*first confederate iron clad was used march 8,1862 on the elizabeth river in battle of hampton roads
*called the c.s.s. virgina built from the hull of the u.s.s. merrimac (still commonly called u.s.s. merrimac)
*after destroying the 24 gun wooden ship called cumberland, the merrimac set out for the 50 gun wooden ship congress
* the merrimac dominated
* the next day, the union sent an ironclad called the u.s.s. monitor(niether did much effect on the other)
* A new age of naval warfare had risen
