The March 8, 1862 battle that pitted Virginia against wooden US Naval vessels was the worst defeat in the history of the United States Navy until the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor
Although the nearly bloodless combat between the Monitor and Virginia on March 9, 1862, received most of the attention, the previous day's conflict between Virginia and the US Navy was much bloodier. Virginia attacked the USS Cumberland, killing 121 of the 376 crew members on board, and then attacked the USS Congress, killing 120 of the 434 crew members, or 27% of the crew. In contrast, the CSS Virginia only lost two people and injured twelve others during its conflict with the Union navy.
More people were killed and injured in the two-day combat against Virginia for the Federal fleet than in any other sea action in American history at the time (261 dead and 108 wounded). And until the Japanese navy attacked the American fleet at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, and March 8, 1862, remained the bloodiest day in American naval history.
