Ordnance chief Josiah Gorgas recorded in his diary, Here there is a good bit of consternation here lest Richmond be evacuated. Richmond, Virginia, was the Capital of the Confederacy from May 11, 1861, to April 3, 1865. This image captures the fall of Richmond, and the death of the dream that was the confederacy. The Union cavalry that entered the city faced little resistance and, early on the morning of April 3, the Union flag was raised over the capitol building. Create your account. The distance to the White House was not great, but the crowd made movement nearly impossible. flashcard sets. Though the cautious Meade would be criticized for not pursuing the enemy after Gettysburg, the battle was a crushing defeat for the Confederacy. In February 1861, delegates from the seceded states chose Montgomery, Alabama, as the capital of the Confederate States of America. Sheridan's goal was to cut off Lee's last supply line into Petersburg. This location provided significant hydropower for the city's various industries and was a predominant reason Richmond became an industrial center. In February 1864, 109 soldiers managed to tunnel out of the building and more than half successfully returned to Union lines. Richmond was both an . Faced with this harsh situation, he began contemplating a previously unthinkable reality: the fall of Richmond. After the meeting a carriage was brought out, and Lincoln and Tad rode through Richmond, touring the sites made famous during the previous four years of war, including the State Capitol and Libby Prison. Why was Richmond the capital of the Confederacy? Richmond had some two dozen prisons in operation during the war. The city is located on the fall line of the James River, where the tidal and non-tidal sections of the river meet. View of Richmond above the Canal Basin, after the Evacuation Fire of 1865 Lithograph depicting the Evacuation Fire (Currier & Ives, 1865). Among the places he visited were the Confederate White House, Virginia Capitol and Libby Prison. General Why was the fall of Richmond so important? The transfer was approved by the Confederate Congress on May 21, 1861, and Confederate President Jefferson Davis arrived in Richmond eight days later. With the fall of Richmond, the Confederacy lasted but one week before Lee surrendered his battered army to Grant at Appomattox Court House. Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. Enlisted men were held at Belle Isle, an island in the James River near the western end of the city. Why was Richmond the Confederate capital? The fires destroyed much of the main part of Richmond, with the massive inferno engulfing homes, hotels, factories, and warehouses. Burned out Street in Richmond During Evacuation Fire. During the American Civil War and afterwards, Johnny Reb and his Union counterpart Billy Yank were used in speech and literature to symbolize the common soldiers who fought in the Civil War in the 1860s. For these Richmonders, the occupying force added insult to injury; the XXV Corps was comprised of United States Colored Troops. Hale & Son, 1867. Richmond became the capital of the Confederacy for four primary reasons. It consisted of 98 buildings, among them a library, and a farm for producing its own supplies. Lincoln's Visit to Richmond - U.S. National Park Service After nearly 10 months of stagnation outside Petersburg, a fresh offensive by Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grants Union armies was poised to change the course of the war. They drafted a constitution for the confederation of the seceded states and approved it on March 11, 1861, seven days after Lincoln's inauguration in Washington, D.C. Because of its central location within those original seceded states, the delegates designated Montgomery as the Capital of the Confederate States of America. After the war began, Richmond became the center for the production of railroad tracks, locomotives, armor for naval vessels, and cannons. Join us online July 24-26! Davis rode through the panicked crowds to get to the depot (his wife and children had already left town in late March). The general in charge of the Department of Richmond, Lieutenant General Richard Stoddert Ewell, had received an order as early as February to fire all the tobacco stored in the city to keep it from falling into the hands of the Federals, should Richmond need to be evacuated. flashcard sets. Fall of Richmond in the Civil War The facilities were used to incarcerate Union sympathizers, soldiers, suspected spies, criminals and even disorderly Confederates. This video provides a visual overview of some of the most significant events of the dramatic days that followed. Lee had warned Davis that were he outflanked, the President should prepare for the necessity of evacuating our position on the James River at once, and also to consider the best means of accomplishing it, and our future course.