The 1862 Civil War battle of these 2 ironclads ended when one had to withdraw because of the tides
The 
two ironclads fought for about three hours, with neither being able to inflict 
significant... [DOC] [TLE] The Battle of the Ironclads, 1862 - EyeWitness to History [PAR] An EyeWitness account of the battle between the Monitor and the Merrimac.