Jr. Charles E. Hatch

Charles E. Hatch Jr. wrote accessible history centered on some of the most important sites in early American life, especially Jamestown and Yorktown. His books include The First Seventeen Years: Virginia, 1607–1624, Jamestown, Virginia: The Townsite and Its Story, Yorktown and the Siege of 1781, and Yorktown: Climax of the Revolution.

Much of his published work is tied to historic places and public history, and records available through the National Park Service show him preparing detailed studies on Virginia historic sites and landscapes. That background helps explain the practical, place-based feel of his writing: he was interested not just in famous events, but in how towns, battlefields, and settlements were actually laid out and lived in.

His books remain appealing for listeners who enjoy clear storytelling grounded in historical research, especially on colonial Virginia and the American Revolution.