The Virginians: A Tale of the Last Century (1857–59) is a historical novel by William Makepeace Thackeray which forms a sequel to his Henry Esmond and is also loosely linked to Pendennis.

At the beginning of the novel, the older twin, George, was missing in action and presumed dead, having participated in General Edward Braddock's disastrous expedition against Fort Duquesne (now Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) as part of the Seven Years' War.

As a second son with no money or prospects, he volunteered in the British army, eventually fighting under the command of General Wolfe at the 1759 capture of Quebec.

Thus, with his immediate cash depleted by helping his brother and his mother still in possession of the family estate, he needed to earn a living (including as a tutor).

After his father's older brother died, George inherited both his baronetcy and a substantial estate, which enabled him to quit the tutoring position.

"[4] Jack P. Rawlins wrote that "The Virginians is a bad book — dissatisfying in the reading, acknowledged as dull and dried-up by Thackeray.