[5], As early as February of 1865, rumors circulated that Richmond might have to be evacuated. They all had their souls in their eyes, and I dont think I ever looked upon a scene where there were so many passionately happy faces.[20], Lincoln headed to General Weitzels headquarters which he had established in the White House of the Confederacy, located at 1205 East Clay Street. Why Robert E. Lee and Jefferson Davis decided . The Confederate State of Richmond A Biography of the Capital. Plus, get practice tests, quizzes, and personalized coaching to help you On the morning of Sunday April 2, 1865 Confederate lines near Petersburg broke after a nine month seige. Why was Richmond Virginia important in the Civil war? Sherman's March to the Sea | Map, Significance & Date, Britain and France Respond to the American Civil War, Abraham Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address | Themes & Purpose, The Reconstruction Amendments | The 13th, 14th & 15th Amendments, Gettysburg Address Definition, Summary & Significance, Abraham Lincoln's First Inaugural Address | Summary & Analysis. According to Semmes, The explosions shook the houses in Richmond, and might have waked the echoes of the night for forty miles around.[11], Most residents watched the fires and the looting with horror. What happened in Richmond during the Civil war? Richmond was important to the Union in that its capture would signal the end of the Confederacy. A resident wrote that this was the saddest of many of the sad sights of the wara city undergoing pillage at the hands of its own mob, while the standards of an empire were being taken from its capitol. Another wrote that on this night, the devil was loosed.. Austen: University of Texas Press, 1971. Drifting embers were caught by the wind. The American Civil War Museum comprises three sites: The Museum and White House of the Confederacy as well as Historic Tredegar, both in Richmond, and The Museum of the Confederacy-Appomattox in Appomattox, Virginia. On March 31, 1865, Grant sent Major General Philip Sheridan slightly west of Petersburg to the crossroads of Five Forks. Military governor Lt. Gen. Richard Ewell was also under orders to destroy the citys tobacco, cotton and foodstuffs before the Yankees got to them. The Fall of Richmond While Jefferson Davis and his stunned Cabinet crowded onto a refugee-jammed train, thousands of less exalted Richmond residents wandered the fire-reddened streets of the capital. Colored Troops, under the command of Major General Godfrey Weitzel. The Great Recession and Its Aftermath | Federal Reserve History It contained the Confederate capital, the capture of which would be an important symbolic victory for Union forces. On April 2 the Confederate government abandoned Richmond. Federal Identification Number (EIN): 54-1426643. But by the early spring of 1865, the nature of this hazard had intensified significantly. These assets were guarded by 60 midshipmen from the Patrick Henry, the Confederacys naval academy training vessel. Lawrence: University of Kansas Press, 2015. Crofts, Daniel. Throughout the Civil War, more than 800 whites, slaves and free African-Americans worked at Tredegar producing firearms, artillery and plating for warships including the CSS Virginia. 2) Richmond was an industrial center. Richmond, Virginia, was the capital of the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War (1861-1865).Besides being the political home of the Confederacy, Richmond was a center of rail and industry, military hospitals, and prisoner-of-war camps and prisons, including Belle Isle and Libby Prison. The northernmost battle of the Civil War was fought in St. Albans, Vermont, on October 19, 1864. By the afternoon of April 1, Sheridan had received reinforcements, and he trampled Pickett's men and won a decisive victory. Before the Civil War, the arsenal was established to produce rifles but no equipment had been delivered from England. The exploding ships shattered windows in Richmond. Learn why by exploring the fall of Richmond, which was the capital of the Confederacy. Mayor Mayo handed a sheet of paper to a Union cavalryman that read, to the General Commanding the United States Army in front of Richmond. You are viewing an incredible illustration of one of the most important events in the Civil War . The Tredegar Ironworks, located alongside the James River, was the largest foundry in the South. The Third Battle of Petersburg, also known as the Breakthrough at Petersburg or the Fall of Petersburg, was fought on April 2, 1865, south and southwest Virginia in the area of Petersburg, Virginia, at the end of the 292-day Richmond-Petersburg Campaign (sometimes called the Siege of Petersburg) and in the beginning stage of the Appomattox Campaign near the conclusion of the American Civil War. When the union troops broke through the siege lines of the confederate army, General