Richmond, Virginia
(Thus do we reach the stars)
, image_map =
, mapsize = 250 px
, map_caption = Location within Virginia
, pushpin_map = Virginia#USA
, pushpin_label = Richmond
, pushpin_m ...
served as the capital of the
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America (CSA), commonly referred to as the Confederate States or the Confederacy was an unrecognized breakaway republic in the Southern United States that existed from February 8, 1861, to May 9, 1865. The Confeder ...
for almost the whole of the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
. Notwithstanding its political status, it was a vital source of weapons and supplies for the war effort, as well as the terminus of five railroads, and as such would have been defended by the
Confederate States Army
The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...
at all costs.
The Union made many attempts to invade Richmond. In the
Peninsula Campaign of 1862, General
George McClellan
George Brinton McClellan (December 3, 1826 – October 29, 1885) was an American soldier, Civil War Union general, civil engineer, railroad executive, and politician who served as the 24th governor of New Jersey. A graduate of West Point, McCl ...
moved up the
James River, almost to the suburbs of the city, but was beaten back by
Robert E. Lee in the
Seven Days Battles
The Seven Days Battles were a series of seven battles over seven days from June 25 to July 1, 1862, near Richmond, Virginia, during the American Civil War. Confederate General Robert E. Lee drove the invading Union Army of the Potomac, command ...
. In 1864-5,
General U.S. Grant laid siege to nearby
Petersburg. By April 1865, the Confederate government realized the siege was almost over and abandoned the city lest they be captured. The retreating Confederates chose to burn military supplies rather than let them fall into Union hands; the resulting fire destroyed much of central Richmond.
Strategic and symbolic significance
![RichmondCapitolBuildingApril1865](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/15/RichmondCapitolBuildingApril1865.jpg)
In the
1860 United States Census, Richmond was the 25th largest urban area in the United States, with a population of 37,910.
The city had been the capital of Virginia since 1780, and became the third largest city in the Confederacy.
Capital of the Confederacy
The
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America (CSA), commonly referred to as the Confederate States or the Confederacy was an unrecognized breakaway republic in the Southern United States that existed from February 8, 1861, to May 9, 1865. The Confeder ...
was formed in early 1861 from the first states to secede from the Union.
Montgomery, Alabama
Montgomery is the capital city of the U.S. state of Alabama and the county seat of Montgomery County. Named for the Irish soldier Richard Montgomery, it stands beside the Alabama River, on the coastal Plain of the Gulf of Mexico. In the 202 ...
, was selected as the Confederate capital.
After the Confederate Army fired on
Fort Sumter
Fort Sumter is a sea fort built on an artificial island protecting Charleston, South Carolina from naval invasion. Its origin dates to the War of 1812 when the British invaded Washington by sea. It was still incomplete in 1861 when the Battl ...
in
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina, the county seat of Charleston County, and the principal city in the Charleston–North Charleston metropolitan area. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint o ...
, on April 12, 1861, beginning the
Civil War
A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country).
The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...
, additional states seceded. Virginia voted to secede from the Union on April 17, 1861, and existed briefly there after as a republic before joining the Confederacy on June 19, 1861. However, on May 8, 1861, in the Confederate Capital City of
Montgomery, Alabama
Montgomery is the capital city of the U.S. state of Alabama and the county seat of Montgomery County. Named for the Irish soldier Richard Montgomery, it stands beside the Alabama River, on the coastal Plain of the Gulf of Mexico. In the 202 ...
, the decision was made to name the City of Richmond, Virginia as the new Capital of the Confederacy. The Confederate capital was moved to Richmond in recognition of Virginia's strategic importance. Virginia was the South's industrial center, with an industrial output nearly equal to that of all other Confederate states combined. The Confederacy also hoped the move would consolidate its hold on the state, since it had difficulty securing other states bordering the Union.
The
Seal of the Confederate States
The Seal of the Confederate States was used to authenticate certain documents issued by the federal government of the Confederate States of America, Confederate States. The phrase is used both for the physical Seal (emblem), seal itself (which was ...
