Why was the creation of the Virginia and its battle to a draw with the Monitor important for the Confederacy?

Battle of the Monitor and Merrimack, also called Battle of Hampton Roads, (March 9, 1862), in the American Civil War, naval engagement at Hampton Roads, Virginia, a harbour at the mouth of the James River, notable as history's first duel between ironclad warships and the beginning of a new era of naval warfare.

idk you know what i mean hahahaha

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