The Battle of Hampton Roads, often referred to as either the
Battle of the Monitor and Merrimack (or
Virginia) or the
Battle of Ironclads, was the most noted and arguably most important
naval battle of the
American Civil War from the standpoint of the development of navies. It was fought over two days, March 8–9, 1862, in
Hampton Roads, a
roadstead in Virginia where the
Elizabeth and
Nansemond rivers meet the
James River just before it enters
Chesapeake Bay adjacent to the city of
Norfolk. The battle was a part of the effort of the
Confederacy to break the Union blockade, which had cut off Virginia's largest cities,
Norfolk and
Richmond, from international trade.