Virginia Events

1607 May 14 English Settlers Arrive At Jamestown
On May 14, 1607, English settlers arriving under the authority of the Virginia Company of London chartered by King James I established the first permanent British settlement in North Amer...
1608 Sep 10 John Smith Elected Council President of Jamestown
Explorer, writer, and cartographer John Smith assumed the presidency of the Jamestown settlement on September 10, 1608. The charismatic and controversial Smith was initially excluded from...
1776 Jan 1 Burning of Norfolk
The Burning of Norfolk was an incident that occurred during the American Revolutionary War. On January 1, 1776, by the order of John Murray, Earl of Dunmore, Royal Governor of the Colo...
1776 Jun 12 The Virginia Declaration of Rights
Articles 1-3 address the subject of rights and the relationship between government and the governed. Article 1 states that "all men are by nature equally free and independent, and have ce...
1776 Jun 29 The First Virginia Constitution
The preparation of the first Virginia Constitution began in early 1776, in the midst of the early events of the American Revolution. Among those who drafted the 1776 Constitution were Geo...
1781 Mar 16 Battle of Cape Henry
The Battle of Cape Henry was naval battle in the American War of Independence which took place near the mouth of Chesapeake Bay on 16 March 1781 between a British squadron led by Vice Adm...
1781 Jun 26 Battle of Spencer's Ordinary
Anthony Wayne, leading the Marquis de Lafayette's van, received word of Simcoe and the Queen's Rangers foraging near Spencer's Ordinary (about six miles north of Williamsburg). On the nig...
1781 Jul 6 Battle of Green Spring
Lord Cornwallis having failed to defeat the Marquis de Lafayette in the campaign in Virginia, was marching from Williamsburg to position his army at a secure port, Yorktown. Lafayette was...
1781 Sep 5 Battle of the Chesapeake
When the British fleet of 19 ships, now under Graves's command, arrived back at the Chesapeake on the morning of September 5, they found 25 French ships at anchor behind Cape Henry. The r...
1781 Sep 28
to 1781 Oct 19
 Battle of Yorktown
By October 14, the trenches were within 150 yards (140 m) of redoubts #9 and #10. Washington ordered that all guns within range begin blasting the redoubts in order to weaken them for the...
1788 Jun 25 Virginia Ratifies the US Constitution and is the 10th State Admitted to the Union
We the Delegates of the People of Virginia duly elected in pursuance of a recommendation from the General Assembly and now met in Convention having fully and freely investigated and discu...
1807 Jan 19 Robert E. Lee is Born
Robert E. Lee was born January 19, 1807 at Stratford Hall Plantation in Westmoreland County, Virginia, the fifth child of Revolutionary War hero Henry Lee ("Light Horse Harry") and Anne H...
1820 Lee Enters Alexandria Academy
Lee's father died when Lee was eleven years old, leaving the family deeply in debt. When Lee was three years old, his older half-brother, the heir to the Stratford Hall Plantation, having...
1831 Aug 21
to 1831 Aug 22
 Nat Turner's Rebellion
It was Sunday, August 21, deep in the woods near the Travis house at a place called Cabin Pond. Around a crackling fire Turner’s confederates feasted on roast pig and apple brandy. With t...
1861 May Davis and Family Take Residence at the White House of the Confederacy
In conformity with a resolution of the Confederate Congress, Davis immediately appointed a Peace Commission to resolve the Confederacy's differences with the Union. In March 1861, before ...
1861 May Editor and Author Thomas Jordan Spies for Confederacy
On May 22, 1861, Jordan resigned from the U.S. Army and was commissioned as a captain in the fledgling Confederate army. Promotion came rapidly, and by June 1861, he had become a lieutena...
1861 May 13
to 1861 May 15
 The First Wheeling Convention
As quickly as the Southern states seceded, pockets of resistance developed, the largest of which began in western Virginia and followed the Appalachian and Blue Ridge Mountains south to G...
1861 May 18
to 1861 May 19
 Battle of Sewell's Point - Union Gunboats Duel with Confederate Batteries
Sewell's Point is a peninsula of land in the independent city of Norfolk, Virginia in the United States, located at the mouth of the salt-water port of Hampton Roads. Sewell's Point is bo...
