Virginia in the American Civil War Virginia in the American Civil War The Commonwealth of Virginia became a prominent part of the Confederate States of America when it joined the Confederacy during the American Civil War. As a Southern slave-holding state, Virginia held a state convention to deal with the secession crisis, and voted against secession on April 4, 1861. Opinion shifted after April 15, when U.S. President Abraham Lincoln called for troops from all states still in the Union to put down the rebellion, following the capture of Fort Sumter, and the Virginia convention voted to declare secession from the Union. A Unionist government was
Rhode Island in the American Civil War D.C. in time to help repel Jubal Early's raid on the capital in the summer of 1864. William Rogers Taylor was Fleet Captain of the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron in 1863. He participated in attacks on the Confederate fortifications protecting Charleston, South Carolina. He then commanded the steam sloop "Juniata" during 1864-65 and took part in the operations that led to the capture of Fort Fisher, North Carolina. Notes Further reading Rhode Island in the American Civil War The state of Rhode Island during the American Civil War remained loyal to the Union, as did the other states of New