Original armor relic from the ironclad CSS Virginia (USS Merrimack). Engraved on one cut side “Made from Armor Plate – Confederate Ram Merrimac.”

A significant relic not just of the most important naval engagement of the Civil War, but of the progress in military technology made in the 19th century. The advent of ironclad ships dramatically changed the nature of naval warfare.

The USS Merrimack was originally a steam frigate that was deliberately sunk and burned by Federal forces as they withdrew from Gosport Navy Yard in Virginia following the state's secession. Confederate naval engineers salvaged and reconstructed the hull of the USS Merrimack, and fortified its top with thick iron armor backed by 24 inches of wood. Renamed the CSS Virginia, the former US Navy vessel played a significant role in the Battle of Hampton Roads, Virginia, on March 8, 1862. There, the vessel battled the USS Monitor- the first combat between ironclad warships. The engagement was a long and intense battle with no decisive winner. Eventually, to prevent capture, the CSS Virginia was deliberately sunk off Craney Island on May 11, 1862.

When it's hull was raised in 1883, relics of the CSS Virginia/USS Merrimack (such as this) were immediately in-demand amongst collectors who realized the ship's historic significance.

[Civil War, Union, Confederate, Navy, Naval History, Brown Water Navy, Relics, Ephemera]