, adopted April 30, 1863, features a depiction of
George Washington
George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...
based on the
Washington Monument
The Washington Monument is an obelisk shaped building within the National Mall in Washington, D.C., built to commemorate George Washington, once commander-in-chief of the Continental Army (1775–1784) in the American Revolutionary War and the ...
adjacent to the Confederate Capitol building.
Richmond remained the capital of the Confederacy until April 2, 1865, at which point the government evacuated and was re-established, albeit briefly, in
Danville, Virginia
Danville is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States, located in the Southside Virginia region and on the fall line of the Dan River. It was a center of tobacco production and was an area of Confederate activity ...
.
Industrial center
![Tredegar Iron Works](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bc/Tredegar_Iron_Works.gif)
Positioned on the
Fall Line
A fall line (or fall zone) is the area where an upland region and a coastal plain meet and is typically prominent where rivers cross it, with resulting rapids or waterfalls. The uplands are relatively hard crystalline basement rock, and the coa ...
along the
James River, the city had ready access to an ample supply of
hydropower
Hydropower (from el, ὕδωρ, "water"), also known as water power, is the use of falling or fast-running water to Electricity generation, produce electricity or to power machines. This is achieved by energy transformation, converting the Pot ...
to run mills and factories.
The
Tredegar Iron Works
The Tredegar Iron Works in Richmond, Virginia, was the biggest ironworks in the Confederacy during the American Civil War, and a significant factor in the decision to make Richmond its capital.
Tredegar supplied about half the artillery used b ...
, sprawling along the
James River, supplied high-quality munitions to the Confederacy during the war. The company also manufactured
railroad
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...
steam locomotives
A steam locomotive is a locomotive that provides the force to move itself and other vehicles by means of the expansion of steam. It is fuelled by burning combustible material (usually coal, oil or, rarely, wood) to heat water in the locomot ...
in the same period. Tredegar is also credited with the production of approximately 10,000 artillery pieces during the war which was about half of the South's total domestic production of artillery between the war years of 1861–1865. The foundry made the 723 tons of armor plating that covered the
CSS ''Virginia'' (the former
USS Merrimack
USS ''Merrimack'', or variant spelling USS ''Merrimac'', may be any one of several ships commissioned in the United States Navy and named after the Merrimack River
The Merrimack River (or Merrimac River, an occasional earlier spelling) is a ri ...
), which fought the first
battle
A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...
between
ironclad warships in March 1862. The Tredegar works were adjacent to the
Richmond Arsenal, which was recommissioned in the lead-up to the war. On
Brown's Island
Brown's Island is an artificial continental island on the James River in Richmond, Virginia, formed by the Haxall Canal. Part of the city's James River Park, it is the popular venue of a large number of outdoor concerts and festivals in the spr ...
, the Confederate States Laboratory was established to consolidate explosives production to an isolated setting in the eventuality of an accidental explosion.
Numerous smaller factories in Richmond produced tents, uniforms, harnesses and leather goods, swords and bayonets, and other war material. As the war progressed, the city's warehouses became the supply and logistical center for much of the Confederate forces within the
Eastern Theater.
Richmond was also a transportation hub. It was the terminus of five railroads: the
Richmond, Fredericksburg, and Potomac Railroad
The Richmond, Fredericksburg, and Potomac Railroad was a railroad connecting Richmond, Virginia, to Washington, D.C. The track is now the RF&P Subdivision of the CSX Transportation system; the original corporation is no longer a railroad comp ...
; the
Virginia Central Railroad
The Virginia Central Railroad was an early railroad in the U.S. state of Virginia that operated between 1850 and 1868 from Richmond westward for to Covington. Chartered in 1836 as the Louisa Railroad by the Virginia General Assembly, the railr ...
; the
Richmond and York River Railroad
The Richmond and York River Railroad Company was incorporated under an act of the Virginia General Assembly on January 31, 1853.Interstate Commerce Commission. ''Southern Ry. Co.'', Volume 37, Interstate Commerce Commission Valuation Reports, Nove ...
; the
Richmond and Petersburg Railroad
The Richmond and Petersburg Railroad moved passengers and goods between Richmond and Petersburg from 1838 to 1898. It survived the American Civil War and eventually merged into the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad in 1900.
History
The Richmond and Pe ...
