictures, historical features and more. Get all the facts on HISTORY.com

Response by MAJ Ken Landgren made Mar 9 at 2016 1:44 PM

MAJ Ken Landgren — Wed, 09 Mar 2016 13:44:30 -0500

New technology and doctrine can often decide battles and wars. All nations have military crystal balls, but some are better at looking into it than others.

Response by PO3 Steven Sherrill made Mar 9 at 2016 2:43 PM

PO3 Steven Sherrill — Wed, 09 Mar 2016 14:43:49 -0500

All of the above. New commanding General is going to change morale of the soldiers all the way down the line. Currency is an important step in establishing a unique identity. Ironclads showed what the future of naval warfare would be for the next 80 years.

Response by SP5 Mark Kuzinski made Mar 9 at 2016 2:46 PM

SP5 Mark Kuzinski — Wed, 09 Mar 2016 14:46:38 -0500

What an awesome battle! Thanks for the post LTC Stephen.

Response by LTC Stephen F. made Mar 9 at 2016 2:50 PM

LTC Stephen F. — Wed, 09 Mar 2016 14:50:17 -0500

To me the most significant act on March 9 was in 1864 when Ulysses S. Grant was promoted to LTG and he replaced Henry Halleck as “General-in-Chief” who requested to be relieved of duty. The second most significant act during the war was the neutralizing of the confederate iron clad advantage with the introduction of the first turreted gun on the ironclad Monitor. The duel between the Monitor and Merrimack [CSS Virginia] is the stuff of legendary conflicts.
Because the RallyPoint survey is limited in what it can display I am posting the complete survey answers for the first three responses].
1. March 9, 1861 The Coinage Bill is passed by the Confederate Congress, authorizing up to 50 million dollars in Confederate currency to be printed
2. March 9, 1862 Battle of Hampton Roads. The duel of the ironclads USS Monitor and The Merrimack (CSS Virginia). First use of a turreted gun against the CSS Virginia ironclad resulted in a draw and ended the short reign of terror that the Confederate ironclad had brought to the Union navy.
3. March 9, 1864 Ulysses S. Grant promoted to Lieutenant General and given command of all active United States forces. He replaced Lieutenant General G. Henry Halleck as “General-in-Chief” who is relieved of duty at his own request.

Response by CSM William Payne made Mar 9 at 2016 3:37 PM

CSM William Payne — Wed, 09 Mar 2016 15:37:18 -0500

USS Monitor Vs. CSS Virginia (Merrimack)

The battle between these two ships was the virtual nail in the coffin for wooden warships which had ruled the waves since man first went to war at sea in ancient times. They were the granddaddies of the dreadnaughts, cruisers and battleships that came behind them.

My dad was career Navy, 1937 - 1967 and though we moved all over I and my younger brother were born in the Portsmouth Naval Hospital and I spend most of my early days growing up in Norfolk. I am a huge Revolutionary War / Civil War student and given that the battle of these ironclads happened in my back yard sort of speak, this battle has always had my interests.

For anyone that ever visits Hampton Roads, if you have an interest in these kind of events a visit to the Mariners Museum is mandatory. This museum is one of the premiere maritime museums in the world.

Their signature exhibit, the Monitor Center is dedicated to this battle. It includes THE Monitor Turret, guns, engine, anchor, rudder, propeller and other artifacts lifted from the wreck where she went down in a winter storm off the coast of Hatteras in December of 1862. Unfortunately, the CSS Virginia didn't survive the war having been scuttled just before the fall of Norfolk. Very few artifacts were recovered from her wreck.

General Dynamics and the Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry-dock, builder of all of our nation's modern aircraft carriers and most of its submarines built a full size replica of the Monitor for the Museum and you can walk her decks.

As the original turret undergoes preservation, they have built a full size replica of the upside down turret as it was brought to the service to include the remains of some of her crew that were crushed by the cannons when she flipped over upon sinking. Right next to that is a full size replica of the turret as it was just before that historic battle that you can actually walk through. Then they built a reproduction of part of the lower deck that you can walk thru. It is great to get a perspective as to the size and layout of the monitor. Which is just reinforced when you walk on the deck of the full size reproduction. Great stuff!

http://www.monitorcenter.org

Well worth the trip.

You can then jump across the river and visit the Navy Museum at the Nauticus and walk the decks of the battleship USS Wisconsin, the sister ship of the Missouri, New Jersey and the Iowa.

http://www.nauticus.org/visitor-info/index

The USS Monitor Center & Foundation - At The Mariners' Museum & Park

At The Mariners' Museum & Park

Response by SSgt Robert Marx made Mar 9 at 2016 3:58 PM

SSgt Robert Marx — Wed, 09 Mar 2016 15:58:17 -0500

The battle between the Monitor & the Virginia ended the biggest contestation of the Confederate navy to the Union blockade. The Confederates were unable to break the blockade and thus entombed their cause. No European government would be able or willing to recognize the South. The Monitor's biggest weakness was basic unseaworthiness and thus had to be used only in coastal settings. The Virginia was an iron box and also less seaworthy than the Monitor.

Response by SSG Leo Bell made Mar 9 at 2016 6:33 PM

SSG Leo Bell — Wed, 09 Mar 2016 18:33:18 -0500

Thank you for the history