Lee had to retreat. Confederate capital of Richmond is captured - HISTORY They immediately set to work putting out fires. Per the U.S. Constitution, the District was 100 square miles. Government clerks soon began stacking documents in the streets and burning them. The Richmond Examiner opined The evacuation of Richmond would be the loss of all respect and authority towards the Confederate Government, the disintegration of the army, and the abandonment of the scheme of an independent Southern Confederation. It has become the symbol of the Confederacy. Admiral Porter remembered, What an ovation [Lincoln] had, to be sure, from those so-called ignorant beings! If this measure were [sic] not avoidable, it was impolitic if conciliation be the purpose.[22], Other Northerners also flocked to Richmond to see the city that had symbolized the rebellion and that had withstood capture for four long years. Accompanied by his son, Tad, and Admiral David. Every purchase supports the mission. Richmond, Virginia had both material and symbolic significance for the Confederacy during the Civil War. The fall of Petersburg by a night attack by 14.000 Union Troops was the last major battle of the American Civil War. Explanations for Confederate defeat in the Civil War can be broken into two categories: some historians argue that the Confederacy collapsed largely because of social divisions within Southern society, while others emphasize the Unions military defeat of Confederate armies. Richmond finally fell to Union forces on April 3, 1865. The siege of Petersburg, which lasted from June 15, 1864, to April 2, 1865, involved several battles, all of which were focused on Grant's two main objectives: the destruction of the Army of Northern Virginia as an effective fighting force and the capture of Richmond, the Capital of the Confederacy. Stay up-to-date on the American Battlefield Trust's battlefield preservation efforts, travel tips, upcoming events, history content and more. Finally, the President reached Rocketts Landing, where the USS Malvern had arrived, and boarded the warship for the night. Most were not yet sixteen years old. April | 3 Choose another date 1865 Confederate capital of Richmond is captured The Rebel capital of Richmond, Virginia, falls to the Union, the most significant sign that the Confederacy is. Petersburg Campaign | Civil War, Map, Significance, & Facts Lee had continually blocked his path and forced him away from the Confederate capital, so Grant had turned his attention to Petersburg, 22 miles to the south, which he held under siege for nearly ten months. Union casualties in the battle numbered 23,000, while the Confederates had lost some 28,000 menmore than a third of Lees army. It also asked for local military units to be deployed to protect Richmond once the Confederate Army evacuated. 5 Great Battlefields, 6 Crucial Restoration Projects. After several major battles culminating in the several Battles of Cold Harbor from May 31-June 12. For 10 days the badly bruised Federals and hungry Confederates broiled in the trenches under 100-degree heat; then Grant silently withdrew, crossed the James River, and drove toward the important rail center of Petersburg, south of Richmond. It was the third-largest in the United States at the start of the Civil War. On March 31, 1865, Grant sent a division of cavalry under General Phillip Sheridan to occupy Five Forks to cut the last supply line to Lee's army in Petersburg. History of Richmond, Virginia In August 1862, Lee stopped a Union army advancing from northern Virginia under General John Pope. Quiz & Worksheet Goals. Richmond's citizens were angry that the Army had not only set fire to their food supplies but had kept stockpiles of food locked up and not given out to them during the siege. What was the impact of the Battle of Richmond? Tragically, Lincoln was assassinated ten days after his visit. Steaming towards the Confederate capitol with Admiral David Dixon Porter was Abraham Lincoln with his son Tad. 2 Why is Petersburg so important to Richmond and the Confederacy? All other trademarks and copyrights are the property of their respective owners. At about 8 a.m., the Confederate flag at the Capital came down and was replaced by the Stars and Stripes. Richmond was in the state of Virginia. Its loss would be material ruin to the cause, and in a moral point of view, absolutely destructive, crushing the heart and extinguishing the last hope of the country. With the fall of Richmond, the Confederacy lasted but one week before Lee surrendered his battered army to Grant at Appomattox Court House. . humble Why was Ford's Theater the perfect place for Booth to assassinate Lincoln? After Abraham Lincoln was elected in the fall of 1860, before he was inaugurated on March 4, 1861, South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas seceded from the Union. Wiggins, Sarah