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CSS Virginia Launch and Engagement

When: March 8, 1862
Where: Hampton Roads, Virginia
Part of: CSS Virginia launched and the Battle of Hampton Roads begins

CSS Virginia, the first steam-powered Confederate ironclad, engaged the Union blockading fleet at Hampton Roads on March 8, 1862.

Virginia steamed into Hampton Roads with five support ships. The battle began when she engaged the Union fleet. Despite being incomplete, she participated in the engagement, marking the start of the Battle of Hampton Roads.

Sources

CSS Virginia Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-28
Battle of Hampton Roads Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-19

Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.