CHAPTER XIII.
BATTLE BETWEEN THE MONITOR AND THE MERRIMAC—1862.
The battle that was fought in Hampton Roads on the 9th March, 1862, was the first encounter of iron-clad ships of war. It revolutionized the navies of the world and was the death-knell of the "wooden walls" that had ruled the ocean for centuries.
Down almost to 1860 all nations had relied upon wooden ships for their navies; a few iron ships had been constructed, but the models had not materially changed from those of half a century earlier. There was a tendency to reduce the number of decks, and it was evident that the great four-deckers of former times were to be set aside for ships more easy of manœuvring. The paddle had made way for the screw as a means of propulsion. With paddle engines a portion of the machinery was exposed to an enemy's shot, while with a screw steamer every thing was below the water level; besides, the screw left the whole broadside free for fighting or other purposes, which before was considerably enroached upon by the paddle-boxes. The general shape of the ship was the same as of old, and for cruising purposes most war ships made use of their sails far more than steam.
The idea of protecting the sides of vessels with armor of some kind is very old, dating almost as far back as the invention of gunpowder. Indeed some of the Roman galleys and other vessels before gunpowder was
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