"On March 8 and 9, 1862, a sea battle of the Virginia coast changed naval warfare forever. It began when the CSS Virginia of the Confederate States Navy led a task force to break the Union blockade of Hampton Roads. The Virginia sank the USS Cumberland and forced the frigate USS Congress to surrender. Damaged by shore batteries, Virginia retreated, returning the next day to find her way blocked by the newly arrived USS Monitor. The clash of ironclads was underway." "This book takes a new look at that historic battle. The original essays, written by leading naval and Civil War scholars, explore every aspect of the battle - from the building of the warships and life aboard these "iron coffins" to tactics, strategy, and the debates about who really won the battle of Hampton Roads." "Copublished with The Mariners' Museum, this guide to the military, political, technological, and cultural dimensions of this historic battle also features a portfolio of classic lithographs, drawings, and paintings interpreting the battle, including for the first time an array of pictures of the exhumed Monitor relics."--Jacket.