1861 May 29
to 1861 Jun 1
 Battle of Aquia Creek - Union Naval Vessels Bombard Confederate Batteries
The Battle of Aquia Creek took place from May 29 - June 1, 1861 in Stafford County, Virginia as part of the blockade of Chesapeake Bay during the American Civil War. Three Union naval ...
1861 Jun 10 Battle of Big Bethel
The Battle of Big Bethel, also known as the Battle of Bethel Church or Great Bethel was an American Civil War battle that took place on June 10, 1861, in Hampton and York County, Virginia...
1861 Jul 11 Battle of Rich Mountain
The Battle of Rich Mountain took place on July 11, 1861, in Randolph County, Virginia (now West Virginia) as part of the Operations in Western Virginia Campaign during the American Civil ...
1861 Jul 13 Battle of Corrick's Ford
The Battle of Corrick's Ford took place on July 13, 1861, on the Cheat River in Western Virginia (now the state of West Virginia) as part of the Operations in Western Virginia Campaign du...
1861 Jul 18 Battle of Blackburn's Ford
The Battle of Blackburn's Ford took place on July 18, 1861, in Prince William County and Fairfax County, Virginia, as part of the Manassas Campaign of the American Civil War. On July 1...
1861 Jul 21 First Battle of Bull Run
Other Names: First Bull Run Location: Fairfax County and Prince William County Campaign: Manassas Campaign (July 1861) Date(s): July 21, 1861 Principal Commanders: Brig. Gen. ...
1861 Oct 5 Battle of Cockle Creek
The Battle of Cockle Creek was a minor engagement off the waters of Chincoteague, Virginia during the American Civil War. It was fought on October 5, 1861 Chincoteague's Wartime Positi...
1861 Oct 7 Confederate States Army Spy Antonia Ford Earns Title Aide-de-Camp
Antonia Ford (July 23, 1838 – February 14, 1871) was a volunteer civilian spy for the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. Antonia Ford was born at Fairfax Court Hous...
1861 Oct 21 Battle of Ball's Bluff - Union Soldiers Captured
The Battle of Ball's Bluff, also known as the Battle of Harrison’s Island or the Battle of Leesburg, was fought on October 21, 1861, in Loudoun County, Virginia, as part of Union Maj. Gen...
1861 Dec 20 Battle of Dranesville
The Battle of Dranesville was a small battle during the American Civil War that took place between Confederate forces under General J.E.B. Stuart and Union forces under General Edward O.C...
1862 Jan 3 Battle of Cockpit Point
The Battle of Cockpit Point, also known as Batteries at Evansport, the Battle of Freestone Point, or the Battle of Shipping Point, took place on January 3, 1862, in Prince William County,...
1862 Mar 8
to 1862 Mar 9
 Battle of Hampton Roads, aka the Battle of the Monitor and Merrimack
Naval history was made on March 8, 1862, when the first Confederate ironclad steamed down the Elizabeth River into Hampton Roads to attack the woodensided U.S. blockading fleet anchor...
1862 Mar 23 First Battle of Kernstown - Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson Defeated the First and Only Time
The First Battle of Kernstown was fought on March 23, 1862, in Frederick County and Winchester, Virginia, the opening battle of Confederate Army Maj. Gen. Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson's ...
1862 May 5 Battle of Williamsburg - Peninsula Campaign's First Battle
The Battle of Williamsburg, also known as the Battle of Fort Magruder, took place on May 5, 1862, in York County, James City County, and Williamsburg, Virginia, as part of the Peninsula C...
1862 May 7 Battle of Eltham's Landing
The Battle of Eltham's Landing, also known as the Battle of Barhamsville, or West Point, took place on May 7, 1862, in New Kent County, Virginia, as part of the Peninsula Campaign of the ...
1862 May 8
to 1862 May 9
 Battle of McDowell - Stonewall Jackson's Confederates Defeat Union Forces
Description: From Staunton, Maj. Gen. T.J. Jackson marched his army west along the Parkersburg Road to confront two brigades of Frémont’s force (Milroy and Schenck), advancing toward the ...
1862 May 15 Battle of Drewry's Bluff
The Battle of Drewry’s Bluff, also known as the Battle of Fort Darling or Fort Drewry, took place on May 15, 1862, in Chesterfield County, Virginia, as part of the Peninsula Campaign of t...
