When the war began four years ago, Richmond, soon to become the Confederate capital, had a larger number of enslaved African Americans–some 500,000–than any other city in America. Today, the fourth day of freedom in Richmond, the city’s newly-freed blacks hold a “jubilee celebration” at the First African Baptist Church, the celebration including soldiers of…
Freedom comes to the Confederate capital this day, although many of the white citizens yet remaining in the city see anything but freedom. As the sun dawns, vast destruction stretches as far as the eye can see. Worse yet, soldiers in blue are approaching the city. As one eyewitness, white Richmond resident Sallie Putnam, observes:…
Today Union General James H. Wilson, commanding some 13,000 cavalry, launches a weeks-long raid targeting Confederate infrastructure in central Alabama. The few remaining Rebel forces in the state offer no significant resistance as Wilson’s horsemen sweep across the state. The largest cavalry raid of the war, Wilson’s offensive transpires at a time when the Confederacy’s…