Virginia Vignettes

How Did Weather Affect the Civil War?

EV — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 12:00:07 +0000

Weather was influential in shaping events during the American Civil War (1861–1865). For instance, concerns about weather helped determine overall strategy as well as tactics on the battlefield. Generals looked to the skies to decide when to begin spring campaigns, cursed at flooded rivers for impeding progress, and pushed their men to endure the extremes of the Southern climate. Weather also colored the war experience for soldiers and civilians. Becoming a veteran soldier meant being seasoned by the weather as much as being transformed by combat. Meanwhile, men and women in Virginia and across the nation religiously recorded meteorological events in diaries, letters, and newspapers, knowing how decisive this force of nature, so completely beyond human control, could be on wartime events.

Meteorologically, the Civil War took place at the tail end of what is often termed the “Little Ice Age,” a period of general cooling and unpredictability that most scholars date from roughly 1310 to 1850. Despite what its name suggests, the Little Ice Age actually encompassed dramatic fluctuations in weather, with one year bringing an intensely cold winter and easterly winds, and the next heavy rains and raging heat. On the whole, conditions began to warm after 1850, but during the war Virginia experienced extreme precipitation and alternate periods of blazing heat and bitter cold.

What Virginian Was Known As “Old Fuss and Feathers”?

EV — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 13:07:36 +0000

Winfield Scott was a hero of the Mexican War (1846–1848), the last Whig Party candidate for U.S. president, and commanding general of the United States Army at the start of the American Civil War (1861–1865). Known as “Old Fuss and Feathers” for his equal love of discipline and pomp, Scott by 1861 had served in the military for more than fifty years and under fourteen U.S. presidents. He had been severely wounded in battle, avoided several wars with his diplomatic skills, and commanded the army that conquered Mexico City in 1847, all of which made him the most admired and famous soldier in America. Less well known is the fact that Scott was convicted by court-martial for conduct unbecoming an officer, was investigated by a court of inquiry, once was accused of treason, and several times offered his resignation from the army. When the Civil War began, the Dinwiddie County native remained loyal to the Union, and while age had so reduced his once-towering frame that he could no longer even mount a horse, his ego and intellect were still intact. Scott eventually lost control of the army to George B. McClellan. He soon retired, published a two-volume memoir in 1864, and died in 1866.

What Confederate Cavalryman Rode His Way to Hero Status?

EV — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 17:24:30 +0000

J. E. B. Stuart, popularly known by his nickname “Jeb,” was the chief of cavalry of the Army of Northern Virginia during the American Civil War (1861–1865). Stuart participated in the capture of John Brown at Harpers Ferry in 1859, and earned confederate hero status in 1862 when he led 1,200 troopers in a famous ride around Union general George B. McClellan’s Army of the Potomac. In particular, he was praised for his ability to gather intelligence and act as Robert E. Lee’s “eyes and ears,” leading a second long ride later that year. At Chancellorsville (1863), Stuart temporarily led Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson’s corps when both Jackson and A. P. Hill were wounded, and helped to push Joseph Hooker’s forces back across the Rappahannock River.

Stuart cultivated himself as the epitome of Virginia’s mythical Cavalier, sporting a long beard and a plumed hat. He enjoyed staging elaborate reviews like the two near Brandy Station, Virginia, in June 1863. The day after the second review, Stuart’s troopers fended off a surprise attack in the largest cavalry battle of the war, but soon after, another long ride around the Union army failed, hampering Lee’s intelligence at the Battle of Gettysburg (1863). Stuart was wounded at the Battle of Yellow Tavern and died one day later on May 12, 1864.

