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Battle of Charleston, West Virginia

Charleston () is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of West Virginia. Located at the confluence of the Elk and Kanawha rivers, it is the county seat of Kanawha County.

Charleston () is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of West Virginia. Located at the confluence of the Elk and Kanawha rivers, it is the county seat of Kanawha County. The population was 48,864 at the 2020 census (estimated at 46,482 in 2024). The Charleston metropolitan area has approximately 203,000 residents.

Charleston was established in the late 18th century and formally incorporated in 1794, with the trustees being Daniel Boone, Leonard Morris, and William Morris. The city gained prominence in the 19th century with the growth of the salt industry and later expanded due to coal mining and the first natural gas well. After West Virginia separated from Virginia, Charleston became the permanent state capital in 1885.

Historical Significance

Charleston () is the capital and most populous city of the U.

Events Before

  1. First Legal Tender Act of 1862 is passed by US Congress, authorizing the United States note (greenback) into circulation

    First Legal Tender Act of 1862 is passed by US Congress, authorizing the United States note (greenback) into circulation, the first fiat paper money that is legal tender in America

  2. First pasteurization test is completed by Frenchmen Louis Pasteur and Claude Bernard

    First pasteurization test is completed by Frenchmen Louis Pasteur and Claude Bernard

  3. Chemist Dmitri Mendeleev (28) weds Feozva Nikitichna Leshcheva at Nikolaev Engineering Institute's church in Saint Peter

    Chemist Dmitri Mendeleev (28) weds Feozva Nikitichna Leshcheva at Nikolaev Engineering Institute's church in Saint Petersburg, Russia

  4. First baseball enclosure opens at Union Grounds in Brooklyn

    Union Grounds was a baseball park located in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, New York. The grounds opened in 1862, its inaugural match being played on May 15.

  5. Belgian-French engineer Étienne Lenoir builds the first automobile with an internal-combustion engine

    Belgian-French engineer Étienne Lenoir builds the first automobile with an internal-combustion engine

Events After

  1. Alfred Stieglitz is born

    Alfred Stieglitz, American photographer, known for american photographer, was born on 1864-01-01.

  2. Qi Baishi is born

    Qi Baishi, Chinese painter, known for chinese painter, was born on 1864-01-01. Qi Baishi (1 January 1864 – 16 September 1957) was a Chinese painter, noted for the whimsical, often playful style of…

  3. White chapel murder victim and possible Jack the Ripper victim Mary Ann Nichols (18) weds printer's machinist William Ni

    White chapel murder victim and possible Jack the Ripper victim Mary Ann Nichols (18) weds printer's machinist William Nichols

  4. Brigadier General George Armstrong Custer marries Elizabeth Clift Bacon

    Brigadier General George Armstrong Custer marries Elizabeth Clift Bacon

  5. Battle of Gate Pā (Pukehinahina): 1,700 British troops suffer their worst defeat of the New Zealand Wars at the hands of

    Battle of Gate Pā (Pukehinahina): 1,700 British troops suffer their worst defeat of the New Zealand Wars at the hands of 230 entrenched Māori warriors in Tauranga [1]

More from the 1860s

Abraham Lincoln issues the Emancipation Proclamation to free enslaved people in Confederate states

Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until his assassination in 1865.

Slavery is abolished in the Dutch East Indies for areas under direct rule

The Dutch East Indies, also known as the Netherlands East Indies, was a Dutch colony with territory mostly comprising the modern state of Indonesia, which declared independence on 17 August 1945.

birth

Alfred Stieglitz is born

Alfred Stieglitz, American photographer, known for american photographer, was born on 1864-01-01.

birth

Qi Baishi is born

Qi Baishi, Chinese painter, known for chinese painter, was born on 1864-01-01. Qi Baishi (1 January 1864 – 16 September 1957) was a Chinese painter, noted for the whimsical, often playful style of…

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on October 18, 1863?
Charleston () is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of West Virginia. Located at the confluence of the Elk and Kanawha rivers, it is the county seat of Kanawha County.
Why is Battle of Charleston, West Virginia significant?
Charleston () is the capital and most populous city of the U.

Explore More

October 18 in HistoryYear 1863