Battle between the Monitor and Merrimac

Kurz & Allison's chromolithograph depicts the March 1862 naval engagement off Hampton Roads, Virginia, rendered as a sweeping panoramic scene. The composition places Union and Confederate forces across a sandy beach and shallow waters, with the ironclad USS Monitor at center and the CSS Virginia (Merrimac) burning in the distance. Cavalry officers command troops in the foreground while soldiers engage across the beach; smoke billows from shore batteries and vessels. Published by the Chicago printmaking firm as part of a 36-print Civil War battle series, these hand-colored lithographs prioritized dramatic historical narrative over documentary accuracy, creating popular commemorative images that appealed to Northern audiences throughout the 1880s-90s.