Richmond, Virginia, served as the capital of the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War from May 1861 to April 1865.

Nov 13, 2009 · The Rebel capital of Richmond, Virginia, falls to the Union, the most significant sign that the Confederacy is nearing its final days. For ten months, General Ulysses S. Grant had tried ...

Apr 3, 2021 · On April 2, 1865, the Confederate government and military began to evacuate Richmond. Union forces had routed the Confederates at Five Forks and began a general assault at Petersburg. General Lee advised President Davis to …

The retreat of the army left the Confederate capital of Richmond, 25 miles to the north, defenseless. This video provides a visual overview of some of the most significant events of the dramatic days that followed.

By early spring 1865 the citizens of Richmond had become used to the threat of capture by the Federal army whose soldiers the Richmond newspapers described with great imagination as the vilest of humanity.

Situated at the head of navigation on the James River and only 176 kilometers (110 miles) from the Federal capital of Washington, Richmond had been a symbol and a prime psychological objective since the beginning of the Civil War in 1861.

Heavily laden wagons, coaches, and soldiers on foot traverse Mayo's bridge in Richmond on the night of April 2, 1865, as the Confederate evacuation of the capital city begins.

Apr 2, 2015 · Richmond in the aftermath: Alexander Gardner captured this April 1865 view from the turret of Pratt’s Castle on Gamble’s Hill. The State Capitol is visible in the top left of the panorama. It was 150 years ago that Richmond burned to the ground and became the capital city of a vanquished cause.

Sep 1, 2006 · By March 1865, life in Richmond had become grim. Robert E. Lee’s force of 44,000 men in the Army of Northern Virginia faced a Federal force of 128,000 in the 37 miles of trenches surrounding Richmond and Petersburg.

In the archives of the Colebrook Historical Society is a newspaper from Richmond, Virginia dated April 27, 1865, just 24 days after the Confederate Capitol had surrendered to the forces of the Union Army.