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What Richmond, VA looked like in the 1860s Through these Rare Historical Photos

Richmond had almost 38,000 residents in 1860, including 11,739 enslaved people, and it reached over 100,000 by 1863, although no census was taken during the war. Some estimates place the number between 130,000 and 150,000 by 1865. Severe consequences accompanied the tremendous increase in population. Local police forces were small, and they could not control the crime wave until the war ended. Gambling dens and prostitution houses flourished in the city even after Confederate general John H. Winder took control in February 1862, while rival juvenile gangs threatened locals with petty robbery and assault. Laboring classes were significantly affected by overcrowding and inflation. Even though wages rose throughout the period, consumer prices continued to rise. Due to this social powder keg, the Richmond Bread Riot finally exploded on April 2, 1863. Most of the women worked in the city’s government bureaus and factories. They marched to the Executive Mansion to meet with Virginia governor John L. Letcher to celebrate their right to live. By the time the crowd reached the business district, hundreds of others had joined the crowd in anger at his rebuff. The artillery threat dispersed the mob after two hours of plunder and mob violence. Although the Bread Riot sobered local and Confederate officials, it also highlighted the desperate state of some in the city.

During the American Civil War, Richmond, Virginia, was the capital of the Confederate States of America. It served as the capital of Virginia, although the governor and General Assembly moved to Lynchburg for five days when the city was about to fall to Union forces in April 1865. Richmond was not only the political capital of the Confederacy but also a rail and industry hub, as well as a prisoner-of-war camp and Libby Prison. Tredegar ironworks was the keystone of the local economy, with grain milling and iron manufacturing also contributing to its success. The Bread Riot of April 1863 was one of several civil disturbances triggered by Confederate citizens flocking to the capital for safety and jobs from the start of the war. The Eastern Theater of the war was primarily fought in Richmond due to its economic and political importance and proximity to the government’s capital. This success-especially its ability to mobilize, outfit, and feed the Confederate armies in 1865-predestined its near destruction. Confederates essentially caused that destruction, although images of the city’s ruins are iconic representations of war’s toll.

Here are some stunning historical photos that show Richmon during and after the Civil War.

#1 View from Libby Hill looking west on Main Street, 1860s

#2 Rocketts and south side of James River from Libby Hill, 1863

#3 Richmond, Va. Residence of Jefferson Davis (1201 East Clay Street); a closer view, 1860

#4 View of James River and part of city of Richmond looking west from Libby Hill, 1863

#7 Washington Monument, Capitol Square, Richmond, Va, 1861

Washington Monument, Capitol Square, Richmond, Va, 1861

The equestrian statue of George Washington at the Washington Monument in Capitol Square Park. The smaller pedestals below hold statues of Patrick Henry, George Mason, and Thomas Jefferson. The spire of St. Paul's Church is on the left.

#8 The three story home of General Robert E. Lee in Richmond, Virginia, 1865

#10 Group of African American men and women in front of the church on Broad Street in Richmond, 1864

#12 Ruins of Richmond and Petersburg Railroad Bridge, James River, Richmond, 1864

#13 Saint John’s Church, Richmond, Virginia, where Patrick Henry delivered his famous speech, 1860

#15 A view of Rocketts and the south side of the James River from Libby Hill in Richmond, Virginia, 1862

#16 Buildings at the wharf at Rocketts Landing on the south side of the James River in Richmond, Virginia, 1863

#17 A city in the distance across the river, Richmond, 1863

#18 Looking westward up James River, Richmond, Virginia, 1863

#20 Dock on south side of James River, opposite Richmond, 1864

#21 James River and Kanawha Canal near the Haxall Flour Mills, and ruins of Gallego Mills in the distance, 1863

#24 A crowd gathered for the Confederate Celebration at the Virginia State Capitol celebrating the victory at the first battle of Manassas, 1861

#25 Four soldiers in front of the Monumental Church at 1224 E. Broad Street in Richmond, 1865

#28 Agroup of people including a child and a man holding on to a horse next to tents in front of Libby Prison, a Confederate military prison established in 1861.

