When the CSS Virginia slowly steamed down the Elizabeth River towards Hampton Roads on March 8th, 1862, the tide of naval warfare turned from wooden sailing ships to armored steam-powered vessels. Little did the ironclad's crew realize that their makeshift warship would achieve the greatest Confederate naval victory. the voyage was thought by most of the crew to be simply a procedural mission. Instead, the Virginia's aggressive commander, Franklin Buchanan, transformed the voyage into a test by fire that forever proved the supreme power of iron over wood. the Virginia's ability to beat the odds to become the first ironclad to enter Hampton Roads stands as a testament to her designers, builders, officers and crew. Virtually everything about the Virginia's design was an improvisation or an adaptation, characteristic of the Confederacy's efforts to wage a modern war with limited industrial resources. Noted historian John V. Quarstein recounts the compelling story of this ironclad underdog, providing a detailed chronology of the ship and appendices including crew member biographies, casualties, statistics and dimensions of the ship.