Richmond in the American Civil War Richmond in the American Civil War Richmond, Virginia, served as the capital of the Confederate States of America for almost the whole of the American Civil War. It was a vital source of weapons and supplies for the war effort, and the terminus of five railroads. The Union made many attempts to invade Richmond. In the Peninsula Campaign of 1862, General George McClellan moved up the James River, almost to the suburbs of the city, but was beaten back by Robert E. Lee in the Seven Days Battles. In 1864-5, General U.S. Grant laid siege to nearby Petersburg, whose evacuation
Foreign enlistment in the American Civil War South, as well as the enticement to profiteer from the war by supplying the South, meant that the Confederate agent operated openly from the Globe Hotel in St. George's, while the US Government's consul was attacked in the street and had his flagpole cut down on the 4th of July. Many Bermudians earned fortunes handling supplies to the South, or, like Thomas Leslie Outerbridge, crewing blockade runners. Another prominent volunteer was the Scotland-born, Captain William Watson. Foreign enlistment in the American Civil War Foreign enlistment in the American Civil War largely favored the Union, which was far more successful in