The USS Monitor was an ironclad Civil War ship of the Union Army that sank on December 31, 1862. The Monitor was famous for its battle with the Confederate ship CSS Virginia, (formerly the USS Merrimack), on March 9, 1862. It was the first ironside warship battle of the U.S. Army.
When the USS Monitor capsized, 63 of the crewmen survived the event, but 16 lost their lives, counting two men buried in the turret of the ship. There were seven black men aboard the vessel, some freed and some escaped slaves, all serving as sailors. They were: William Nichols, Siah Carter, William Scott, Robert Howard, Edward Cann, Daniel Moore and William Jeffrey.
