THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, March 7, 1996 TAG: 9603070048
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ROY A. BAHLS, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 79 lines
ON A BRIGHT, crisp March morning 134 years ago the Confederate ironclad CSS Virginia (also known as the Merrimack) moved into the mouth of the Elizabeth River looking for a fight.
The crew was heading for a second day of dismantling the Union blockade of wooden warships near Newport News Point.
Another iron-armored warship, the USS Monitor, lay in wait and the ensuing clash was the first ever ironclad engagement. The fiery confrontation ended in a draw and became known as ``The Battle of Hampton Roads.''
Naval warfare was forever changed.
Norfolk resident Bill Whorton not only knows the details of that historic battle - he'll be right in the middle of it this weekend. The Civil War re-enactor will captain his one-fifth size replica of the Confederate ironclad into harm's way.
The fight is part of this weekend's Monitor/Merrimack (Virginia) re-enactment and encampment at Historic Fort Norfolk.
Whorton can hardly wait.
``It is as intense as you can get,'' Whorton said. ``Your adrenalin is pumping, it's extremely noisy and there's the smell of black powder burning.''
The mostly fiberglass reproductions shoot blank charges from their thundering cannons, producing flames and plenty of smoke.
As for the smell of the burning black powder, Whorton said, ``that's like perfume to a Civil War re-enactor.''
Whorton's CSS Virginia is 54 feet long and takes a crew of 16. The real CSS Virginia was built from the scuttled steam frigate, the USS Merrimack, and was fitted with armor plates. It was 270 feet long and had a crew of 350.
The USS Monitor replica, built by Norfolk resident Mike Harrison, is 34 feet long and has a crew of 3. The real USS Monitor was 174 feet and had a crew of 70.
Along with the action on the water off Historic Fort Norfolk, there will be more than 400 authentically clad re-enactors re-creating the Civil War atmosphere on shore.
Visitors will see cavalry units with horses, artillery units with cannons and infantrymen making camp. There'll also be musicians playing banjos and fiddles and peddlers offering traditional Southern foods, crafts and reproductions of Civil War era clothing and equipment.
Whorton said that in the heat of the mock battles things can become quite competitive with his Union adversary.
``We try to ram the Monitor near the end of the battle,'' Whorton said with a hearty chuckle, ``but it usually winds up a draw.''
Related events
A Blue-Gray Luncheon begins at noon Friday at the Dockside Club at Norfolk Naval Shipyard, Portsmouth. Joseph Judge, curator of the Hampton Roads Naval Museum, will recount the battle. On the menu: Yankee pot roast and Southern fried chicken. Cost: $7.99. Call 627-0766.
``Monitor Day'' features interpreters portraying crewmen from the famous ironclads from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at The Mariners' Museum, 100 Museum Drive, Newport News. Admission: $6.50, $3.25 students, ages 5 and under free. 596-2222.
The Hampton Roads Naval Museum offers the lecture ``The Battle of the Giants'' at 2 p.m. Saturday. The museum is also exhibiting six paintings of the historic battle by B.A. Richardson, an artist who actually witnessed the event. The museum is located on the second floor of Nauticus. These events are free. Call 444-8971, Ext. 111. MEMO: RE-ENACTMENT
What: Monitor/Merrimack (Virginia) clash re-enactment and Civil War
encampment
When: Encampment from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5
p.m. Sunday; ironclad re-enactments at 11 a.m., 1 and 3 p.m. Saturday
and 1 and 3 p.m. Sunday
Where: Historic Fort Norfolk, Front Street (at the south end of
Colley Avenue), in Norfolk
How much: Suggested donation of $5 per family. Benefits Norfolk
Historical Society
Call: 625-1720 by CNB