| The Grand, Old Capitol |
| Jefferson's Masterpiece |
| When the young Commonwealth of Virginia elected to move the capital from Williamsburg to the new city on the fall line of the James, Richmond, it was decided to procure the services of Thomas Jefferson for the design of their capitol. By 1785, the cornerstone was laid on one of the most enchanting buildings in the Nation. The General Assembly met for the first time in her halls in 1788. When hostilities broke out between the Southern States and the Federal government, the Confederate leadership decided it must have the cooperation of Virginia in the impending conflict. They voted to adopt Richmond as the capital of the nation as probably the best insurance to do just that. Jefferson's Capitol would now serve double duty. From 1861 to 1865 it was the home of the legislature of Virginia, as well as the Confederate Congress. The white stucco walls that dominated the skyline would also be the symbolic goal of millions of blue-clad soldiers, and hundreds of thousands of them laid down their lives in the push "On to Richmond." |
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| The Capitol then and now. In the above picture, you see the building as it appeared during The War. The soldiers seen milling about are probably members of Major General Godfrey Weitzel's Union division, some of the first Federal soldiers to make their way into the city after Lee's army retreated from the lines around Petersburg. In the bottom photo you see the Capitol today. An extensive restoration was undertaken early in the 20th Century, and in 1906 the two wings were added. Because of the numerous skyscrapers that now occupy Shockoe Hill and the area surrounding Capitol Square, the building no longer dominates the skyline as it once did. |
| Union soldiers and Richmond refugees in Capitol Square. After the devastation of the Evacuation Fire, hundreds of citizens set up camp on the grounds of the Capitol, mainly because it was one of the only places left in the city that was not a smouldering ruin. |
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| The Washington Statue in Capitol Square. This was a relatively new monument at the outbreak of The War, having only been unveiled a few years previous. It became the basis for the Great Seal of the Confederacy in later years. The statue can faintly be seen in the background of the photo above. |
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| The Old Customs House just south of Capitol Square. This was the home to many of the cabinet offices of the Confederate government during The War. Due to the occupation of Richmond by the national and state governments, all of the buildings surrounding the capitol were jammed with officals and clerks from the Secretary of War all the way down to the lowliest aides, all of whom had to find whatever space was available. And, there wasn't much! Today, the original facade of the Customs House was incorporated into the first three floors of the Federal Court of Appeals here in Richmond (to right). |
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| Looking west on Grace Street from Capitol Square. St. Pauls Church is the first building on the left side of the road. Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee, and many of the other shining stars of the Confederacy could be seen in the pews of St. Pauls on a Sunday morning. Davis was here on April 1, 1865 when he was handed a dispatch from Lee informing him that the Petersburg lines were about to fall and Richmond had to be evacuated. Today, there are stained glass memorials, as well as numerous plaques in honor of the distiguished flock that have been members of this historic church. In the background of the photo at right, you see some of the homes that lined Grace Street at the time. This was on the northern end of the upper class suburbs of Richmond. As you can see in the above picture, today, the area is crowded with skyscrapers and office buildings. |
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| The Bell Tower. The bells on the Capitol grounds served as the alarm for the City of Richmond. Whether it was a fire, an attack or mryiad other emergencies, the sound of these chimes would set the hearts of Richmond's citizens to racing. Perhaps the most famous alarm of The War occured on April 21, 1861, the famous "Pawnee Sunday". When rumours circulated that the Federal warship, USS Pawnee was ascending the James River to bombard Richmond into submission, the tocsin was sounded calling out the militia. Hundreds of men rushed to the armories and grabbed muskets then boarded steamers and headed downstream to intercept. Citizens lined the shores at Rockett's Landing, some carrying nothing more than a a few stones with which to fight off the renegade gunboat. It was a false alarm! The Pawnee was nowhere near the shores of Virginia, much less steaming for the city. Months later, Richmonders would look back and laugh at their ignorance, they too had become veterans of war. When the Union armies laid siege to Richmond and Petersburg in 1864, the emergencies came so fast and furious, and the tocsin at Capitol Square rang out so often, that many in the city no longer even took notice. |
| The Bell Tower as it appears today. |
| Three Honored Virginians |
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| William "Extra Billy" Smith An ante-bellum politician, Smith rose through the ranks of Lee's Army of Northern Virginia to become a Major General. His popularity amongst his fellow soldiers of the Old Dominion was such that in the last year of the War Smith was elected govenor of the State. His poise, stature and prestige was an inspiration. Perhaps the greatest eulogy possible to be paid a mortal man is inscribed on the base of the statue. "He was a Virginian of Virginians." |
| Along the northern side of the Capitol building are memorials to these three famous Virginians. Jackso is a household name, but the other two have, unfortuanely, been more obscure through the years. |
| Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson This statue was presented to the State of Virginia by the English in recognition of the fame of one of The Commonwealth's most illustrious sons. |
| Dr. Hunter McGuire Though a relative unknown today, Dr. McGuire was at the forefront of his profession in the 1800's. He founded the institute that is today Medical College of Virginia. During The War, he served as the chief surgeon of Jackson's Second Army Corp, and was the doctor who performed the amputation of Stonewall's arm during the Battle of Chancellorsville when his commander was severly wounded. After the conflict McGuire would eclipse his wartime fame when he became the President of the American Medical Association. |