Sorry, Chuck, dead wrong. The United States burned and scuttled the Merrimac as they retreated from Gosport Naval Yards in Virginia at the start of the war. This means the ship was written off, destroyed, etc… The fact that the CSA used some parts salvaged from the wreck in the construction of the Virginia is completely irrelevent. The Merrimac was a hulk sitting at the bottom of the river. The Virginia was the ironclad warship that sailed into history at Hampton Roads. It has nothing to do with “naming the battles” and everything to do with historical accuracy. The ship that fought the Monitor was the Virginia.
** What were the 10 most important batttles of the Civil War **
Lets see, in chronological order:
Marshall’s Elm
Edgehill
Braddock Down
Lansdowne
Roundway Down
Siege of Gloucester
Winceby
Marston Moor
Naseby
Preston
Sorry, but that has no relevance. The battle was named “The Monitor and the Merrimac.” It describes the battle and as such, has been absolutely clear to millions of students of the war for over a century. Can you name anyone who doesn’t understand that “Monitor and Merrimack” refers to that battle, or confuses it with something else? Of course not.
Do you insist on Sharpsburg instead of Antietam? Murfreesboro instead of Stones River? Why? Isn’t that greater “historical accuracy”? (As a matter of fact, “Monitor and Merrimac” was the name even Southerners used to describe the battle.)
Ever hear of the Battle of Breed’s Hill? Isn’t that more historically accurate?
You’ve fallen victim to the fallacy that the name of something IS that thing. The fact that the battle name does not (according to some) accurately describe the names of the ships involved is merely an interesting footnote. It’s the name of the battle, not the ships.
No, no, no. Not the English Civil War. The real Civil War. 
Chuck, you’re right- if you’re talking about a battle, like Midway or Jutland. When speaking about the engagement between two ships, it is always correct to refer to the names of the ships involved. I suppose if you are contending that the 2 days battle in Hampton Roads is commonly refered to as “The Battle of the Monitor vs the Merrimac” you could be technicaly right, but it would also be misleading and stupid. The Monitor wasn’t even involved in the 1st day’s battle! What most people are refering to is the 1st clash between armored warships- The U.S.S Monitor fighting the C.S.S Virginia. Just because something is commonly refered to wrongly dosen’t mean we should continue to do so. This is a site dedicated to fighting ignorance, and accuracy is important.