Up Pops the Monitor: The Battle of Hampton Roads in Popular Memory
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Presented by
The Mariners' Museum and Park
Up Pops the Monitor: The Battle of Hampton Roads in Popular Memory
Presenter: Dr. Anna Gibson Holloway, Former Vice President of Collections and Programs and Curator of the USS Monitor Center
About the lecture: On March 9, 1862 in the placid waters of Hampton Roads in Virginia, the Union steam-battery Monitor met the Confederate ram Virginia (née Merrimack) in battle. Though this first clash of ironclads was technically a draw, it helped to usher in a new era in naval warfare. It also ushered in over 150 years of popular music, poetry, artwork, alcohol, clothing, sports teams, farm equipment, and home appliances inspired by the meeting of these two vessels. Interest in the Monitor in the 20th and 21st centuries has been further sustained by the public’s fascination with the archaeological remains of the ship. From polkas, to refrigerators, to Swedish speed metal, this presentation will explore the arc of the popular response to the battle of the ironclads — and the Monitor itself — from March 10, 1862 to today.