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HAMPTON

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Originally appearing in Volume V12, Page 907 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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HAMPTON , a See also:

city and the See also:county-seat of See also:Elizabeth City county, See also:Virginia, U.S.A., at the mouth of the See also:James See also:river, on Hampton Roads, about 15 M. N.W. of See also:Norfolk. Pop. (1890), 2513; (1900) 2764, including 1249 negroes; (1910) 5505. It is served by the Chesapeake & See also:Ohio railway, and by trolley lines to Old Point Comfort and See also:Newport See also:News. Hampton is an agricultural See also:shipping point, See also:ships See also:fish, oysters and canned crabs, and manufactures fish oil and See also:brick. In the city are St See also:John's See also:church, built in 1727; a See also:national See also:cemetery, a national soldiers' See also:home (between See also:Phoebus and Hampton), which in 1907–1908 cared for 4093 veterans and had an See also:average attendance of 2261; and the Hampton Normal and Agricultural See also:Institute (co-educational), which was opened by the See also:American Missionary Association in 1868 for the See also:education of negroes. This last was chartered and became See also:independent of any denominational See also:control in 1870, and was superintended by See also:Samuel See also:Chapman See also:Armstrong (q.v.) from 1868 to 1893. The school was opened in 1878 to See also:Indians, whose presence has been of distinct See also:advantage to the See also:negro, showing him, says Booker T. See also:Washington, the most famous See also:graduate of the school, that the negro See also:race is not alone in its struggle for improvement. The National See also:government pays $167 a See also:year for the support of each of the See also:Indian students. The underlying See also:idea of the Institute is such See also:industrial training as will make the See also:pupil a willing and a See also:good workman, able to See also:teach his See also:trade to others; and the school's graduates include the heads of other successful negro industrial See also:schools, the organizers of agricultural and industrial departments in See also:Southern public schools and teachers in graded negro schools.

The mechanism of the school includes three schemes: that of " See also:

work students," who work during the See also:day throughout the year and attend See also:night school for eight months; that of day school students, who attend school for four or five days and do See also:manual work for one or two days each See also:week; and that of trade students, who receive trade instruction in their daily eight-See also:hours' work and study in night school as well. See also:Agriculture in one or more of its branches is taught to all, including the four or five See also:hundred See also:children of the See also:Whittier school, a practice school with See also:kindergarten and See also:primary classes. Graduate courses are given in agriculture, business, domestic See also:art and See also:science, library methods, " matrons' " training, and public school teaching. The girl students are trained in every See also:branch of housekeeping, cooking, dairying and gardening. The institute publishes The Southern Workman, a monthly See also:magazine devoted to the interests of the Negro and the Indian and other backward races. In 1908 the Institute had more than See also:loo buildings and 188 acres of See also:land S.W. of the national cemetery and on Hampton river and See also:Jones See also:Creek, and 600 acres at Shellbanks, a stock See also:farm 6 m. away; the enrolment was 21 in graduate classes, 372 in day school, 489 in night school and 524 in the Whittier school. Of the See also:total, 88 were Indians. Hampton was settled in 1610 on the site of an Indian See also:village, Kecoughtan, a name it See also:long retained, and was represented at the first See also:meeting (1618) of the Virginia See also:House of Burgesses. It was fired by the See also:British during the See also:War of 18.12 and by the Confederates under See also:General J. B. Magruder in See also:August 1861. During the See also:Civil War there was a large See also:Union See also:hospital here, the See also:building of the Chesapeake See also:Female See also:College, erected in 1857,being used for this purpose.

Hampton was incorporated as a,See also:

