The head of Russia's Wagner mercenary group has vowed to "go all the way" to topple Russia's military leadership, hours after the Kremlin accused him of "armed This situation created a social powder keg that finally exploded on April 2, 1863, with the Richmond Bread Riot. [83][82][81][84], A greater impact than the actual casualties, according to Stephen W. Sears, was the effect on McClellan's preparedness for the next major battle, at Seven Pines and Fair Oaks four days later. G.W. Gen. John Bell Hood's Texas Brigade advanced, with Hampton to his right. As McClellan's army reached the outskirts of Richmond, a minor battle occurred at Hanover Court House, but it was followed by a surprise attack by Johnston at the Battle of Seven Pines or Fair Oaks. [40] He ordered Brig. Lincoln believed that the city of Norfolk was vulnerable and that control of the James was possible, but McClellan was too busy at the front to meet with the president. In the city small fires of document still burned. Thirty-two of the "no" votes come from trans-Allegheny delegates, who are more firmly Unionist than representatives from other parts of the state. Although the action was tactically inconclusive, Franklin missed an opportunity to intercept the Confederate retreat from Williamsburg, allowing it to pass unmolested. McClellan ordered the construction of siege fortifications and brought his heavy siege guns to the front. There was also talk of moving the Confederate capital, then in Montgomery, Alabama, to Richmond. The evacuation of Richmond remains a controversial topic because the officers in command disagreed over who gave the orders to torch stockpiles of supplies within the city. The fires succeeded in burning down portions of the business district, but the residential neighborhoods were spared. Neeley was first elected chair in Its ability to supply the Confederate military for four years transformed a symbol of rebellion into a bona fide military target. This maneuver failed as the 6th Vermont came under heavy Confederate fire and were forced to withdraw. They rode to Camp Lee where the U.S. The American Battlefield Trust is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. [65], On May 15, a detachment of the U.S. Navy's North Atlantic Blockading Squadron, under the command of Commander John Rodgers steamed up the James River from Fort Monroe to test the Richmond defenses. Another building caught fire. Word spread across the city. The churchs membership had swelled dramatically during the war, and thousands of people attended services there each week. To honor the long struggle to take the Confederate capital, an official order was given. Other women filled key positions in the Treasury Department, the. Tompkins was not the only white woman who actively worked for the Confederate cause in Richmond. [39], On April 16, Union forces probed a point in the Confederate line at Dam No. He immediately issued the first orders for the Confederate government's evacuation. In a city that had been suffering from scarcity, where high officials held "Starvation Balls," no one believed there could be much food left to destroy. Authorities estimated At Chimborazo alone, nearly 78,000 patients were treated during the course of the war. His hopes for a quick advance foiled, McClellan ordered his army to prepare for a siege of Yorktown. When you visit the site, Dotdash Meredith and its partners may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. Nonetheless, they commanded high rents; it was not unusual to see several families living in cramped, unheated spaces. Using the Richmond and York River Railroad, McClellan could bring his heavy siege artillery to the outskirts of Richmond. During the antebellum period, the citys enslaved men and women often had enjoyed freedoms common to urban slaves, including the freedom to live independently and hire their own time, or choose their own employers, make their own work arrangements, and pay their masters a set annual fee in exchange for these privileges. On May 7, Franklin posted Brig. Yevgeny Prigozhin said his forces will stop their march on Moscow and return to their camps to avoid bloodshed, as the Belarus president Alexander Lukashenko announced a deal. The First American President: Setting the Precedent, African Americans During the Revolutionary War, Help Save 125 Battlefield Acres in Virginia, Help Restore History at Gettysburg, Cold Harbor & More, Help Us Save Hallowed Ground in Tennessee and Kentucky, Help Save 820 Acres at Five Virginia Battlefields, Save 343 Acres at FIVE Battlefields in FOUR Western Theater States, Save 42 Historic Acres at the Battle of Chancellorsville, Support the American Battlefield Protection Program Enhancement Act, Stop the Largest Rezoning in Orange County History. Although Lincoln believed his plan was superior, he was relieved that McClellan finally agreed to begin moving, and reluctantly approved. Early the next morning, Heintzelman ascended in one of Lowe's observation balloons and found that the Confederate earthworks were empty. The move made sense for symbolic, economic, and military reasons. 