; and the
Richmond and Danville Railroad
The Richmond and Danville Railroad (R&D) Company was a railroad that operated independently from 1847 until 1894, first in the U.S. state of Virginia, and later on of track in nine states.
Chartered on March 9, 1847, the railroad completed its ...
. In addition, the
James River and Kanawha Canal
The James River and Kanawha Canal was a partially built canal in Virginia intended to facilitate shipments of passengers and freight by water between the western counties of Virginia and the coast. Ultimately its towpath became the roadbed for a ...
ran through it with access to the
Chesapeake Bay
The Chesapeake Bay ( ) is the largest estuary in the United States. The Bay is located in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region and is primarily separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Delmarva Peninsula (including the parts: the ...
and the Atlantic Ocean. At the fall of Richmond in April 1865, all but the Richmond and Danville Railroad and the canal had effectively been cut off by Union forces.
Peninsula Campaign
In the late spring of 1862, a large Federal army under Major General
George B. McClellan
George Brinton McClellan (December 3, 1826 – October 29, 1885) was an American soldier, Civil War Union general, civil engineer, railroad executive, and politician who served as the 24th governor of New Jersey. A graduate of West Point, McCl ...
landed on the
Virginia Peninsula
The Virginia Peninsula is a peninsula in southeast Virginia, USA, bounded by the York River, James River, Hampton Roads and Chesapeake Bay. It is sometimes known as the ''Lower Peninsula'' to distinguish it from two other peninsulas to the n ...
. McClellan, who had enjoyed early publicity from a series of successes in
western Virginia
Western Virginia is a geographic region in Virginia comprising the Shenandoah Valley and Southwest Virginia. Generally, areas in Virginia located west of, or (in many cases) within, the piedmont region are considered part of western Virginia.
T ...
, was assigned the task of seizing and occupying Richmond. His military maneuvers and the resulting battles and engagements became collectively known as the
Peninsula Campaign, culminating in the
Seven Days Battles
The Seven Days Battles were a series of seven battles over seven days from June 25 to July 1, 1862, near Richmond, Virginia, during the American Civil War. Confederate General Robert E. Lee drove the invading Union Army of the Potomac, command ...
.
McClellan's starting base was the Union-held
Fort Monroe
Fort Monroe, managed by partnership between the Fort Monroe Authority for the Commonwealth of Virginia, the National Park Service as the Fort Monroe National Monument, and the City of Hampton, is a former military installation in Hampton, Virgi ...
at the eastern tip of the Peninsula. Efforts to take Richmond by the James River were successfully blocked by Confederate defenses at the
Battle of Drewry's Bluff on May 15, about eight miles downstream from Richmond. The Union Army advance was halted shortly outside of the city at the
Battle of Seven Pines
The Battle of Seven Pines, also known as the Battle of Fair Oaks or Fair Oaks Station, took place on May 31 and June 1, 1862, in Henrico County, Virginia, nearby Sandston, as part of the Peninsula Campaign of the American Civil War. It was t ...
on May 31 and June 1, 1862 (near the site of what is now
Richmond International Airport
Richmond International Airport is a joint civil-military airport in Sandston, Virginia, United States, an unincorporated community (in Henrico County). The airport is about 7 miles (11 km) southeast of downtown Richmond, the capital of ...
).
Seven Days Battles
Over a period of seven days from June 25 to July 1, 1862, Richmond's defensive line of batteries and fortifications set up under General
Robert E. Lee, a daring ride around the Union Army by Confederate cavalry under General
J.E.B. Stuart
James Ewell Brown "Jeb" Stuart (February 6, 1833May 12, 1864) was a United States Army officer from Virginia who became a Confederate States Army general during the American Civil War. He was known to his friends as "Jeb,” from the initials of ...
, and an unexpected appearance of General
Stonewall Jackson
Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson (January 21, 1824 – May 10, 1863) was a Confederate general during the American Civil War, considered one of the best-known Confederate commanders, after Robert E. Lee. He played a prominent role in nearl ...
's famous "
foot cavalry
Foot cavalry was an oxymoron coined by the media to describe the rapid movements of infantry troops serving under Confederate General Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson during the American Civil War. Jackson's men marched on foot but they we ...
" combined to unnerve the ever-cautious McClellan, and he initiated a Union retreat before Richmond.
