Beginning about 1689, Cabin Point was the site of a village that became a tobacco shipping port in the 18th century. Colonial troops were stationed here during the American Revolution in 1780 and 1781. By 16 Jan. 1781 Maj. Gen. Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben arrived at Cabin Point with 700 additional soldiers to resist a further invasion by British forces led by Brig. Gen. Benedict Arnold. Soon after British forces set up camp in Portsmouth on 19 Jan., Steuben put Brig. Gen. Peter Muhlenberg in charge of the troops here and left to obtain supplies. Cabin Point remained a commercial center in the 19th century for plantations south of the James River.