Richmond Falls: Union Forces Seize Confederate Capital
Union troops entered Richmond on April 3, 1865, just hours after Jefferson Davis and the Confederate government fled by train. Black soldiers from the 25th Army Corps were among the first to enter the city, marching through streets where enslaved people had been sold. Fires set by retreating Confederates destroyed entire commercial blocks. Abraham Lincoln visited the smoldering capital two days later, walking through the streets with only a small guard while formerly enslaved people knelt before him. The fall of Richmond meant Lee's Army of Northern Virginia had lost its supply base and its reason to fight. Surrender at Appomattox followed six days later.
April 3, 1865
161 years ago
Key Figures & Places
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