#29 Group portrait of General George Sykes and his staff in front of a tent, 1862

#30 Soldiers, horses, and mounted cannons from Captain James M. Robertson’s 2nd U.S. Artillery, 1862

#31 The main eastern theater of war, the Peninsular Campaign, May-August 1862.

#32 The main eastern theater of war, the Peninsular Campaign, 1862

#33 Old “Libby Prison” building, Richmond, Va, 1863

#35 The ruins of the Richmond and Petersburg railroad bridge in the yard where the Confederate artillery was manufactured, 1863

#36 Soldiers, other people, and tents of Confederates outside of Libby Prison, Richmond, Virginia, 1863

#38 View of “Rocketts” & James River, Richmond, 1863

#41 The Tradegar Iron Works, a major producer of cannons for the Confederacy during the war, 1860

#42 A crowd gathered in front of the Washington Monument in Richmond, Virginia, 1860

#43 A large crowd including uniformed soldiers gathered in front of the Washington Monument in Richmond, Virginia, 1860

#44 A group standing around a frozen fountain in Capitol Square, near the Washington Monument in Richmond, Virginia, 1860

#45 The Virginia Washington Monument in Capitol Square in Richmond, Virginia with the spire of St. Paul’s Church on the left, 1860

#46 Men and a horse next to tents in front of Libby Prison, Richmond, Virginia, 1863

#47 A view of a busy street scene in Richmond, Virginia, 1865

#48 A street view of the Spotswood Hotel in Richmond, Virginia, 1861

#49 The Gallego Flour Mill on the James River before the fall of Richmond in 1865

#50 Three people in front of the home of General Robert E. Lee, at 707 E. Franklin Street in Richmond, Virginia, 1861

#51 Treasury building, now National Bank of Virginia, 1861

#52 The Virginia State Penetentiary on Gamble’s Hill in Richmond, Virginia, 1861

#53 Richmond, Va. Captured siege guns at Rocketts; different view, 1865

#54 Aerial view of Richmond, Virginia, showing ruins of buildings in the “Burnt District, 1865

#55 The church yard surrounding St. John’s Church in Richmond, Virginia, 1865

#56 Monumental Church at 1224 E. Broad Street, in Richmond, Virginia, 1865

#57 A commercial area along Main Street in Richmond, Virginia, 1860s

#58 An aerial view of Richmond before the evacuation of the Confederates in 1865.

#60 View of the Lynchburgh (i.e. Lynchburg) Canal, and the ruins of the Danville railroad depot, Richmond, 1865

#61 View on the Lynchburgh (i.e. Lynchburg) Canal, near the Haxall Flour Mills, Richmond, 1865

#62 Arsenal grounds, Richmond, showing ruins and shot and shell scattered around, 1865.

#63 View of Richmond Va., at the close of the rebellion, 1865

#65 Ruins at Richmond, Va., canal in foreground, ruins in background, 1865

#66 Ruins of the Exchange Bank (Main Street) with the facade nearly intact, 1865

#67 The main eastern theater of war, fallen Richmond, 1865

#68 Grave of Gen. J.E.B. Stuart in Hollywood Cemetery, with temporary marker, 1865

#69 Richmond, Va. Crowd before headquarters of the U.S. Christian Commission, 1865

#72 The main eastern theater of war, fallen Richmond, 1864

#73 The main eastern theater of war, fallen Richmond, April 1864

#74 Captured Whitworth gun on wharf awaiting shipment, 1864

#75 Moore Hospital (Confederate) Main Street, Richmond, 1864

#77 The Old Stone House (“Washington’s headquarters,” 1916 East Main Street, 1865

#78 Barrels and dinghies on the dock at Rockett’s Landing, 1865

#79 Belle Isle, James River, Richmond, Va., April, 1865

#81 Headquarters U.S. Christian Commission, Richmond, Va., April, 1865

#83 Headquarters U.S. Sanitary Commission, Richmond, Va., April, 1865

#84 A group of people including soldiers standing outside Libby Prison in Richmond, Virginia, 1869

