The state of Virginia remains divided between Union and Confederate supporters, and today the northwest section of the state strikes out apart from the rest of Virginia. Dissenting Union delegates gather at Washington Hall in Wheeling “to determine a course of action for northwestern Virginia.” Thirty-two counties are represented among the 88 delegates. Athur I.…
Virginia voters (all men, and many of whom are Baptist) today ratify the Ordinance of Secession adopted by the Virginia Convention on April 17. Voters also amend the state constitution to remove a ceiling on the value of enslaved blacks for taxation purposes. Yet the state is divided on secession, as voters in the western…
Virginia’s secession convention convenes in Richmond. At this point, there is no certainty that Virginia will secede from the Union, as Union sentiment is yet strong throughout much of the state. Yet many white Virginians and other white southerners, certain that Lincoln’s goal as president is to grant freedom to black slaves, are preparing to…