The burning U.S. steam frigate Merrimac (usually spelled Merrimack) is engulfed in flames and black smoke beside the buildings of the Gosport Navy Yard at Portsmouth, Virginia, with a sunken screw steamer and wreckage in the foreground. The scene shows the April 1861 destruction of the yard and its vessels by retreating Federal forces to keep them out of Confederate hands. Confederates later raised the hull and rebuilt it as the ironclad CSS Virginia, which fought the USS Monitor at Hampton Roads in March 1862.
Image runs nearly to the edge with a thin margin; worn corners and light edge wear. Card number "3629" at lower left and an artist's signature painted in the lower right corner of the image (illegible). No postmark; unused card. Divided back with stamp box reading 'One Cent for United States, and Island Possessions, Cuba, Canada and Mexico. Two Cents For Foreign.'; 'Made in Germany' / A. C. Bosselman & Co., New York imprint along left edge. Cream stock with light foxing and toning; no writing.
Cite this card
Destruction of the Merrimac, Portsmouth, VA, circa 1907, postcard, c. 1907. PostalPast Collection. https://postalpast.com/postcard/destruction-of-the-merrimac-portsmouth-va-circa-1907. Accessed November 2, 2026.