#85 A damaged smokestack from the Confederate ram “Virginia No. 2” full of holes from Union gunshots, and further damaged by the Confederates before their evacuation of the city, 1864

#86 An aerial view of Rocketts Landing on the James River in Richmond, Virginia, 1864

#87 An exterior view of the site of the Confederate military prison, 1861

#89 View of Richmond, at the close of the rebellion, 1860s

#90 An aerial view of ruins along a street in Richmond, Virginia, 1861

#91 Ruins of the State Arsenal along the canal in Richmond, Virginia, 1861

#92 A group of men seated in the portico of the governor’s mansion in Richmond, 1861

#93 A ship building facility in a rural area near Richmond, Virginia, 1861

#94 A view of Capitol Square Park in downtown Richmond. The Virginia state capitol building is on the right, 1861

#95 West facade of the Virginia State Capitol building in Capitol Square Park in Richmond, Virginia, 1861

#96 Ruins of Petersburg and Richmond railroad bridge, across the James, 1864

#97 A group of people gathered outside Libby Prison, an old tobacco warehouse and former Confederate military prison, now held by the Union Army, 1866

#98 View on canal, near Crenshaw’s Mill, Richmond, Virginia, 1866

#99 Washington Monument, Capitol Square, Richmond with the spire of St. Paul’s Church on left, 1868

#101 Man standing on shore overlooking ruins of bridge with ruins of city in background, Richmond, 1865

#102 Richmond and Petersburg R.R. Bridge, James River, Richmond, 1865

#103 Grounds of Virginia state capitol in Richmond with capitol building in the distance, 1865

#104 Cannon with two soldiers and a civilian awaiting shipment on a wharf in Richmond, Virginia, 1865

#105 Two Union soldiers standing amid the cannons and caissons captured by the Union near Rocketts in Richmond, Virginia, 1865

#106 Two soldiers standing amid the cannons and caissons captured by the Union near Rocketts in Richmond, Virginia, 1865

#107 A group of men standing inside and outside of a stone house located at 1916 E. Main Street, Richmond, 1865

#108 An aerial view of demolished buildings after the Confederates abandoned the city in 1865.

#109 A group in front of the Virginia State Capitol in Richmond, Virginia, 1865

#110 A street view of the Spotswood Hotel in Richmond, Virginia, 1865

#111 Castle Thunder on Cary Street in Richmond where Union soldiers were confined during the Civil War, 1865

#112 A man standing in front of Libby Prison, a Confederate facility in Richmond, Virginia, 1860

#113 Union soldiers and a civilian standing on and near a locomotive at the Richmond and Petersburg Railroad Depot which was destroyed by Confederate troops as they fled the city, 1865

Union soldiers and a civilian standing on and near a locomotive at the Richmond and Petersburg Railroad Depot which was destroyed by Confederate troops as they fled the city, 1865

Over 700 buildings in Richmond were destroyed including the one behind the locomotive.

#114 Captured Confederate cannons at Rocketts Landing in Richmond in the process of being shipped to Fort Monroe, 1865

#116 Confederate mounted cannons at Rocketts Landing in Richmond, 1865

#118 The ruins of the former Virginia State Armory along the canal in Richmond, Virginia after the Confederates abandoned the city, 1865

#119 An exterior view of the site of the Confederate military prison with a group of people standing outside, 1865

#120 Exterior view of the prison with people milling about in the prison yard, Richmond, 1865

#121 Washington monument, in the Capitol grounds, Richmond, 1865

#122 Ruins of the burnt district, from the canal basin, Richmond, 1865

#123 Arsenal grounds, Richmond, Va., showing ruins and shot and shell scattered around. 1865.

#124 View from the Petersburgh railroad Depot, Richmond, Va., looking south-west, showing a portion of the burnt district, and Gamble Hill in the distance, 1865.

