Virginia timeline
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English Settlers Establish Settlement 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... Read more
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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... Read more
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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,... Read more
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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... Read more
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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... Read more
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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... Read more
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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... Read more
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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... Read more
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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... Read more
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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... Read more
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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... Read more
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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... Read more
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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... Read more
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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... Read more
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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... Read more
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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,... Read more
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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... Read more
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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... Read more
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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... Read more
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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,... Read more
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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... Read more
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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... Read more
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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... Read more
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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... Read more
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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... Read more