town in 1887, and in 1908 became a city of the second class. HAMPTON ROADS, a channel through which the See also:waters of the James, Nansemond and Elizabeth See also:rivers of Virginia, U.S.A., pass (between Old Point Comfort to the N. and See also:Sewell's Point to the S.) into Chesapeake See also:Bay. It is an important See also:highway of See also:commerce, especially for the cities of Norfolk, See also:Portsmouth and Newport News, and is the See also:chief See also:rendezvous of the See also:United States See also:navy. For a width of 500 ft. the Federal government during 1902-1905 increased its minimum See also:depth at See also:low See also:water from 251 ft. to 30 ft. The entrance from Chesapeake Bay is defended by Fortress See also:Monroe on Old Point Comfort and by Fort See also:Wood on a small See also:island called the Rip Raps near the See also:middle of the channel; and at Portsmouth, a few See also:miles up the Elizabeth river, is an important United States navy-yard. Hampton Roads is famous in See also:history as the See also:scene of the first engagement between See also:iron-clad vessels. In the See also:spring of 1861 the Federals set See also:fire to several war vessels in the See also:Gosport navy yard on the Elizabeth river and abandoned the See also:place. In See also:June the Confederates set to work to raise one of these abandoned vessels, the See also:frigate " See also:Merrimac " of 3500 tons and 40 guns, and to rebuild it as an iron-clad, The See also:vessel (renamed the " Virginia" though it is generally known in history by its See also:original name) was first cut down to the water-See also:line and upon her See also:hull was built a rectangular See also:casemate, constructed of heavy See also:timber (24 in. in thickness),.covered with See also:bar-iron 4 in. thick, and rising from the water on each See also:side at an See also:angle of about 350. The iron plating extended 2 ft. below the water line; and beyond the casemate, toward the See also:bow, was a See also:cast-iron See also:pilot house, extending 3 ft. above the See also:deck. The reconstruction of the vessel was completed on the 5th of See also:March 1862. The vessel See also:drew 22 ft. of water, was equipped with poor engines, so that it could not make more than 5 knots, and was so unwieldy that it could not be turned in less than 30 minutes. It was armed with to guns—2 (rifled) 7 in., 2 (rifled) 6 in., and 6 (smooth See also:bore See also:Dahlgren) 9in.

Her most powerful equipment, however, was her 18 in. cast-iron See also:

ram. In See also:October 1861 See also:Captain John Ericsson, an engineer, and a See also:Troy (N.Y.) See also:firm, as builders, began the construction of the iron-clad " See also:Monitor " for the Federals, at Greenpoint, Long Island. With a view to enable this vessel to carry at good See also:speed the thickest possible See also:armour compatible with buoyancy, Ericsson reduced the exposed See also:surface to the least possible See also:area. Accordingly, the vessel was built so low in the water that the waves glided easily over its deck except at the middle, where was constructed a revolving See also:turret' for the guns, and though the vessel's iron armour had a thickness of i in. on the deck, 5 in. on the side, and 8 in. on the turret, its draft was only to ft. 6 in., or less than one-See also:half that of the " Merrimac." Its turret, 9 ft. high and 20 ft. in inside See also:diameter, seemed small for its length of 172 ft. and its breadth of 41 ft. 6 in., and this, with the lowness of its See also:freeboard, caused the vessel to be called the " See also:Yankee See also:cheese-See also:box on a raft." Forward of the turret was the iron pilot house, square in shape, and rising about 4 ft. above the deck. The " Monitor's" displacement was about 1200 tons and her armament was two 11 in. Dahlgren guns; her See also:crew numbered 58, while that of the" Merrimac " numbered about 300. She was seaworthy in the shallow waters off the southern coasts and steered fairly well. The "Monitor" was launched at Greenpoint, Long Island, on the 3oth of See also:January, and was turned over to the government on the 19th of the following See also:month. The building of the two vessels was practically a race between the two combatants. On the 8th of March about 1 p.m., the " Merrimac," commanded by See also:Commodore See also:Franklin See also:Buchanan (1795-1871), steamed down the Elizabeth accompanied by two one-See also:gun gun-boats, to engage the wooden See also:fleet of the Federals, consisting of the frigate " See also:Congress," 50 guns, and the See also:sloop " See also:Cumberland," 30 guns, both sailing vessels, anchored off Newport News, and 1 For the idea of the low See also:free-See also:board and the revolving turret Ericsson was indebted to See also:Theodore R.