1862 May 23 Battle of Front Royal
Description of the Battle Prelude: On 21 May 1862, the US army under Maj. Gen. Nathaniel P. Banks, numbering about 9,000 men, was concentrated in the vicinity of Strasburg with two com...
1862 May 25 First Battle of Winchester - Stonewall Jackson Defeats Nathaniel P. Banks
Description: After skirmishing with Maj. Gen. Nathaniel P. Banks’s retreating army at Middletown and Newtown on May 24, Maj. Gen. T.J. Jackson’s division continued north on the Valley Pik...
1862 May 27 Battle of Hanover Court House - Victory for Union Peninsula Campaign
The Battle of Hanover Court House, also known as the Battle of Slash Church, took place on May 27, 1862, in Hanover County, Virginia, as part of the Peninsula Campaign of the American Civ...
1862 May 31
to 1862 Jun 1
 Battle of Seven Pines
The Battle of Seven Pines, also known as the Battle of Fair Oaks or Fair Oaks Station, took place on May 31 and June 1, 1862, in Henrico County, Virginia, as part of the Peninsula Campaig...
1862 Jun 8 Battle of Cross Keys - Jackson's Valley Campaign Successful
Description of the Battle Prelude: The hamlet of Port Republic lies on a neck of land between the North and South rivers at the point where they conjoin. On 6-7 June 1862, the army of ...
1862 Jun 25
to 1862 Jul 1
 Battle of Oak Grove - First of Seven Days Battles
The Battle of Oak Grove, also known as the Battle of French's Field or King’s School House, took place on June 25, 1862, in Henrico County, Virginia, the first of the Seven Days Battles (...
1862 Jun 26 Battle of Beaver Dam Creek (Battle of Mechanicsville) - Second of Seven Days Battles
The Battle of Beaver Dam Creek, also known as the Battle of Mechanicsville or Ellerson's Mill, took place on June 26, 1862, in Hanover County, Virginia as the first major engagement[4] of...
1862 Jun 27 Battle of Gaine's Mill - Third of Seven Days Battles
The Battle of Gaines' Mill, also known as the First Battle of Cold Harbor or the Battle of Chickahominy River, took place on June 27, 1862, in Hanover County, Virginia, as the third of th...
1862 Jun 27
to 1862 Jun 28
 Battle of Garnett's & Goldings Farm - Part of the Seven Days Battles
The Battle of Garnett's and Golding's Farms took place on June 27 and June 28, 1862, in Henrico County, Virginia, as part of the Seven Days Battles (Peninsula Campaign) of the American Ci...
1862 Jun 29 Battle of Savage's Station - Fourth of Seven Days Battles
The Battle of Savage's Station took place on June 29, 1862, in Henrico County, Virginia, as fourth of the Seven Days Battles (Peninsula Campaign) of the American Civil War. The main body ...
1862 Jun 30 Battle of White Oak Swamp - Part of the the Seven Days Battles
The Battle of White Oak Swamp took place on June 30, 1862 in Henrico County, Virginia as part of the Seven Days Battles (Peninsula Campaign) of the American Civil War. As the Union Army o...
1862 Jul 1 Battle of Malvern Hill - Sixth of the Seven Days Battles
The Battle of Malvern Hill, also known as the Battle of Poindexter's Farm, took place on July 1, 1862, in Henrico County, Virginia, was the sixth and last of the Seven Days Battles (Penin...
1862 Aug 9 Battle of Cedar Mountain
Description: Maj. Gen. John Pope was placed in command of the newly constituted Army of Virginia on June 26. Gen. Robert E. Lee responded to Pope’s dispositions by dispatching Maj. Gen. T...
1862 Aug 22
to 1862 Aug 25
 First Battle of Rappahannock Station
The First Battle of Rappahannock Station, also known as Waterloo Bridge, White Sulphur Springs, Lee Springs, or Freeman's Ford, took place from August 22 to August 25, 1862, in Culpeper C...
1862 Aug 25
to 1862 Aug 27
 Battle of Manassas Station Operations - Jackson Destroys Manassas Station
The Battle of Manassas Station Operations, also known as the Bristoe Station, Kettle Run, Bull Run Bridge, or Union Mills, took place from August 25 to August 27, 1862, in Prince William ...