A lively popular history . . . his vivid rendering of the tough decisions faced by men at the front of innovation makes the greatest impression. -- Publishers Weekly On March 9, 1862, an epic battle was fought. It was one that not only affected the course of the Civil War but one that changed the face of naval warfare forever. It was on that fateful day that two ironclads met for the first time -- the Monitor and the Merrimac. And here is the fascinating saga of the events that led up to the battle and the people who made it happen.