James River during the Civil War – Encyclopedia Virginia
Virginia engages with the Union's ironclad, the USS Monitor, at the mouth of the James River. The battle lasts for more than four hours. While neither ship gains a decisive advantage, it is a strategic victory for the Union because the Virginia is unable to destroy any more of the Union's wooden fleet. May 10, 1862 May 11, 1862 Confederates destroy the CSS Virginia after the fall of Yorktown because it draws too much water to navigate up the James River and in order to ensure that it would not fall into Union hands. May 15, 1862 A force of Confederate soldiers, sailors, and marines a...