#126 People mingling on the street outside of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church on Grace Street in Richmond, Virginia, 1865

#127 An aerial view of the “burnt district” in Richmond, taken from the old arsenal. The James River in background, 1865

#128 The prison on Cary Street in Richmond, Virginia, 1865

#129 Charles H. Page’s Coal and Wood business operating near the brick warehouse that was formerly Castle Thunder, a Civil War prison in Richmond, 1864

#130 An aerial view of the “burnt district” in Richmond, taken from the old arsenal, 1865

#131 An aerial view of the “burnt district” in Richmond, taken from the old arsenal, 1865

#132 Ruins of Richmond & Petersburg Railroad depot, 1865

#133 Grave of Confederate cavalry General James E.B. Stuart in Hollywood Cemetery, Richmond, 1864

#134 A street view of the Confederate military prison in Richmond, Virginia, 1865

#137 Statue of George Washington on horseback on top of a monument in the Capitol Square area of Richmond, Virginia, 1865

#140 A Union guard standing next to Castle Thunder, a Confederate military prison in Richmond, Virginia, 1865

#141 Union soldiers pull a fire engine from a garage designated Petersburg artillery, 1865

#142 Captured guns at Richmond ready for transportation to Washington, May, 1865

#144 Richmond, looking across canal basin, Capitol and Custom House in distance, 1865

#145 Two soldiers, three boys and piles of cannonballs among ruins, 1865

#146 Ruins of paper mill and railroad bridge, Richmond, 1865

#147 Ruins in Richmond, cor. Carey and Governor Sts, 1865

#148 Corner Governor and Cary Streets, Richmond, May 1865

#151 Wheels and burned railroad cars near Richmond & Petersburg Railroad station, 1865

#152 The main eastern theater of war, fallen Richmond, April 1865

#153 Va. Franklin Street, including the residence of Gen. Robert E. Lee (second from left), 1865.

#154 The main eastern theater of war, fallen Richmond, April-June 1865. This photograph shows African American man and little girl with white children in front of the church.

#155 The main eastern theater of war, fallen Richmond, April, 1865

#156 The main eastern theater of war, fallen Richmond, 1865

#157 The main eastern theater of war, fallen Richmond, 1865

#158 Richmond, Va. St. John’s Church from graveyard, 1865.

#159 The main eastern theater of war, fallen Richmond, 1865

#160 The main eastern theater of war, fallen Richmond, 1865

#161 The main eastern theater of war, fallen Richmond, 1865

#162 The main eastern theater of war, fallen Richmond, 1865

#163 The main eastern theater of war, fallen Richmond, April 1865

#164 The main eastern theater of war, fallen Richmond, 1865

#165 The main eastern theater of war, fallen Richmond, April 1865

#166 The main eastern theater of war, fallen Richmond, April 1865

#167 The main eastern theater of war, fallen Richmond, April 1865

#168 The main eastern theater of war, fallen Richmond, April 1865

#169 The main eastern theater of war, fallen Richmond, April 1865

#170 The main eastern theater of war, fallen Richmond, 1865

#171 Richmond, Va. Ruined buildings in the burned district, 1864

#172 Ruins of Richmond & Petersburg Railroad bridge; south bank of the James beyond, 1865

#173 Ruins of Richmond & Petersburg Railroad bridge, 1865

#175 The main eastern theater of war, fallen Richmond, 1864

#176 The main eastern theater of war, fallen Richmond, April 1864

#177 The main eastern theater of war, fallen Richmond, 1864

#178 The main eastern theater of war, fallen Richmond, 1864

#179 Guns and ruined buildings near the Tredegar Iron Works, 1864

#180 The main eastern theater of war, fallen Richmond, 1864

#181 The main eastern theater of war, fallen Richmond, 1864

#182 Piles of solid shot, canister, etc., in the Arsenal grounds; Richmond & Petersburg Railroad bridge at right, 1864

#183 The main eastern theater of war, fallen Richmond, 1864

#184 The main eastern theater of war, fallen Richmond, 1864

#185 View on James River and Kanawha Canal near the Haxall Flour Mills; ruins of the Gallego Mills beyond, 1864

#186 The main eastern theater of war, fallen Richmond, 1864. This photograph shows Canal Bridge at foot of 7th Street, Richmond. Shows African American children standing on the bridge.

