THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, March 7, 1996 TAG: 9603050080
SECTION: NORFOLK COMPASS PAGE: 04 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JOAN C. STANUS, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 89 lines
It started as a battle that pitted brother against brother.
It ended a day later in a draw.
This March 8-10, the calendar will flip forward 134 years, and Hampton Roads again will play host to its most famous battle - the clash of the ironclads.
Only this time, hundreds of Civil War re-enactors from across the country will gather at historic Fort Norfolk to take part in a weekend of activities commemorating the famous battle of the Monitor and the Merrimack.
``It's shaping up to be a really big event,'' said Amy Yarsinske, coordinator of the event for the Norfolk Historical Society. ``We've had calls from all over the country, including inquiries from the New York Times. And re-enactor groups are coming from as far away as Albuquerque.''
It's the second year the Norfolk Historical Society has sponsored the commemoration at historic Fort Norfolk and mock battles of the original engagement. Scale models of the ships, built by Norfolk residents William Horton and Mike Harrison, will be used in the fight.
But this year, after the Southeast Tourism Society selected the re-enactment as one of its top 20 events for March, the Norfolk event has gained widespread attention. The top 20 is distributed to more than 800 newspapers, magazines, radio and TV stations, automobile associations and other media groups nationwide.
``I've got so many people calling and wanting to take part I don't know where I'm going to fit them all,'' Yarsinske said. ``It's a terrific recognition for Fort Norfolk.''
The weekend activities will begin Friday at noon with a Blue-Gray Luncheon, held at the Dockside Club at Norfolk Naval Shipyard. Joseph M. Judge, curator of the Hampton Roads Naval Museum and an expert on Civil War naval construction and engagements, will talk about the battle.
Artifacts will be displayed, and a guided tour of Trophy Park's extensive collection of naval guns will follow lunch. Both Yankee pot roast and Southern fried chicken will be served. Cost is $7.99, and reservations are required (call 627-0766).
On Saturday, activities will shift to the Front Street fort. Re-enactors specializing in cavalry, artillery and infantry activities will camp out in the fort throughout the weekend, and present public marching demonstrations, play period music, dance and cook Civil War-era food over open fires Saturday and Sunday during the day.
Suttlers, or merchants who followed the armies, also will sell period reproductions, musical instruments, military uniforms, ``rags,'' women's jewelry and other wares.
But the mock battle will be the weekend highlight. The battle re-enactments are set for 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. on Saturday, and at 1 and 3 p.m. on Sunday.
The battle of the ironclads is hailed by historians as the beginning of modern naval engineering.
After the U.S. Navy burned Gosport Navy Yard in April 1861, the Confederacy managed to salvage some 1,200 cannons and the hull and machinery of the steam frigate, the USS Merrimack.
The attempt to convert the frigate into the first iron-armored ship prompted the Union's naval forces to try a similar construction.
The two ships were christened in March 1862, within two days of each other. The Merrimack became the CSS Virginia.
Not long afterward, while on her way up the Elizabeth River from the shipyard to blockade the Union Navy, the Virginia encountered the USS Cumberland, a slightly newer and more formidable foe. But with the help of her armor, the Virginia sank the Cumberland outright. The ship then turned to the USS Congress and destroyed it as well.
That battle truly pitted brother against brother. The Virginia's commanding officer, Capt. Franklin Buchanan, fought his brother, a Union lieutenant aboard the USS Congress. The young lieutenant was fatally wounded and died with his shipmates. Capt. Buchanan was wounded in the battle and eventually had one of his legs amputated.
When the Virginia triumphantly returned to destroy the rest of the Union Navy the next morning, she encountered the Monitor, which had slipped into the harbor under the cover of darkness the night before.
The ensuing battle lasted about two hours. The Monitor was struck 22 times, the Virginia 20. None of the hits was considered serious. The Virginia attempted to ram the Monitor but failed, ending up splitting her own hull instead.
By noon, the sides called a draw, and the battle was over.
Although they were not the only ironclads of the Civil War, the Monitor and the Virginia became the most famous. ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by RICHARD L. DUNSTON
Norfolk resident Bill Horton is one of the builders of the replica
of the CSS Virginia that is behind him.
by CNB