Even as other portions of the South were already falling, the failure of the Peninsula Campaign to take Richmond led to almost three more years of warfare between the states.
Mid-war years
![Libby Prison, Richmond, 05-1865 - NARA - 533454](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/aa/Libby_Prison%2C_Richmond%2C_05-1865_-_NARA_-_533454.jpg)
As a result of its proximity to the battlefields of the
Eastern Theater and its high level of defense, the city processed many casualties of both sides: as home to numerous hospitals (the largest such being
Chimborazo Hospital
Chimborazo Hospital was a Civil War-era facility built in Richmond, Virginia to service the medical needs of the Confederate Army. It functioned between 1862 and 1865 in what is now Chimborazo Park, treating over 76,000 injured Confederate sol ...
), prisons (notably
Libby Prison
Libby Prison was a Confederate prison at Richmond, Virginia, during the American Civil War. In 1862 it was designated to hold officer prisoners from the Union Army. It gained an infamous reputation for the overcrowded and harsh conditions. Priso ...
,
Castle Thunder, and
Belle Isle), and various cemeteries.
On March 13, 1863, the Confederate Laboratory on Brown's Island was rocked by an explosion that killed dozens of workers.
![Apr2 richmond riot](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2f/Apr2_richmond_riot.jpg)
On April 2, 1863, the city was beset by a large
bread riot as housewives could no longer afford very high
food prices
Food prices refer to the average price level for food across countries, regions and on a global scale. Food prices have an impact on producers and consumers of food.
Price levels depend on the food production process, including food marketing ...
and broke into stores. The riot was organized by
Mary Jackson, a huckster and the mother of a soldier. The militia was called out to end the riot.
The Confederacy hit its
high-water mark
A high water mark is a point that represents the maximum rise of a body of water over land. Such a mark is often the result of a flood, but high water marks may reflect an all-time high, an annual high (highest level to which water rose that ...
at the
Battle of Gettysburg
The Battle of Gettysburg () was fought July 1–3, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, by Union and Confederate forces during the American Civil War. In the battle, Union Major General George Meade's Army of the Po ...
in July 1863. Subsequent campaigning in the balance of the year failed to bring about a decisive battle, and Richmond residents settled down to the winter of 1863–64 mostly still optimistic about the Confederacy's fortunes.
One of the Civil War's most daring
prison break
''Prison Break'' is an American serial (radio and television), serial drama television show, television series created by Paul Scheuring for Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox. The series revolves around two brothers, Lincoln Burrows (Dominic Purce ...
s, the
Libby Prison escape, took place in February 1864 when more than 100 Federal captives escaped and fled into the night. Fewer than half were recaptured, with the majority reaching Union lines and safety. The city was shaken shortly thereafter by the March 2, 1864
Dahlgren Affair, a failed Union raid on the city.
Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant ; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 18th president of the United States from 1869 to 1877. As Commanding General, he led the Union Ar ...
's 1864
Overland Campaign
The Overland Campaign, also known as Grant's Overland Campaign and the Wilderness Campaign, was a series of battles fought in Virginia during May and June 1864, in the American Civil War. Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, general-in-chief of all Union ...
resulted in
Robert E. Lee's Confederate army retiring to the vicinity of
Richmond
Richmond most often refers to:
* Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States
* Richmond, London, a part of London
* Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England
* Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada
* Richmond, California, ...
and
Petersburg, where they checked Grant's progress.
Evacuation, burning, and capture of Richmond
![Map of Richmond 1864 with burnt districts small](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/73/Map_of_Richmond_1864_with_burnt_districts_small.jpg)
After a
long siege, Grant captured Petersburg and Richmond in early April 1865. As the fall of Petersburg became imminent, on ''Evacuation Sunday'' (April 2),
President Davis, his Cabinet, and the Confederate defenders abandoned Richmond and fled south on the last open railroad line, the
Richmond and Danville
The Richmond and Danville Railroad (R&D) Company was a railroad that operated independently from 1847 until 1894, first in the U.S. state of Virginia, and later on of track in nine states.
Chartered on March 9, 1847, the railroad completed its ...
.
