Hey Dennis,
You are right. The new monitors, etc., with their metal construction had no need of wood other than for cosmetic reasons inside such as partitions and bulkheads between officer quarters, etc.. I would imagine that a cannon ball stiking the outside armor right on a bolt or rivit end would send the nuts and rivits on the inside flying, if not the whole bolt and nut. You saying that reminds me of when I read a book one time written by a British tank crewman, a driver I think, that had fought in North Africa against Rommel's bunch. He spoke of them having Light Tanks, either American M3 Stuarts or a British Matilda. I can't remember which. The earlier models of those had rivited hulls and turrets. Anyway, a German shell of some sort hit their tank and a rivit on the inside shot like a bullet and struck his knee, shattering it. Rivits in tanks, submarines and ships have killed men. I agree with you that in the Civil War it was no different. An impact from a shell would do the same thing then as now.

By the way, someone asked if the Confederacy had any turreted Monitor type ships. I read the other day that they were working on one down in Georgia when the war ended. I think they destroyed it so the Union forces would not capture it. But it might have been captured and destroyed by Union forces, I can't remember.
Take care,
Dave