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The Confederate navy, at the beginning of the US Civil War realized they had no navy and they pressed forward to try and buy or build ships abroad. Another key to their mission of building a navy was to use an ironclad as soon as possible. The Union navy only had wooden warships. In Norfolk Virginia, the Rebels had taken over that base as the Federals had evacuated. They left behind a half sunken ship, the USS Merrimack. Under the direction of their secretary of the navy, the Merrimack was raised and after many months refitted as an ironclad.

Still, at that point in time, the only ironclad belonged to the South, the US's ironclad was not quite finished in he shipyards of New York.

The new CSS Virginia, was born from the ruins of the Merrimack. It entered Hampton Roads and began destroying wooden US warships. The immense cannon fire from two Union ships failed to make a dent in the new ironclad. The CSS Virginia was making havoc as Washington DC and the Union's naval commanders were in a panic.

They believed the power of the Virginia could destroy the Union navy and even sail to New York and bombard the city.

The next day, however, the USS Monitor sailed into Hampton Roads and the Northern leaders felt more confident. Yet, even after the first day's battle was over, the North was sure the South had a better ironclad and there was plenty of finger pointing over this. The idea that the unprepared South, with no navy at all had beat them to the punch caused much consternation in the Union's high command.


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Q: Why was there growing panic in Washington D.C. and among the fleet of the Union?
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