After admission to the Virginia bar, Cabell began his legal practice in Danville in 1858. From one of the
First Families of Virginia, Cabell was elected Danville's
commonwealth attorney (prosecutor) in 1858, and served until 1861. He was editor of the
Republican and later
Democratic Appeal in Danville.
American Civil War When Virginia seceded in April, 1861, Cabell enlisted in the
Confederate Army as a
private in 1861. During the first year of the
Civil War, Cabell received a promotion to
major and was assigned to the
18th Regiment, Virginia Infantry. He was later promoted to
colonel which rank he helduntil the end of the war.
Postwar years Cabell resumed his legal practice in Danville. After
Congressional Reconstruction ended, he ran as a
Democrat for a seat in the
United States House of Representatives in 1874. He defeated incumbent
Republican Christopher Thomas and later won re-election several times, serving from 1875 to 1887. There, Cabell served as chairman of the
Committee on Railways and Canals from 1877 to 1881. After losing his bid for reelection in 1886,
John R. Brown succeeded to the seat. Cabell resumed his legal practice in Danville, and his son George Craighead Cabell Jr. started a political career, winning election as one of three delegates representing the city in the
Virginia General Assembly, but resigned and was replaced by J.W. Bruce on November 10, 1903. ==Death and legacy==