Woolfolk, ed. As the government collapsed and people rioted, the fires meant to destroy the arsenal, bridges, and anything of military value spread to a large part of the citys prime commercial districts. At Lincoln's Inauguration, the District of Columbia had a population of approximately 75,000 and reached more than 200,000 in 1862 around the time Lincoln announced the Emancipation Proclamation. He wanted his trophy. From the Armory to Rocketts [Wharf], a mile long, the lower part of the city was in flames. Irish visitor Thomas Conolly noted, I went out & what a sight at that hour, the streets filled with ragamuffins, chiefly niggers running and hurrying about & then another crash, another explosion & all the windows of the Spottswood [Hotel] [sic] are rent asunder as also all the stores in Main Street & now the plundering begins, men and women grabbing more than they can carry.[10], At the banks of the James River, Admiral Raphael Semmes of CSS Alabama fame, found himself in command of the James River Squadron, which consisted of three ironclads and five wooden ships. Here's who should get the flu, Covid and R.S.V. Explanation: When Petersburg finally fell, Richmond fell. The American Civil War in Virginia - Encyclopedia Virginia As a member, you'll also get unlimited access to over 88,000 Since the debate over reconstruction policy began in 1863, Lincoln had steadfastly clung to mercy for the South as the north star for his postwar agenda. The retreating Confederates chose to burn military supplies rather than let them fall into Union hands; the resulting fire destroyed much of central Richmond. RICHMOND, Va. (AP) Virginia Republicans on Tuesday launched an early and absentee voting push ahead of this fall's legislative elections, an initiative intended to boost ballot access measures . Old men thanked God in a very boisterous manner, and old women shouted on the pavement as high as they had ever done at a religious revival.[21] Lincoln walked up the steps to cheers. He has over 20 years experience teaching college students in the classroom, as well as high school students and lifelong learners in a variety non-traditional settings. As Richmond finally fell after nearly four years of war, what was left General Robert E. Lees army trudged west, eventually finding themselves without supplies and cutoff by Federal forces at Appomattox. Abandoning it meant he could move more freely, prolonging the war militarily in Virginia for some time. Only the Tredegar, of all the Richmond war establishments, escaped the torch. Lee had battled Grant throughout the spring of 1864 in the Overland Campaign. Stay up-to-date on our FREE educational resources & professional development opportunities, all designed to support your work teaching American history. Its like a teacher waved a magic wand and did the work for me. Located just 100 miles from the U.S. capital at Washington, D.C., the capture of Richmond quickly became a priority for the Abraham Lincoln administration and the Federals launched On to Richmond campaigns. Review Richmond's status as a prize, the Battle of Five Forks, Richmond's evacuation, and the Union's . Opened in October 1861, 75,000 soldiers were treated there. The Last 100 Days of the Civil War: Goals & Actions, The Fall of Richmond: The Capital of the Confederacy, Primary Source: Articles of Agreement Relating to the Surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia, The Assassination of President Abraham Lincoln: Facts, Failed Plots & Motivation, The End of the Civil War: Summary & Timeline, The Costs of the Civil War: Human, Economic & Cultural, High School US History: Homeschool Curriculum, Developmental World History: Middle School, Glencoe U.S. History - The American Vision: Online Textbook Help, High School US History Syllabus Resource & Lesson Plans, Post-Civil War U.S. History: Help and Review, DSST The Civil War and Reconstruction Prep, The Civil War and Reconstruction: Certificate Program, The Civil War and Reconstruction: Help and Review, AP European History: Homeschool Curriculum, Gobekli Tepe: Location, Facts & Reconstruction, Ancient Thrace: Definition, History & Mythology, Hypatia of Alexandria: Biography, Facts & Quotes. Now, however, he was ready to move. Learn about the capital of the confederacy during the Civil War, as well as its subsequent and symbolic fall in the defeat of the South. The ''memorable campaign'' would last almost an entire year and would see horrific battles at the Wilderness, Spotsylvania, Cold Harbor, and the siege of Petersburg before Richmond would be captured. During the course of the Civil War, the Confederate capital at Richmond faced many threats from Federal troops, her inhabitants gradually growing accustomed to the sound of artillery fire just outside the city. Government officials scrambled to get family members aboard packet boats on the James River Canal before fleeing