The retreating soldiers were under orders to set fire to bridges, the
armory
Armory or armoury may mean:
* An arsenal, a military or civilian location for the storage of arms and ammunition
Places
*National Guard Armory, in the United States and Canada, a training place for National Guard or other part-time or regular mili ...
, and supply warehouses as they left. The fire in the largely abandoned city spread out of control, and large parts of Richmond were destroyed, reaching to the very edge of Capitol Square mostly unchecked. The conflagration was not completely extinguished until the mayor and other civilians went to the Union lines east of Richmond on New Market Road (now
State Route 5) and surrendered the city the next day. Union troops put out the raging fires in the city. The event became known as the Evacuation Fire. The occupation was overseen by General
Godfrey Weitzel
Godfrey (Gottfried) Weitzel (November 1, 1835 – March 19, 1884) was a German-American major general in the Union army during the American Civil War. He was the acting Mayor of New Orleans during the Union occupation of the city and also captured ...
and later General
Edward Ord
Edward Otho Cresap Ord (October 18, 1818 – July 22, 1883) was an American engineer and United States Army officer who saw action in the Seminole War, the Indian Wars, and the American Civil War. He commanded an army during the final days of th ...
.
President
Lincoln
Lincoln most commonly refers to:
* Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the sixteenth president of the United States
* Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England
* Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S.
* Lincol ...
, who had been visiting General Grant and staying nearby at
City Point, toured the fallen city (April 4–7) by foot and carriage with his young son
Tad, and visited the former White House of the Confederacy and the Virginia State Capitol.
About one week after the evacuation of Richmond,
General Robert E. Lee surrendered to Grant on April 9 ending the
Battle of Appomattox Courthouse
The Battle of Appomattox Court House, fought in Appomattox County, Virginia, on the morning of April 9, 1865, was one of the last battles of the American Civil War (1861–1865). It was the final engagement of Confederate General in Chief, Rober ...
. Within the same week, on the evening of April 14,
President Lincoln was assassinated in
Washington D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, Na ...
by the Confederate sympathizer
John Wilkes Booth
John Wilkes Booth (May 10, 1838 – April 26, 1865) was an American stage actor who assassinated United States President Abraham Lincoln at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C., on April 14, 1865. A member of the prominent 19th-century Booth th ...
.
Legacy
![Monument avenue richmond virginia](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/71/Monument_avenue_richmond_virginia.jpg)
Richmond's
Hollywood Cemetery is the final burial place of many Civil War notables, including Jefferson Davis,
Stuart, former U.S. President and Confederate Congressman
John Tyler
John Tyler (March 29, 1790 – January 18, 1862) was the tenth president of the United States
The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president dire ...
, Virginia Governors and Confederate Generals
Henry A. Wise
Henry Alexander Wise (December 3, 1806 – September 12, 1876) was an American attorney, diplomat, politician and slave owner from Virginia. As the 33rd Governor of Virginia, Wise served as a significant figure on the path to the American Civil W ...
and
William "Extra Billy" Smith
William "Extra Billy" Smith (September 6, 1797May 18, 1887) was a lawyer, congressman, the 30th and 35th Governor of Virginia, and a major general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. On his appointment in January 1863, ...
, Tredegar Iron Works owner and Confederate Brigadier General
Joseph Reid Anderson, and Major Generals
George Pickett
George Edward Pickett (January 16,Military records cited by Eicher, p. 428, and Warner, p. 239, list January 28. The memorial that marks his gravesite in Hollywood Cemetery lists his birthday as January 25. Thclaims to have accessed the baptism ...
,
Fitzhugh Lee
Fitzhugh Lee (November 19, 1835 – April 28, 1905) was a Confederate cavalry general in the American Civil War, the 40th Governor of Virginia, diplomat, and United States Army general in the Spanish–American War. He was the son of Sydney S ...
,
Henry Heth
Henry Heth ( not ) (December 16, 1825 – September 27, 1899) was a career United States Army officer who became a Confederate general in the American Civil War.
He came to the notice of Robert E. Lee while serving briefly as his quartermast ...
, and
John Imboden
John Daniel Imboden (; February 16, 1823August 15, 1895), American lawyer, Virginia state legislator, and a Confederate States Army, Confederate army General officers in the Confederate States Army, general. During the American Civil War, he comm ...