What Was Richmond Like During The Civil War?

admin — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 12:11:00 +0000

Richmond, Virginia, was the capital of the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War (1861–1865). It also served as the capital of Virginia, although when the city was about to fall to Union armies in April 1865, the governor and General Assembly moved their offices to Lynchburg for five days. 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. It boasted a diversified economy that included grain milling and iron manufacturing, with the keystone of the local economy being the massive Tredegar Iron Works. From the start of war, Confederate citizens flocked to the capital seeking safety and jobs, leading to periodic civil unrest, manifested most notably in the Bread Riot of April 1863. 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 war’s Eastern Theater. In a sense, its success—especially in mobilizing, outfitting, and feeding the Confederate armies—predestined it to near-destruction in 1865. Images of the city’s ruins have become iconic representations of the cost of war.

What Was the Battle of the Crater?

EV — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 15:10:04 +0000

The Battle of the Crater was the result of an unusual attempt, on the part of Union forces, to break through the Confederate defenses just south of the critical railroad hub of Petersburg, Virginia, during the American Civil War (1861–1865). For several weeks, Pennsylvania miners in Union general Ambrose E. Burnside’s Ninth Corps worked at digging a long tunnel, packed the terminus with explosives, and then on the morning of July 30, 1864, blew it up. In the words of a Maine soldier, the sky was filled with “Earth, stones, timbers, arms, legs, guns unlimbered and bodies unlimbed.” The task of stepping into the breach —literally via a short straw—went to James H. Ledlie, a hard-drinking political general who spent the day well behind the lines as his soldiers piled into the explosion’s deep crater rather than go around it. Unable to escape, and followed by Burnside’s other three divisions, they turned into what one New Hampshire soldier described as “a mass of worms crawling over each other”—easy targets for Confederates. The battle was a Union disaster. Although Congress later blamed Meade for the loss, it was Ledlie and Burnside who lost their commands.

When Was the Capital of Virginia Located in Lynchburg?

admin — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 14:19:34 +0000

After the fall of Richmond in April 1865, the state government briefly relocated to Lynchburg for four days. Lynchburg, which is located just east of the Blue Ridge Mountains on the banks of the James River, was founded by John Lynch, who established a ferry service there in 1757. On the eve of the American Civil War (1861–1865), Lynchburg was Virginia’s sixth-largest city and a major transportation center, with access to the James River and Kanawha Canal, as well as the Virginia and Tennessee, the Southside, and the Orange and Alexandria railroads. In addition, the city was a major manufacturer of plug tobacco and, by the 1850s, the second-wealthiest city per capita in the United States. During the war, Lynchburg women established the Ladies’ Relief Hospital, and the Confederate military made the city a major hub of supplies and transport, which Union troops attempted to disrupt at the Battle of Lynchburg in June 1864. When Union forces chased renegade remnants of Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia into the town shortly after the Confederate surrender on April 9, they found a city on the verge of chaos and civic leaders who were eager to make peace.

What Virginian Won Five Navy Crosses?

admin — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 14:17:42 +0000

Lewis Burwell “Chesty” Puller, whose barrel chest and blunt manner inspired his nickname, was a thirty-seven-year veteran of the United States Marine Corps who rose from enlisted man to the rank of lieutenant general. Puller was born in West Point, Virginia, on June 26, 1898. A second cousin of General George S. Patton and the grandson of a Confederate veteran, he enrolled at the Virginia Military Institute in 1917 but left after a year with hopes of fighting in World War I.

The most-decorated Marine in history, he earned five Navy Crosses, the U.S. Navy’s second-highest decoration, for fighting in Nicaragua, at Guadalcanal and in New Guinea during the World War II, and at the Chosin Reservoir during the Korean War.

Puller was loved by enlisted men for his constant actions to improve their lot–so much so that even now, many Marines end the day with “Goodnight, Chesty, wherever you are.”

After Puller and his wife retired to a quiet life in rural Virginia, he always welcomed all passing or visiting Marines in his home and would gladly talk to them about the Marine Corps. Puller died on October 11, 1971, at the age of seventy-three and was buried in Saluda, in Middlesex County, Virginia.

