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
Prussia and the American Civil War Prussia and the American Civil War While trying to unify the various German states under its banner, Prussia was not participating in the American Civil War. However, there were several members of the Prussian military that served as both officers and enlisted men in both armies, as were numerous men who previously immigrated to the United States. There also were official military observers sent to North America to observe the tactics of both armies, which were later studied by future military leaders of Prussia and unified Germany. Among the effects Prussia had on the war was the new saddle used