  We have made the first measurements of the virtual Compton scattering (VCS)
process via the H$(e,e'p)\gamma$ exclusive reaction in the nucleon resonance
region, at backward angles. Results are presented for the $W$-dependence at
fixed $Q^2=1$ GeV$^2$, and for the $Q^2$-dependence at fixed $W$ near 1.5 GeV.
The VCS data show resonant structures in the first and second resonance
regions. The observed $Q^2$-dependence is smooth. The measured ratio of
H$(e,e'p)\gamma$ to H$(e,e'p)\pi^0$ cross sections emphasizes the different
sensitivity of these two reactions to the various nucleon resonances. Finally,
when compared to Real Compton Scattering (RCS) at high energy and large angles,
our VCS data at the highest $W$ (1.8-1.9 GeV) show a striking $Q^2$-
independence, which may suggest a transition to a perturbative scattering
mechanism at the quark level.