5 August 1864. [10], On November 1, 1861, Gen. Winfield Scott retired and McClellan became general in chief of all the Union armies. The treacherous "Grapevine Bridge" was near collapse on the swollen river, but the weight of the crossing troops helped to hold it steady against the rushing water. [46], By May 5, Johnston's army was making slow progress on muddy roads and Stoneman's cavalry was skirmishing with Brig. Although wages rose throughout the period, they could not keep pace with the rising cost of consumer goods. [77][73], Porter's men approached Peake's Crossing in a driving rain. Their defensive line began at the James River at Drewry's Bluff and extended counterclockwise so that his center and left were behind the Chickahominy River, a natural barrier in the spring when it turned the broad plains to the east of Richmond into swamps. April 16 Confederacy Institutes a Military Draft . [70][71][72], The Army of the Potomac pushed slowly up the Pamunkey, establishing supply bases at Eltham's Landing, Cumberland Landing, and White House Landing. By 1860, Joseph R. Anderson and Company, as Tredegar was officially called during the war, was the largest enterprise of its kind in the region and stood ready to arm and equip the Confederate military for four years. [48], Longstreet's men did leave their fortifications, but they attacked Hooker, not Smith or Sumner. By moving one company in circles through a glen, he gained the appearance of an endless line of reinforcements marching to relieve him. The Confederate defenders, including marines, sailors, and soldiers, were supervised by Navy Cmdr. The siege is characterized by 30 miles of trenches stretching Confederate defenses thin, and occasional pitched battles, including the Battle of the Crater on July 30, 1864, and the more-decisive Battle of Five Forks on April 1, 1865. Despite every effort made on the part of the few remaining Confederate soldiers and the city's officials, chaos ruled Richmond that night. One historian estimates that only 10 percent of the city was actually consumed by the fires. The Confederate force, which actually numbered about 4,000 men, was led by Col. Lawrence O'Bryan Branch. The Peninsula campaign (also known as the Peninsular campaign) of the American Civil War was a major Union operation launched in southeastern Virginia from March to July 1862, the first large-scale offensive in the Eastern Theater. So the action taken to prevent a Union army rampage started a rampage by the city's own people. Gen. Erasmus D. Keyes made initial contact with Confederate defensive works at Lee's Mill, an area McClellan expected to move through without resistance. Smith assumed temporary command of the army. The deal between Mr. Putin and Mr. Prigozhin averted a scenario that the Russian leader had compared to the civil war that erupted in 1917. The You in fact prevented a civil war, VIDEO | Mike Gorman of the Richmond National Battlefield Park details the happenings in and around Richmond during the Civil War, including why Richmond Overview of the US Civil War Battle of Richmond - ThoughtCo On the south side of the James River, defensive lines were built south to a point below Petersburg. WebThe Confederacys plan called for Major General Edmund Kirby Smith to move his force of approximately 19,000 men into the state using what is now the I-75 corridor. The garrison of Fort Monroe, 12,000 men under Maj. Gen. Bailey, Ronald H., and the Editors of Time-Life Books. The Peninsula campaign (also known as the Peninsular campaign) of the American Civil War was a major Union operation launched in southeastern Virginia from March to July 1862, the first large-scale offensive in the Eastern Theater. Gen. John Sedgwick over the sole remaining bridge. 5,650 casualties of which 4,900 were Union soldiers. Weitzel ordered his troops to put out the fire. Labor shortages also proved to be an issue. McClellan landed his army at Fort Monroe and moved northwest, up the Virginia Peninsula. After Union forces break through Confederate lines around Petersburg at the Battle of Five Forks a day earlier, Richmond is evacuated. 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 The Confederate line broke under the weight of thousands of new troops and they retreated back through Peake's Crossing to Ashland. People debated secession at length and, like many across the Upper South, tended to adopt a cooperationist stance. Union General Godfrey Weitzel sent a telegram to General Grant: "We took Richmond at 8:15 this morning. Washington was never seriously threatened by Southern forces, but Richmond experienced more than its share of alarms and battles. Encyclopedia Virginia946 Grady Ave. Ste. [73][74][43], On May 18, McClellan reorganized the Army of the Potomac in the field and promoted two major generals to corps command: Fitz John Porter to the new V Corps and William B. Franklin to the VI Corps. