| CSS Virginia
The CSS Virginia is well known for fighting the USS Monitor to a draw in the first battle of ironclad ships on March 9, 1862 in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia. The day before this historic battle the CSS Virginia was much more successful in sinking the USS Cumberland, blowing up the USS Congress and grounding the USS Minnesota.
The CSS Virginia was built from the hull of the USS Merrimack, which had been scuttled by the Union to prevent her from being captured in port at Norfolk. Although the Union and many history books continue to call her the Merrimack, she was formally commissioned as the CSS Virginia by the Confederate Navy. After the battle with the USS Monitor, the Virginia became the flagship of the Confederate Navy. As the Union pressed the Peninsula Campaign in 1862, the CSS Virginia found herself trapped in the James River. To avoid capture, she was blown up and sunk by her crew.
The crossed cannon and anchor design on the hat is based on the design used by the Confederate Navy during the Civil War. The design can be found on buttons worn by naval officers and on china patterns used in the wardrooms of officers. |
