Wednesday, December 11, 2024 Good morning! On this day in 1862, Federal engineer regiments began trying to build pontoon bridges across the Rappahannock River under heavy fire from Confederate troops in Fredericksburg. After hours of fighting, Federal forces managed to cross the river and triggered house-to-house skirmishes in the city. Thank you for reading The Virginia […]

Tuesday, December 10, 2024 Good morning! On this day in 1606, the Virginia Company of London put out detailed instructions for colonists to follow. The Company expected settlers to set up a port 100 miles up a navigable river from the ocean, and it wanted them to begin searching for a “Northwest Passage” to Asia. […]

Monday, December 9, 2024 Good morning! On this day in 1775, Patriot forces skirmished with the British in the Battle of Great Bridge near Norfolk. The fighting lasted only about an hour, with the British taking over 100 casualties while the Patriots suffered only one casualty and took control of the land on both sides […]

Friday, December 6, 2024 Good morning! On this day in 1606, three ships left England bound for Virginia. It would be months before the Susan Constant, the Godspeed, and the Discovery made landfall. When they arrived the following year, the 105 passengers founded Jamestown, the first permanent English settlement in North America.  Robbing a store is never […]

Thursday, December 5, 2024 Good morning! On this day in 1960, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its ruling in Boynton v. Virginia. The case involved a black passenger who refused to leave a “whites-only” area of a restaurant at a bus station. The Court held that segregation in public transportation facilities was unconstitutional. Changes may be […]

Wednesday, December 4, 2024 Good morning! On this day in 1783, Gen. George Washington gathered his Continental Army officers to congratulate them on their victory in the Revolutionary War. “With a heart full of love and gratitude, I now take leave of you,” he said, and he prepared to return to Mount Vernon. Welcome to […]

Tuesday, December 3, 2024 Good morning! On this day in 1797, authorities in Virginia charged Revolutionary War vet Jacob Valentine with “committing and encouraging an Insurrection among the Slaves of the City of Richmond.” He spent several months in jail. Thank you for coming aboard The Virginia Flyover. Our Commonwealth has a Revolutionary past and […]

Monday, December 2, 2024 Good morning! On this day in 1823, President James Monroe outlined his signature policy proposal in his message to Congress. The “Monroe Doctrine” told European powers that the U.S. did not intend to interfere in their affairs and that, in return, it expected them to stay out of the Western Hemisphere.  […]

Friday, November 29, 2024 Good morning! The first Thanksgiving in English-speaking North America took place in Virginia in 1619. That year, Captain John Woodlief set sail with 37 men on the ship Margaret, eventually landing at Berkeley Hundred on the James River. Their December religious service could be considered the first Thanksgiving commemoration in America. Welcome to […]

Thursday, November 28, 2024 Happy Thanksgiving! On this day in 1861, the Confederate Congress, based in Richmond, added Missouri as the 12th state of the Confederacy. However, Missouri was a border state and never officially left the Union. Its confederate shadow government actually met in Texas. We work hard to bring you The Virginia Flyover every day […]