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. In most instances, white women were forced to labor in the capitals factories and bureaus because their husbands, fathers, and sonsthe breadwinnerswere off fighting for the Confederacy. When Grant was appointed general-in-chief of Union armies after Gettysburg, he determined to follow Lincolns directions to target Robert E. Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia and not the Confederate capital. On to Richmond became the rallying cry for the first three years of the war, as the Army of the Potomac attacked the capital from the north, the east, and the south. Embers from the street fires of official papers and from the paper torches used by vandals drifted. The first heavy fighting of the campaign occurred during the Battle of Williamsburg in which the Union troops managed some tactical victories, but the Confederates continued their withdrawal. ", Davis refused to believe it was necessary to leave. WebThe Battle of Richmond, Kentucky, fought August 2930, 1862, was a stunning Confederate victory by Maj. Gen. Edmund Kirby Smith against Union Maj. Gen. William "Bull" Nelson's But hope died when Richmond fell. [111] The Virginia Peninsula was relatively quiet until May 1864, when Maj. Gen. Benjamin Butler again invaded as part of the Bermuda Hundred campaign.[112]. Because of its economic and political importance as well as its location near the United States capital, Richmond became the focus for most of the military campaigns in the wars Eastern Theater. Celebrating their right to live, working women, many of whom were employed by the citys government bureaus and factories, marched to the Executive Mansion seeking a meeting with Virginia governor John L. Letcher. Seven Days Battles, (June 25July 1, 1862), series of American Civil War battles in which a Confederate army under General Robert E. Lee drove back General [47], Brig. [63][64] The eight cannons in the fort, including field artillery pieces and five naval guns, some salvaged from the Virginia, commanded the river for miles in both directions. They tried to grab Lincoln's hand and kiss his boots. ThoughtCo. [42][43][44][45], McClellan was stunned by the news. "[22][23], The Army of the Potomac had approximately 50,000 men at Fort Monroe when McClellan arrived, but this number grew to 121,500 before hostilities began. "Rooney" Lee, son of General Robert E. Lee, became McClellan's base of operations. Not all of Richmonds women were as dedicated to the Confederacy. [105] McClellan's advance on Richmond was halted and the Army of Northern Virginia fell back into the Richmond defensive works. But the time had come for General Lee to consider just such a necessity. In fact, the effort for both the Union and the Confederate armies during much of the Civil War in the east focused on capturing or threatening the enemy's capital city. Magruder, a fan of theatrics, set up a successful deception campaign. However, the defense of Williamsburg was seen by the South as a means of delaying the Federals, which allowed the bulk of the Confederate army to continue its withdrawal toward Richmond. Sally Tompkins convinced wealthy Richmonder Judge John Robertson to allow her to operate a hospital out of his home while he moved to a safer area in the Shenandoah Valley. Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the U.S. Confederate States presidential election of 1861, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Peninsula_campaign&oldid=1158059756, Military operations of the American Civil War in Virginia, Campaigns of the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles needing additional references from June 2017, All articles needing additional references, Articles with dead external links from March 2018, Articles with permanently dead external links, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 4.0. He personally led the 24th Virginia Infantry on a futile assault and was wounded by a bullet through the shoulder. Gen. J.E.B. Although Richmonds proximity to Washington, D.C., was hazardous strategically, Virginias topographythe Appalachian Mountains and rivers, such as the James and Rappahannock, that flowed east to westserved as a natural defense against invasion. At about noon on May 27, his lead element skirmished briskly with the Confederates until Porter's main body arrived, driving the outnumbered Confederates up the road in the direction of the courthouse. He sent cavalry under Brig. They passed new ordinances prohibiting slaves from living