Ironclads

Quartermaster's Mate Leslie Harmon is brought before Commodore Joseph Smith while awaiting a court-martial for interfering with the dry-dock demolition at Hampton Roads. He explains his motive to prevent civilian casualties, arguing the action was taken to minimize harm. The exchange sets up the moral tension that drives his later covert mission.

In Baltimore, Betty Stuart—a Virginia Southern belle educated in the North—befriends Harmon and volunteers to help spy on the Confederate Navy at Gosport. Their alliance launches Harmon’s dangerous journey toward the raised and refitted USS Merrimack. The plan is to obtain intelligence that could shift the naval balance toward the Union.

At Gosport, Harmon learns that the 3-inch armor test is a staged deception meant to mislead Union spies. The real armor is 4 inches and far more resistant, underscoring how misinformation can complicate intelligence work. Betty and Harmon recognize that this truth must reach Washington to influence firepower decisions.

Betty experiences a crisis of conscience when she learns her childhood friend, Lt. Catesby Jones, now commands Virginia. She attempts to stop Harmon from returning north with the intelligence. The moment tests loyalties and foreshadows the tragic consequences of treachery.

During the commissioning ceremony for Virginia, Betty tells Lt. Jones that she helped Harmon infiltrate Gosport and warns him about increased firepower. Jones is stunned, and their engagement is strained as he prepares to sail to war. The revelation plants the seeds of later consequences for both lovers.

That night, Lt. Guilford interrogates Betty. She denies spying, basing her defense on an intercepted letter from Lt. Smith, and faces the threat of the gallows if she does not cooperate. The interrogation makes clear the personal stakes behind the broader naval conflict.

Virginia and Congress engage, with Congress firing a full broadside into Virginia that has little effect. The duel marks the start of the Hampton Roads confrontation and signals the era's changing naval tactics. The armored ironclad's resilience becomes a central turning point in the battle.

Virginia bypasses Congress, quickly sinks the USS Cumberland, and then turns to sink Congress itself. Lt. Smith is killed in the chaos, and Lt. Pendergrast takes command, ordering the ship to surrender amid the confusion. The Confederate victory in this phase showcases the new ironclad’s deadly potential.

Back at Gosport, Betty faces further questioning after her confession. Guilford reveals the danger of treason, reminding her that she could be executed if she does not cooperate. The exchange heightens the peril surrounding espionage and loyalty.

USS Monitor sails between the burning Congress and Virginia to protect the defenseless Minnesota. Harmon volunteers to serve as a pilot, and Worden assigns him to help navigate Hampton Roads and the Virginia action. The scene marks the shift to a new kind of naval warfare dominated by ironclads.

At dawn, Monitor engages Virginia as Worden uses Monitor’s shallower draft to maximize maneuverability. Virginia runs aground but frees herself to continue the fight, while Jones attempts a ram that fails to deal decisive damage. Monitor withdraws after sustaining damage, delaying Virginia long enough to shield Minnesota.

Back at the strategic center, John Ericsson clashes with Gideon Welles over the powder charges, with officers arguing that the lower charge was deliberate to prevent explosions and protect the crew. The exchange highlights the tactical risk and innovation shaping Monitor’s performance. The debate mirrors the larger tension between risk and protection in naval design.

Lt. Guilford releases Betty, claiming that she saved Virginia based on Lt. Jones's report. In truth, Jones used Betty's confession to send false intelligence that led to the lighter powder charges used by Monitor. The deception deepens the tragedy and underscores the cost of espionage.

Betty is sent north, forever marked as a traitor to her family and Virginian cause. The move underscores the personal punishment exacted by war and the price paid for betrayal. Her fate serves as a somber coda to the espionage plot thread.

A voice-over reveals that Virginia was scuttled two months after Union troops took Norfolk, and that Monitor sank off Cape Hatteras at the year's end. The fates of the two vessels symbolize the dawn of ironclad warfare and the costs of technological innovation. The saga closes with a sobering view of what war demands of both sides.