Embattled Capital: A Guide to Richmond During the Civil War

Emerging Civil War

by Robert M. Dunkerly, Doug Crenshaw

“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 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 the battlefields around the city, museums, historic sites, monuments, cemeteries, historical preservation groups, and more.

Genres: American Civil War

192 pages, Paperback

Published January 12, 2021

About the author

Bert Dunkerly is a historian, award-winning author, and speaker who is actively involved in historic preservation and research. He holds a degree in History from St. Vincent College and a Masters in Historic Preservation from Middle Tennessee State University. He has worked at nine historic sites, written nine books, including Redcoats on the Cape Fear, about the Revolution in Wilmington. His research includes archaeology, colonial life, military history, and historic commemoration. Dunkerly is currently a Park Ranger at Richmond National Battlefield Park. He has visited over 400 battlefields and over 700 historic sites worldwide. When not reading or writing, he enjoys hiking, camping, and photography.

Reviews

[W. Charles Young]

This selection from the Emerging Civil War series is definitely designed to be a tour guide. A couple of the initial chapters provide some narrative, but the bulk of the book is for touring. As a guide, it covers everything about Richmond related to the war. As such, it is recommended.

[Terry]

The latest entry in the Emerging Civil War series provides a valuable resource for you to take with you when you visit the Richmond area. This is a great overview of not only the sites that exist today, but also provides information about sites lost to time and development. An important addition to not only the ECW series, but also for the self-guided visitor.

[Eric Burroughs]

A good list of sites to see in Richmond with some basic information.

[Pat Phelps]

Really enjoyed learning about all that Richmond offers the Civil War enthusiasts, but this book really is just a guide to all the things to see and do, related to the war, in Richmond. The book is well done and would be a huge help to anyone going to Richmond.