independently of their masters, shut down many of the citys informal hiring markets, and instituted a stringent pass system to restrict slaves movements around the city. And McDowell's Corps did not need its roads kept clear because it never arrivedthe defeat of Union forces at the First Battle of Winchester by Stonewall Jackson in the Shenandoah Valley caused the Lincoln administration to recall McDowell to Fredericksburg. McClellan immediately replied with a 22-page letter objecting in detail to the president's plan and advocating instead his Urbanna plan, which was the first written instance of the plan's details being presented to the president. Few details of the deal have been made public. The local police force was small and could not contain the crime wave that plagued the city until the wars end. Approximately 50,000 men under Maj. Gens. Behind the lines, Cobb organized a defense with his brother, Colonel Thomas Cobb of the Georgia Legion, and attacked the Vermonters, who had occupied the Confederate rifle pits. "[30], With the Virginia still in operation, the U.S. Navy could not assure McClellan that they could protect operations on either the James or the York, so his plan of amphibiously enveloping Yorktown was abandoned, and he ordered an advance up the Peninsula to begin April 4. [94][95][96], Casey's line buckled with some men retreating, but fought fiercely for possession of their earthworks, resulting in heavy casualties on both sides. The wind picked up. "Overview of the US Civil War Battle of Richmond." [18] In the Battle of Hampton Roads (March 89, 1862), Virginia defeated wooden U.S. Navy ships blockading the harbor of Hampton Roads, Virginia, including the frigates USS Cumberland and USS Congress on March 8, calling into question the viability of any of the wooden ships in the world. https://www.thoughtco.com/battle-of-richmond-104505 (accessed June 28, 2023). Plunder and mob violence roiled the city for two hours until the threat of artillery dispersed the mob. The barge landed at Rocketts, two miles from their destination, Capitol Square. Like most Southern cities, Richmond opposed secession on economic grounds. Federal Identification Number (EIN): 54-1426643. [56], President Lincoln witnessed part of the campaign, having arrived at Fort Monroe on May 6 in the company of Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton and Secretary of the Treasury Salmon P. Chase on the Treasury Department's revenue cutter Miami. McClellan reacted to Keyes's report, as well as to reports of enemy strength near the town of Yorktown, but he also received word that the I Corps, under Maj. Gen. Irvin McDowell, would be withheld for the defense of Washington, instead of joining him on the Peninsula as McClellan had planned. Weitzel wrote "The rebel capitol, fired by men placed in it to defend it, was saved from total destruction by soldiers of the United States, who had taken possession." This huge increase in population had severe consequences. Overcrowding and inflation hit the laboring classes especially hard. Confederate Brigadier General John B. Magruder's defensive position on the Warwick Line caught McClellan by surprise. Gen. George Stoneman in pursuit and ordered Brig. [107], Lee used the month-long pause in McClellan's advance to fortify the defenses of Richmond and extend them south to the James River at Chaffin's Bluff. Official word of the Confederate government's departure was finally announced at 4 o'clock. Word of Richmond's fall had been telegraphed across the United States. No Union soldiers met them, but those on the shore recognized the tall man. Their destination was Eltham's Landing on the south bank of the Pamunkey River across from West Point, a port on the York River, which was the terminus of the Richmond and York River Railroad. Sept. 17 Battle of Antietam . Since the Union capital--Washington D.C.--and the Confederate capital--Richmond--were located a mere 100 miles apart, much of the fighting raged between these two cities. American Civil War: Battle of Cedar Mountain, American Civil War: Battle of Chancellorsville, American Civil War: Major General Patrick Cleburne, American Civil War: Battle of Jonesboro (Jonesborough), American Civil War: Major General Henry Heth, American Civil War: Battle of Harpers Ferry, American Civil War: Lieutenant General John Bell Hood, American Civil War: Battle of Fort Pulaski, American Civil War: Brigadier General David McM. Troops under the command of Maj. Gen. John E. Wool, the elderly commander of Fort Monroe, occupied Norfolk on May 10, encountering little resistance. Nelson and some of his men were able to escape. The First Battle of Manassas is fought near Manassas Junction in northern Virginia, where the Orange and Alexandria Railroad met the Manassas Gap Railroad.
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