NNP

The USS Merrimack represents a well-known bit of Civil War naval history. Born as the USS Merrimack in 1855 and later sunk by the Union to avoid capture, the Confederacy raised the vessel and recommissioned her as the newly ironclad CSS Virginia in 1862. The CSS Virginia faced off against the USS Monitor in the 1862 Battle of Hampton Roads, an attempt to overcome the Union blockade that isolated Norfolk and Richmond. Neither side could claim victory, but the Union maintained the advantage as the blockade held.

Over time various relic pieces have been created from Merrimack scrapped iron. Dave Schenkman prepared a slide presentation on this topic, c. 1980, which has lately been digitized by Newman Portal. In 1979, the Virginia Numismatic Association published Schenkman’s monograph, Tokens and Medals Commemorating the Battle Between the Monitor and the Merrimac. Newman Portal acknowledges Schenkman for sharing his slide set and accompanying speaker notes.

Link to Merrimack relics image collection on NNP: https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/imagecollection/518058