"On To Richmond!" cried editors for the New York Tribune in the spring
of 1861. Thereafter, that call became the rallying cry for the North's
eastern armies as they marched, maneuvered, and fought their way toward
the capital of the Confederacy.
Just 100 miles from Washington, DC, Richmond served as a symbol of the
rebellion itself.
Richmond was home to the Confederate Congress, cabinet, president, and
military leadership. And it housed not only the Confederate government
but also some of the Confederacy's most important industry and
infrastructure. The city was filled with prisons, hospitals, factories,
training camps, and government offices.
Through four years of war, armies battled at its doorsteps--and even
penetrated its defenses.
Civilians felt the impact of war in many ways: food shortages, rising
inflation, a bread riot, industrial accidents, and eventually, military
occupation. To this day, the war's legacy remains deeply written into
the city and its history.
On to Richmond!: Richmond During the Civil War by historians Doug
Crenshaw and Robert M. Dunkerly tells the story of the Confederate
capital before, during, and after the Civil War. This guidebook includes
a comprehensive list of places to visit: the battlefields around the
city, museums, historic sites, monuments, cemeteries, historical
preservation groups, and more.