. A large, stone pyramid dominates the Confederate Soldiers' section, where over 18,000 (many of whom are unknown) Confederates are buried.
War dead were also buried at
Oakwood Cemetery,
Shockoe Hill Cemetery
The Shockoe Hill Cemetery is a historic cemetery located on Shockoe Hill in Richmond, Virginia.
History
Shockoe Hill Cemetery, as it is presently called, was established in 1820, with the initial burial made in 1822. It was earlier known as the ...
, and the
Cemetery for Hebrew Confederate Soldiers
The Hebrew Cemetery in Richmond, Virginia, also known as Hebrew Burying Ground, dates from 1816. This Jewish cemetery, one of the oldest in the United States, was founded in 1816 as successor to the Franklin Street Burial Grounds of 1789. Among t ...
section of the
Hebrew Cemetery. Numerous Union dead who were buried at these sites were re-interred after the war to several
national cemeteries
The following is a partial list of prominent National Cemeteries:
Africa
Algeria
* El Alia Cemetery, Algiers
Burundi
* Mausolée des Martyrs de la Démocratie, Bujumbura
Ghana
* Asomdwee Park, Accra
* Burma Camp Military Cemetery, Acc ...
outside of the city.
The city used to have a number of markers and monuments commemorating the Civil War and the city's role in the Confederacy.
Monument Avenue
Monument Avenue is a tree-lined grassy mall dividing the eastbound and westbound traffic in Richmond, Virginia, originally named for its emblematic complex of structures honoring those who fought for the Confederacy during the American Civil War. ...
was laid out in 1887, with a series of monuments at various intersections honoring the city's Confederate heroes. Included (east to west) were
J.E.B. Stuart
James Ewell Brown "Jeb" Stuart (February 6, 1833May 12, 1864) was a United States Army officer from Virginia who became a Confederate States Army general during the American Civil War. He was known to his friends as "Jeb,” from the initials of ...
,
Robert E. Lee,
Jefferson Davis
Jefferson F. Davis (June 3, 1808December 6, 1889) was an American politician who served as the president of the Confederate States from 1861 to 1865. He represented Mississippi in the United States Senate and the House of Representatives as a ...
,
Stonewall Jackson
Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson (January 21, 1824 – May 10, 1863) was a Confederate general during the American Civil War, considered one of the best-known Confederate commanders, after Robert E. Lee. He played a prominent role in nearl ...
, and
Matthew F. Maury.
The
Richmond National Battlefield Park
The Richmond National Battlefield Park commemorates 13 American Civil War sites around Richmond, Virginia, which served as the capital of the Confederate States of America for most of the war. The park connects certain features within the city wit ...
, a unit of the
National Park Service
The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational propertie ...
, maintains several battlefields from the Peninsula Campaign and subsequent actions. A driving tour through Civil War sites in Richmond and its surrounding counties is maintained by
Virginia Civil War Trails. The
White House of the Confederacy
The White House of the Confederacy is a historic house located in the Court End neighborhood of Richmond, Virginia. Built in 1818, it was the main executive residence of the sole President of the Confederate States of America, Jefferson Davis, ...
(part of the private, non-profit Museum of the Confederacy) has been fully restored to its wartime appearance and is open for daily tours. Immediately next door to the White House, the internationally renowned
Museum of the Confederacy
The American Civil War Museum is a multi-site museum in the Greater Richmond Region of central Virginia, dedicated to the history of the American Civil War. The museum operates three sites: The White House of the Confederacy, American Civil War M ...
houses the largest comprehensive collection of artifacts and personal effects relating to the Confederacy. Other museums include the
Virginia Historical Society
The Virginia Museum of History and Culture founded in 1831 as the Virginia Historical and Philosophical Society and headquartered in Richmond, Virginia, is a major repository, research, and teaching center for Virginia history. It is a private, n ...
. A
statue of Lincoln, commemorating his visit to the former Confederate capitol, was unveiled in 2003, causing controversy.
In popular culture
The
Charlie Daniels Band song, "Trudy", compares the taking of Richmond by Grant with the narrator saying that he was "raking in chips like Grant took Richmond" in a poker game.
