With the Union occupation of Norfolk, Captain Josiah Tatnall of the C.S.S. Virginia (the "Merrimac") evacuated and set the famous ironclad afire at her moorings near Craney Island at around four in the morning. A Confederate States Navy board of enquiry convened in Richmond on May 22. It found that the decision to scuttle the Virginia had been precipitous but took no action against Tatnall or his officers. (By John Osborne)
Source Citation
Frank Moore, ed., The Rebellion Record: A Diary of American Events, with Documents, Narratives, Illustrative Incidents, Poetry, Etc. (New York: G.P. Putnam, 1863), V: 46-47.
Record Data
Date Certainty
Exact
Type
Battles/Soldiers
