On March 9, 1862, a sea battle took place off Hampton Roads, VA which changed ship building and sea warfare forever, making wooden ships obsolete for the future. There is a Roadside Marker at Chesapeake Avenue in Newport News, VA which reads: "In Hampton Roads, southward and a mile or two offshore, the Merrimack (aka Virginia) [of the South] and the Monitor [of the North], fought their engagement". The day before the Merrimac had destroyed two Union wooden ships. The battle between the ironclads resulted in a draw.
Other Civil War attractions in Hampton include the 1834 Fort Monroe, the largest stone fort in America surrounded by a moat. The fort is open to the public (unless there is a security check in progress). Within the fort is the Casemate Museum, providing a history of the fort and features Jefferson Davis's prison cell, Robert E. Lee's living quarters, and many old military uniforms and supplies. In the middle of the Hampton Roads Harbor, sits Fort Wool with remains of stone Civil War fortifications that provide a vantage point for the site of the epic battle of the ironclads Monitor and Merrimack. Access is by water only. Other attractions in Hampton include: the Virginia Air & Space Center and Hampton History Museum. The entire surrounding areas of Norfolk, Virgina Beach, Portsmouth, Newport News, Yorktown and Williamsburg, provide plenty of other activities and attractions.
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