On this date 150 years ago, Virginia was the scene of much action as skirmishing broke out at Wayne Court House and Blue's House in the western regions of the state.

At Hampton Roads, Virginia, Union vessels moved out towards Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, in preparation for a Federal assault on Confederate fortifications there. The operation was under the command of Commodore Silas Stringham and General Benjamin Butler who had eight vessels and 900 men at their disposal.