In
1969 The Band released "
The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down
"The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" is a song written by Robbie Robertson and originally recorded by the Canadian-American roots rock group the Band in 1969 and released on their eponymous second album. Levon Helm provided the lead vocals. ...
", which features the lyric, '...by May the 10th (1865) Richmond had fell, it was a time I remember oh so well'. On May 10, 1865, Confederate President Jefferson Davis, fleeing Richmond and having dissolved the Confederate government, was captured by Union forces in Irwinville, Georgia.
[Ballard, Michael B., ''A Long Shadow: Jefferson Davis and the Final Days of the Confederacy'', pp. 97-116, University of Georgia Press, 1997, ]
The Richmond-based punk band
Love Roses features an image of the famous Currier and Ives print of the city burning as the cover art for their album "A New Reason for the Same Old Mistakes".
Notes
Further reading
* Ash, Stephen V. ''Rebel Richmond: Life and Death in the Confederate Capital'' (UNC Press, 2019).
* Berler, Anne Karen. "Unconquerable Defiance": Richmond Newspapers and Confederate Defeat, 1864-1865. (MA Thesis, Virginia Commonwealth University, 2007)
online bibliography on pages 81 – 87.
* Bill, Alfred Hoyt. ''The Beleaguered City: Richmond, 1861-1865'' (1946).
* Calcutt, Rebecca Barbour. ''Richmond's Wartime Hospitals'' (Pelican Publishing, 2005).
* Chesson, Michael B. "Harlots or Heroines? A New Look at the Richmond Bread Riot." ''Virginia Magazine of History and Biography'' 92#2 (1984): 131-175
in JSTOR* DeCredico, Mary A. ''Confederate Citadel: Richmond and Its People at War'' (UP of Kentucky, 2020).
*
online review* Furgurson, Ernest B. ''Ashes of glory: Richmond at war'' (1996).
* Greene, A. Wilson. ''Civil War Petersburg: Confederate City in the Crucible of War'' (U of Virginia Press, 2006).
* Harwell, Richard Barksdale. "Civil War Theater: The Richmond Stage." ''Civil War History'' (1955) 1#3 pp: 295-304
* Lankford, Nelson. ''Richmond Burning: The Last Days of the Confederate Capital'' (2002).
* Thomas, Emory M. ''The Confederate State of Richmond: A Biography of the Capital'' (LSU Press, 1998).
* Stout, Harry S., and Christopher Grasso. "Civil War, Religion, and Communications: The Case of Richmond." in by Randall M. Miller and Harry S. Stout, eds., ''Religion and the American Civil War'' (1998) pp: 313-59.
* Takagi, Midori. ''Rearing Wolves to Our Own Destruction: Slavery in Richmond Virginia, 1782–1865'' (University of Virginia Press, 2000).
* Thomas, Emory M. ''The Confederate State of Richmond: A Biography of the Capital'' (LSU Press, 1998).
* Titus, Katherine R. "The Richmond Bread Riot of 1863: Class, Race, and Gender in the Urban Confederacy" ''The Gettysburg College Journal of the Civil War Era'' 2#6 (2011) pp 86–14
online* Wright, Mike. ''City Under Siege: Richmond in the Civil War'' (Rowman & Littlefield, 1995)
* Zombek, Angela M. "Paternalism and Imprisonment at Castle Thunder: Reinforcing Gender Norms in the Confederate Capital." ''Civil War History'' 63.3 (2017): 221-252.
Primary sources
* Wixson, Neal E. ed. ''From Civility to Survival: Richmond Ladies During the Civil War: The Ladies reveal their wartime private thoughts and struggles in compelling diaries and emotional memories'' (iUniverse, 2012).
* Woodward, C. Vann, ed. ''Mary Chesnut's Civil War'' (Yale University Press, 1981), Pulitzer Prize
External links
Richmond in the Civil WarRichmond During the Civil Warin ''
Encyclopedia Virginia Virginia Humanities (VH), formerly the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities, is a humanities council whose stated mission is to develop the civic, cultural, and intellectual life of the Commonwealth of Virginia by creating learning opportunities f ...
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Virginia Historical Society exhibition, ''The Story of Virginia: Becoming Confederates''
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