The famous photograph that never was

November 2, 3:02 PMTidewater History ExaminerCarson Hudson

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Starboard view of the USS Monitor, showing the famousrevolving turret, taken July 9, 1862.
Library of Congress

It was the most celebrated ship in the U.S. Navy at the time… the ironclad USS Monitor. It had fought the Confederate ironclad, CSS Virginia, to a draw in the Battle of Hampton Roads on March 9, 1862 and it was said that it had "saved the Union." The Monitor was honored throughout the North and had made its place in history. Sadly, the brave little ship would only have another nine months of service before it sank in a storm off the coast of North Carolina.

What is amazing is that with all those Civil War photographers lurking around Virginia at the time, the USS Monitor was only photographed once…

The day was July 9, 1862. The place was the James River, near Harrison's landing. According to records, the temperature reached 94 degrees by the afternoon. The Monitor was at anchor, with Lieutenant William Jeffers commanding.

That afternoon, a tug brought aboard a photographer, James F. Gibson, and his equipment. Gibson had learned his craft from no less than Matthew Brady and had managed Brady's studio in Washington before the war. Now he was in the field taking pictures at Yorktown, on the battlefields near Richmond, and around the headquarters of Union General George B. McClellan on the James River.

Gibson stayed on board the Monitor long enough to take a small series of pictures of the officers and crew, along with some shots of the deck and the famous revolving turret. The pictures taken that hot July day are the only known photographs of the famous little ship and its crew.

Unfortunately, Gibson missed the opportunity for an even greater picture. It seems that President Abraham Lincoln had been on board the ship just a bit earlier…

Unlike Gibson, Lincoln had visited the Monitor before… On May 7, he had come aboard to see the famous ship first-hand. According to the Monitor's paymaster, William Keeler, the President had the crew mustered on deck and passed before them "hat in hand." He also mentioned that Mr. Lincoln turned down an offer of whiskey and drank ice water instead. Two days later, Lincoln returned for a short visit, to confer with the captain.

Also, unlike Gibson, Lincoln was an early riser… The president showed up unexpectedly on July 9, sometime after 7 o'clock in the morning and even the captain, Lieutenant Jeffers was not up yet!

Lincoln, accompanied by the Assistant Secretary of War, was apparently in good spirits, although the Union army had recently been fought to a standstill around Richmond. He stayed on board only a few hours and then left, to confer with General McClellan on shore.

And so, we have the famous photograph that never was. If only Lincoln had stayed a bit longer… if only Gibson had showed up a bit earlier… But instead, we have a photograph of Lieutenant Jeffers sitting beside an empty chair…
 

Did you know that you can see a reconstruction of the USS Monitor and see the actual turret at the Mariners' Museum in Newport News, Virginia?  Want to learn more?