to safety. The Journals of Josiah Gorgas, 1857-1878. The UnionThe Union had won the Battle of Gettysburg. Richmond Virginia during the Civil War - American Battlefield Trust It began after Virginia and ten other states in the southern United States seceded from the Union following the election of Abraham Lincoln as U.S. president in 1860. The Encyclopedia Virginia entry on Richmond During the Civil War was authored by Mary DeCredico and Jaime Amanda Martinez. This fall, in addition to the flu and Covid vaccines, older Americans will be able to get a shot for respiratory syncytial . Get unlimited access to over 88,000 lessons. He immediately ordered that rations be distributed to the groups huddled in Capitol Square. They Called Grant a Butcher. Chasing Lincoln's Killer Review Flashcards | Quizlet Emma Mordecai wrote to a friend that she walked out toward Broad Street, a main thoroughfare. People speak of nothing but the immediate evacuation. Another refugee, Judith McGuire, wrote presciently, Oh I would that I could see Richmond burnt to the ground by its own people, without one brick left upon one another, before its defence-less [sic] inhabitants should be subjected to degradation.[6], April 2 dawned clear and warm as Richmonders left their homes to attend church services in the Confederate capital. General Weitzel faced a herculean task. It was here he hoped to meet with the commanding general of the occupying forces. What important Civil War event took place at Richmond National Battlefield Park? 3) Confederate leaders wanted to identify their secession with the American Revolution. The Majority of our funds go directly to Preservation and Education. While the fires raged, angry Richmond citizens began looting. What happened to Richmond Virginia at the conclusion of the Civil war? To give it to Mary Welles who deserved this member for all she did for the Lincoln family What day and time was President Lincoln pronounced dead? The siege caused terrible shortages of food in Richmond. Why was Virginia important to the Confederacy? Navy Secretary Stephen R. Mallory directed Rear Admiral Raphael Semmes to destroy the Patrick Henry and all other vessels on the James River before they fell into Federal hands. But as more messengers came and went, word quickly spread that the capital would soon fall. The fact that false news spreads six times faster than true information is due precisely to . This lead to the immediate fall of the Southern Capital. She has taught college English and religious education classes and currently works as a freelance writer. Knowing how badly the city of Columbia, S.C., had fared when occupying Union soldiers discovered its stores of whisky, Richmonds officials ordered all liquor be destroyed. They burned most tobacco barns, flour mills, and public buildings, as well as the Richmond Examiner and Inquirer. Stay up-to-date on our FREE educational resources & professional development opportunities, all designed to support your work teaching American history. Other Richmond industries produced uniforms and ammunition. The Fall of Richmond: The Capital of the Confederacy Why was the fall of Richmond important to the Civil war? President Abraham Lincoln, who had been following developments from the Union command base at City Point, only 20 miles down the James River, arrived in Richmond on April 4. It seems to me that I have been dreaming a horrid dream for four years and now that nightmare is gone. Richmond During the War: Four Years of Personal Observation, New York: G. W. Carleton, 1867. By the spring of 1865, Grant had been working his way toward Richmond for almost a year. Stay up-to-date on the American Battlefield Trust's battlefield preservation efforts, travel tips, upcoming events, history content and more. Davis was determined to keep the government functioning no matter what. But they were wrong; speculators had been at work. Virginia was the largest state in the south. Author June 28, 2019 Table of Contents [ hide] 1 Why was the fall of Richmond so important? All other trademarks and copyrights are the property of their respective owners. Roots of Secession: Slavery and Politics in Antebellum Virginia. The American Battlefield Trust has saved 3,100 acres around Richmond. [T]he pavement was covered with plate glass from the fine doors & windows and reduced to powder by the explosions. All stores were closed and the street filthy. Mordecai went on to note, As I turned the corner of 9th street from curb to curb was ankle deep with the fragments of Confederate printed blanks & other papers. An African American reporter for the Philadelphia Press, noted, The colored population was wild with enthusiasm. When asked for guidance on how to treat the citizens, Lincoln responded to Weitzel, If I were in your place, I'd let em up easy, let em up easy.. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2003.