American Civil War
The Virginia Navy existed briefly from the time the state of Virginia seceded from the Union on April 17, 1861, until Virginia joined the Confederate States of America and turned over its military on June 8. One of the state's first actions was to appoint Robert E. Lee as head of its army and navy.
The first, and only, flag officer of the Virginia Navy was Commodore French Forrest, formerly of the United States Navy. The command center was the newly acquired naval base at Virginia, abandoned by Union forces on April 20, 1861.
Read more about this topic: Virginia State Navy
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