Editing USS Monitor (section)

====Events after the battle====
[[File:USS Monitor James River 1862.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|Officers at right are (left to right): Third Assistant Engineer Robinson W. Hands, Acting Master [[Louis N. Stodder]], Second Assistant Engineer Albert B. Campbell and Acting Volunteer Lieutenant William Flye (with binoculars). ''Monitor'' on the [[James River]], Virginia, 9 July 1862.]]
Immediately following the battle Stimers telegraphed Ericsson, congratulating and thanking him for making it possible to confront the Confederate ironclad and for "saving the day". No sooner than ''Monitor'' had weighed anchor, numerous small boats and spectators on shore flocked around the ship to congratulate the crew for what they regarded as their victory over ''Virginia''. Assistant Secretary Fox, who observed the entire battle from aboard ''Minnesota'', came aboard ''Monitor'' and jokingly told her officers, "Well gentlemen, you don't look as though you just went through one of the greatest naval conflicts on record". A small tug soon came alongside and the blinded Worden was brought up from his cabin while crew members and spectators cheered. He was taken to Fort Monroe for preliminary treatment, then to a hospital in Washington.<ref>[[#Quarstein10|Quarstein, 2010]], p. 71</ref>

Stimers and Newton soon began repairing the damage to the pilot house, and reconfigured the sides from an upright position to a slope of thirty degrees to deflect shot. During this time, Mrs. Worden personally brought news of her husband's progress and recovery and was optimistic, informing the crew his eyesight would soon return but he would be laid up for some time. She also informed them President Lincoln had personally paid Worden a visit extending his gratitude.<ref>[[#Quarstein10|Quarstein, 2010]], p. 97</ref> Worden was later taken to his summer home in New York and remained unconscious for three months.<ref>[[#Still88|Still, 1988]], p. 8</ref> He returned to Naval service in 1862 as captain of {{USS|Montauk|1862|6}}, another ''Monitor''-type ironclad.

The Confederates were also celebrating what they considered a victory, as crowds of spectators gathered along the banks of the [[Elizabeth River (Virginia)|Elizabeth River]], cheering and waving flags, handkerchiefs and hats as ''Virginia'', displaying the captured [[Ensign (flag)|ensign]] of ''Congress'', passed along up the river. The Confederate government was ecstatic and immediately promoted Buchanan to Admiral.<ref>[[#Quarstein12|Quarstein, 2012]], p. 169</ref>

Both the Union and Confederacy soon came up with plans for defeating the other's ironclad. Oddly, these did not depend on their own ironclads. The Union Navy chartered a large ship (the [[sidewheeler]] {{USS|Vanderbilt|1862|6}}) and reinforced her bow with steel specifically to be used as a [[naval ram]], provided ''Virginia'' steamed far enough out into Hampton Roads.<ref>[[#Quarstein10|Quarstein, 2010]], p. 108</ref>

On 11 April, ''Virginia'', accompanied by a number of gunboats, steamed into Hampton Roads to Sewell's Point at the southeast edge, almost over to [[Newport News]], in a challenge to lure ''Monitor'' into battle. ''Virginia'' fired a few shots ineffectively at very long range while ''Monitor'' returned fire, remaining near Fort Monroe, ready to fight if ''Virginia'' came to attack the Federal force congregated there.<ref>[[#Bennett|Bennett, 1900]], pp. 136–137</ref> Furthermore, ''Vanderbilt'' was in position to ram ''Virginia'' if she approached the fort, but ''Virginia'' did not take the bait.<ref>[[#Broadwater|Broadwater, 2012]], p. 88</ref> In a further attempt to entice ''Monitor'' closer to the Confederate side so she could be boarded, the James River Squadron moved in and captured three merchant ships, the brigs ''Marcus'' and ''Sabout'', and the schooner ''Catherine T. Dix''.<ref>[[#Quarstein10|Quarstein, 2010]], p. 109</ref> These had been grounded and abandoned when they sighted ''Virginia'' entering the Roads. Their flags were then hoisted "[[Distress signal#Flags|Union-side down]]" to taunt ''Monitor'' into a fight as they were towed back to Norfolk. In the end, both sides had failed to provoke a fight on their terms.<ref>[[#Anderson|Anderson, 1989]], pp. 77–78</ref>

The [[Confederate Navy]] originally had devised a plan by which the [[James River Squadron]] would swarm ''Monitor'' with a party of men to board and capture the vessel, and disable her by using heavy hammers to drive iron wedges under and disable the turret, and by covering the pilothouse with a wet sail effectively blinding the pilot. Others would throw combustibles down the ventilation openings and smoke holes. At one point Jones made such an attempt to board the vessel, but she managed to slip away around the stern of ''Virginia'' in time.<ref name="Field56"/>

There was a second confrontation on 8 May, when ''Virginia'' came out while ''Monitor'' and four other Federal ships bombarded Confederate batteries at Sewell's Point. The Federal ships retired slowly to Fort Monroe, hoping to lure ''Virginia'' into the Roads. She did not follow, however, and after firing a gun to windward as a sign of contempt, anchored off Sewell's Point. Later, when Confederate forces abandoned Norfolk on 11 May 1862, they were forced to destroy ''Virginia''.<ref>[[#Quarstein12|Quarstein, 2012]], p. 15</ref>
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