Timby (1819-1909), who in 1843 had filed a See also:

caveat for revolving towers for offensive or defensive warfare whether placed on land or water, and to whom the See also:company building the " Monitor " paid $5000 See also:royalty for each turret. the See also:steam frigates " See also:Minnesota," and " See also:Roanoke," the sailing frigate " St See also:Lawrence," and several gun-boats, anchored off Fortress Monroe. Actual firing began about 2 o'See also:clock, when the " Merrimac " was nearly a mile from the " Congress " and the " Cumberland." Passing the first of these vessels with terrific broadsides, the " Merrimac " rammed the " Cumberland " and then turned her fire again on the " Congress," which in an See also:attempt to See also:escape ran aground and was there under fire from three other Confederate gun-boats which had meanwhile joined the " Merrimac." About 3.30 p.m. the " Cumberland," which, while it steadily careened, had been keeping up a heavy fire at the Confederate vessels, sank, with " her See also:pennant still flying from the topmast above the waves." Between 4 and 4.30 the " Congress," having been raked fore and aft for nearly an See also:hour by the " Merrimac," was forced to surrender. While directing a fire of hot shot to See also:burn the " Congress," Commodore Buchanan of the " Merrimac " was severely wounded and was succeeded in the command by See also:Lieutenant See also:Catesby ap See also:Roger Jones. The Federal steam frigates, " Roanoke," " St Lawrence " and " Minnesota " had all gone aground in their trip from Old Point Comfort toward the scene of See also:battle, and only the " Minnesota " was near enough (about r m.) to take any See also:part in the fight. She was in such shallow water that the Confederate iron-clad ram could not get near her at ebb See also:tide, and about 5 o'clock the Confederates postponed her See also:capture until the next day and anchored off Sewell's Point. The " Monitor," under Lieut. John Lorimer Worden (1818-1897), had See also:left New See also:York on the See also:morning of the 6th of March; after a dangerous passage in which she twice narrowly escaped sinking, she arrived at Hampton Roads during the night of the 8th, and See also:early in the morning of the 9th anchored near the " Minnesota." When the " Merrimac " advanced to attack the " Minnesota," the " Monitor " went out to meet her, and the battle between the iron-clads began about 9 a.m. on the 9th. Neither vessel was able seriously to injure the other, and not a single shot penetrated the armour of either. The " Monitor" had the advantage of being able to out-manoeuvre her heavier and more unwieldy adversary; but the revolving turret made firing difficult and communications were none too good with the pilot house, the position of which on the forward deck lessened the range of the two turret-guns. The machinery worked so badly that the revolution of the turret was stopped. After two hours' fighting, the " Monitor " was See also:drawn off, so that more See also:ammunition could be placed in her turret.

When the battle was renewed (about 11.30) the " Merrimac " began firing at the " Monitor's " pilot house; and a little after See also:

noon a shot struck the sight-hole of the pilot house and blinded Lieut. Worden. The " Monitor " withdrew in the confusion consequent upon the wounding of her commanding officer; and the " Merrimac " after a See also:short wait for her adversary steamed back to Norfolk. There were virtually no casualties on either side. After the evacuation of Norfolk by the Confederates on the 9th of May Commodore See also:Josiah See also:Tattnall, then in command of the " Merrimac," being unable to take her up the James, sank her. The " Monitor " was lost in a See also:gale off Cape Hatteras on the 31st of See also:December 1862. Though the battle between the two vessels was indecisive, its effect was to " neutralize " the " Merrimac," which had caused See also:great alarm in Washington, and to prevent the breaking of the Federal See also:blockade at Hampton Roads; in the history of See also:naval warfare it may be regarded as marking the opening of a new era—the era of the armoured warship. On the 3rd of See also:February 1865 near Fortress Monroe on board a steamer occurred the meeting of See also:President See also:Lincoln and Secretary See also:Seward with Confederate commissioners which is known as the Hampton Roads See also:Conference (see LINCOLN, See also:ABRAHAM). At Sewell's Point, on Hampton Roads, in 1907 was held the See also:Jamestown Ter-centennial Exposition. See James R. Soley, The Blockade and the Cruisers (New York, 1883); Battles and Leaders of the Civil War, vol. i. (New York, 1887) ; See also:chap. ii. of See also:Frank M.

See also:

Bennett's The Monitor and the Navy under Steam (See also:Boston, 1900); and See also:William See also:Swinton, Twelve Decisive Battles of the War (New York, 1867).

End of Article: HAMPTON

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