Scenes from the USS Monitor, 1862
DM Home
Henceforth there must come up a race of enginemen and smoke-blackened canoneers, who will hammer away at their enemies under the direction of a single pair of
eyes; and even heroism—so deadly a gripe is Science laying on our noble
possibilities—will become a quality of very minor importance, when its possessor
cannot break through the iron crust of his own armament and give the world a glimpse of
it.
Nathaniel Hawthorne, 1862
Officers of the Monitor, July 9, 1862. William F. Keeler,
Paymaster, is standing 2nd from right (with glasses). Lieut. Samuel Dana Greene is seated,
furthest right. Note the sunburns and weary expressions from having spent months caged up
in the "iron monster" up the James River. The interior of the vessel was
frequently above 100 degrees Fahrenheit, but the crew were frequently confined there to
avoid rebel snipers. (National Archives)
Crew of the Monitor relaxing on deck on the James River, July 9,
1862 (National Archives).
Monitor USS Terror while en route to San Juan P.R., July 26,
1898. Note that the deck, including the living quarters below, are entirely below water.
The problems of constricted life aboard the monitors were akin to those in submarines, as
only the turret stood above water in even the slightest sea. (Naval Historical
Center)
Assistant Engineer Albert Campbell (L.) and William Flye on deck of the Monitor,
1862. Note the dents in the turret armor at left caused by the Merrimack's shells.
(National Archives)
John Dahlgren, gunnery innovator whose famous "soda bottle" guns adorned the Monitor turret. Dahlgren designed the gun so the thickness at each point along the barrel accurately reflects the internal pressures during firing.
Gideon Welles, Lincoln's Secretary of the Navy, who approved
construction of the Monitor and became one of its primary supporters.
Nathaniel Hawthorne, who visited the Monitor in Hampton Roads in
1862. "How can an admiral condescend to go to sea in an iron pot?" Hawthorne
asked.