Author Lecture on Civil War Warship USS Monitor
Press Release · Monday, August 7, 2006

Press Release
August 7, 2006

Author Lecture on Civil War Warship USS Monitor

Washington, DC…On Wednesday, September 27, 2006, at noon, in conjunction with its new exhibition "Eyewitness: American Originals from the National Archives," the National Archives presents author Paul Clancy discussing his book "Ironclad: The Epic Battle, Calamitous Loss, and Historic Recovery of the USS Monitor." "Ironclad" tells the saga of the warship USS Monitor and its remarkable salvage 140 years after its sinking. The USS Monitor was the Civil War ship that saved the Union Navy only to be lost in a storm. The salvage was one of the most complex and dangerous in history. In "Ironclad," Clancy follows the USS Monitor through its maiden voyage from New York to Hampton Roads, Virginia, its battle with the CSS Virginia, and its loss off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. At the same time, the author takes readers behind the scenes of an improbable collaboration between Navy divers and cautious archaeologists working 240 feet deep underwater.

"Eyewitness: American Originals from the National Archives," currently on display in the Lawrence F. O’Brien Gallery, includes gripping eyewitness accounts that chronicle dramatic moments in U.S. history. One of these accounts describes the sinking of the sloop of war USS Cumberland by the ironclad CSS Virginia on March 8, 1862. The next day, the CSS Virginia would face off with another ironclad—the USS Monitor. Following the lecture, visitors can learn more about ironclads through the eyewitness account featured in the exhibition. "Eyewitness" will be on display in the O’Brien Gallery through January 1, 2007. In the spring of 2007, the exhibition will begin a nationwide tour through 2008.

This program will take place in the Jefferson Conference Room of the National Archives Building in Washington, D.C., located on the National Mall at Constitution Ave. and 7th Street, NW. The National Archives is fully accessible. If you need to request an accommodation (e.g., sign language interpreter) for a public program please email public.program@nara.gov or call 202-357-5000 two weeks prior to the event to ensure proper arrangements are secured.

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For press information, contact the National Archives Public Affairs staff at 202-357-5300.

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