Captain Ericsson, I congratulate you upon your great success. Thousands have this day blessed you.
- Alban Stimers, Chief Engineer upon the USS Monitor
Turning the Tide of the War
The Virginia would have never been able to make a serious dent in the Union blockade. Nevertheless, her defeat crushed southern hopes of sending diplomats and enlisting foreign support.
Despite her sinking in a storm within a year of her construction, the perceived success of the Monitor led the Union to build 67 other Monitor class ships. These strangled the Confederacy and destroyed Southern trade. Hastening their defeat.
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