1862
- The USS Monitor battles the CSS Virginia, at Hampton Roads(i). In a battle of iron clads, the battle would wage for four hours, with neither ship gaining a distinct advantage, and both ships remaining afloat. While different in construction, the CSS Virginia being the wooden hulled USS Merrimack, with heavy armor plating on its sides and the USS Monitor being constructed of steel, both ships proved formidable. At the end of the battle, the CSS Virginia pulled back to Norfolk. During US Major General George B. McClellan’s Peninsula Campaign, the Confederates would torch the CSS Virginia to keep it from falling into Federal possession. The USS Monitor would sink, in bad weather, off the Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, late in 1862.
1864
- Ulysses S. Grant is promoted lieutenant general, and placed in command of all Federal ground based troops. Grant, was the only Federal general to capture a Confederate army – and he had captured two by this time (Fort Donelson and Vicksburg). Grant determined to stay out of Washington D.C., and made his headquarters in the field, with US Major General George Gordon Meade’s Army of the Potomac.
(i) History.com used to research this article.
About Michael Noirot
I grew up in the Central Illinois farming community, of Dunlap. Growing up, I played sports, tinkered with cars and enjoyed photography. While I did well in school, I did not become passionate about history until my early 30's.
I have built a large library, of books on early America, politics and the Civil War. I am an avid reader. Fortunately, I have had plenty of opportunities to travel, over the years, and have been to most of the Civil War battlefields. I work while I travel, so more often than not, I am up, in the middle of the night, to get sunrise pictures, or I will be out until well after dark, exploring Civil War battlefields.
I have other hobbies, and passions, that I really enjoy. Number one on the list would be guitar. I play my guitars on a regular basis, and enjoy the Bluegrass, and Contemporary Christian (CCM) genres. I play a style of guitar, called FLATPICKING, where using a flat pick, you play lead solos, similar to the way a fiddle would have been played during the 19th and early 20th Centuries.
Laura, my wife, and I also enjoy scuba diving, travel and spending time at our property, in the country. Lastly, we spend as much time with our families, as possible. Thanks for stopping by.
