Re: Naval artillery question.
also keep in mind the term 'ironclad' can be misleading. for example the city clas ironclads such as the Cairo, Carondelet, etc. were only partially clad in iron and most all the ironclads, excluding monitors, had vulnerable unarmored areas on top thier casemates...exactly where plunging fire from elevated batteries such as Ft. Donelson and Vicksburg could penetrate.