What Does Virginia Have To Do with the Bill of Rights?

admin — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 12:00:38 +0000

The America we know today is forever in debt to a pivotal decision made on December 15, 1791. On this day, the Bill of Rights, drafted by Virginian James Madison, went into effect as a vote of ratification came from Virginia, the 10^th and final state to do so to gain the necessary two-thirds approval. Madison drew upon the ideas put forth by another famous Virginian, George Mason, in the Virginia Declaration of Rights, which also strongly influenced Virginian Thomas Jefferson in writing the first part of the Declaration of Independence.

Bill of Rights is the name by which the first ten amendments to the United States Constitution are known; these amendments have profoundly affected our legal system and the definition of individual rights. The Bill of Rights plays a central role in American law and government, and remains a fundamental symbol of the freedoms and culture of the nation.

For a free copy of The Bill of Rights, The Courts, and the Law, 3^rd Edition, published by the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities, 1999, email Sheryl@virginia.edu.

What is Colonial Williamsburg?

EV — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 12:50:44 +0000

Colonial Williamsburg is the restored and reconstructed historic area of Williamsburg, Virginia, a small city between the York and James rivers that was founded in 1632, designated capital of the English colony in 1698, and bestowed with a royal charter in 1722. It was a center of political activity before and during the American Revolution (1775–1783)—where George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Patrick Henry debated taxes, slavery, and the inalienable rights of men—and has since become the site of an ambitious restoration project launched in the 1930s and funded largely by the family of John D. Rockefeller Jr. With many of its historic structures rebuilt and with interpreters reenacting eighteenth-century life, Colonial Williamsburg has become a landmark in the history of the American preservation movement. More than that, though, the project serves as a self-conscious shrine of American ideals. The history and legacy of slavery, once downplayed at Williamsburg, is now dealt with openly—interpreters are both white and African American—but the focus remains on information about democracy, freedom, and representative government.

For Additional Reading:

Greenspan, Anders. Creating Colonial Williamsburg. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, 2002.
Kopper, Philip. Colonial Williamsburg. New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1986.
Rouse, Park, Jr. Remembering Williamsburg: A Sentimental Journey through Three Centuries. Richmond, Va.: Dietz Press, 1989.

Are There Castles in Virginia?

vignettes — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 11:57:40 +0000

Bacon’s Castle is the oldest datable brick residence in Virginia, a rare surviving example of Jacobean architecture in America. Built in 1665 by immigrant Arthur Allen, a supporter of the colonial governor and member of the House of Burgesses, Allen was driven from his house in 1676 when Nathaniel Bacon and men staged an uprising in Virginia against the Colonial government. After burning Jamestown to the ground, Bacon’s forces retreated to Gloucester. He sent William Rookings and seventy men to establish a stronghold in Surry County. Rookings took over Arthur Allen’s home and occupied it for four months. The men ate Allen’s cattle and depleted his stock of wine. The Rebellion came to an end when Bacon died of an illness at his headquarters in Gloucester. His men deserted their posts at the house, allowing the family to return. Allen later sued the men who had occupied the house for the damages incurred. The name Bacon’s Castle is not one Allen would have endorsed. However, by the late nineteenth century, the name became popular. Bacon’s Castle was restored and opened to the public in 1983.

Virginia Vignettes

How Did Weather Affect the Civil War?

Further Reading

What Virginian Was Known As “Old Fuss and Feathers”?

Further Reading

What Confederate Cavalryman Rode His Way to Hero Status?

Further Reading

What Was Richmond Like During The Civil War?

Further Reading

What Was the Battle of the Crater?

Further Reading

When Was the Capital of Virginia Located in Lynchburg?

Further Reading

What Virginian Won Five Navy Crosses?

Further Reading

What Does Virginia Have To Do with the Bill of Rights?

What is Colonial Williamsburg?

For Additional Reading:

Are There Castles in Virginia?

Additional Resources: