back and fire at a greater distance, while the other gunboats were unable to overcome the fortifications on their own. After Monitor received only a few hits, without incurring any damage, the Confederates, many of whom were former crew members of Virginia well aware of her ability to withstand cannon shot even at close range, concentrated their guns on the other ships, especially Galena, which sustained considerable damage and moderate casualties. After a near four-hour artillery duel and sustaining numerous hits overall, the flotilla was unable to neutralize the fortification and had to turn back. Not a single Union ship reached Richmond until near the end of the war, when the city was finally evacuated by the Confederates.Wagner, Galleghar, Finkelman, 2002, p. 574 After the battle at Drewry's Bluff Monitor remained on the James River providing support, along with the Galena and other gunboats, to McClellan's troops at various points along the river including Harrison's Landing which ended in August. However most of the time spent on the river was marked with inactivity and hot weather which had a negative effect on the morale of Monitors crew. During the long, hot, summer, several crew members became sick and were transferred to Hampton Roads while various officers were replaced including Newton, while Jeffers was replaced by Commander Thomas H. Stevens, Jr. on 15 August. By the end of August, Monitor was ordered back to Hampton Roads and dropped anchor nearby the sunken Cumberland at Newport News Point on 30 August, much to the approval of the crew. Monitors sole purpose now was to blockade the James River from any advances made by the newly constructed , an ironclad ram. Repairs and refit In September Captain John P. Bankhead received orders to take command of Monitor, relieving Stevens, and was sent to Hampton Roads to take charge of the vessel. Shortly after Bankhead assumed command, Monitors engines and boilers were condemned by a board of survey which recommended that they be overhauled completely. On 30 September the ironclad was sent to the Washington Navy Yard for repairsThulesius, 2007, p. 131 arriving there on 3 October. Upon arrival at Washington Monitor and her crew were greeted by a crowd of thousands of cheering admirers who came to see the ship that "saved the nation". Monitor was now a premier tourist attraction and the crowd was soon allowed on board to tour the vessel.