#187 The main eastern theater of war, fallen Richmond, April 1864

#188 The main eastern theater of war, fallen Richmond, 1864

#189 Richmond, Va. Ruins of the Southern Express Office (Carey Street), 1865.

#190 The main eastern theater of war, fallen Richmond, 1865

#191 Richmond, Va. Henry Clay memorial on the Capitol grounds, 1865

#192 The main eastern theater of war, fallen Richmond, 1865

#193 Brevet Major General Chas. Devens and staff, Richmond, 1865

#194 Ruins of Richmond and Petersburg R.R. bridge, Richmond, 1864

#195 Captured Confederate artillery, on the docks at Richmond, 1864

#196 Pontoon bridges across James River at Richmond, 1864

#197 View with ruins from Gambles Hill, Richmond, 1864

#198 View from Gamble’s Hill, Richmond, Va., April, 1865

#199 Wagon train of U.S. Military Telegraph Corps, Richmond, Va., April, 1865

#200 Richmond, Va. General view, with ruins, from Gambles Hill, 1865

#201 The main eastern theater of war, fallen Richmond, April 1865

#202 The main eastern theater of war, fallen Richmond, 1865

#203 The main eastern theater of war, fallen Richmond, 1865

#204 The main eastern theater of war, fallen Richmond, 1865

#205 The main eastern theater of war, fallen Richmond, 1865

#209 The main eastern theater of war, fallen Richmond, 1865

#211 View taken from south side of Canal Basin, Richmond, Va., showing Capitol, Customs House, etc., April, 1865

#212 Northeastern suburbs of Richmond, Va., April, 1865

#213 Richmond, Virginia, April, 1865, looking westward, 1865

#214 A soldier standing amid a pile of cannon balls and cannon barrels with ruins of the city in the distance, 1865

#215 View taken from south side of Canal Basin, Richmond, Va., April, 1865, showing Capitol, Custom House, etc.

#216 Two boats stacked next to supplies with the wharf in the distance, 1865

#217 Captured Confederate artillery on docks at Rocketts, 1865

#218 Views of Libby Prison, Richmond, Va., April, 1865

#220 View on the canal docks, Richmond, Virginia, April, 1865

#221 View of “Rocketts” and the James River, Richmond, Va., April, 1865

#222 View on the dock on south side of James River opposite Rocketts, Richmond, Va., April, 1865

#223 House occupied by Jefferson Davis, Richmond, Va., April, 1865

#225 Pontoon bridges across James River at Richmond, Va., April, 1865

#226 Pontoon bridges across James River.photographed April, 1865,

#228 Ruins of Richmond and Petersburg Railroad Bridge, Richmond, Va., April, 1865

#229 Ruins of Richmond and Petersburg Railroad Bridge, Richmond, Va., April, 1865

#230 Views of ruins of the Arsenal, Richmond, Virginia, April, 1865

#231 Ruins on the Canal Basin, Richmond, Va., April, 1865

#232 Ruins of Gallego Flour Mills, Richmond, Va., April, 1865

#233 Interior of court-yard, Castle Thunder, Richmond, Va., April, 1865

#234 The State Penitentiary, Richmond, Va., April, 1865

#235 Ruins on Carey Street, Richmond, Va., April, 1865

#236 Ruins near arsenal and Tredegar Iron Works, Richmond, Va., April, 1865

#238 A soldier standing by a pile of cannon barrels and cannon balls with the ruins of the city in the distance, 1863

A soldier standing by a pile of cannon barrels and cannon balls with the ruins of the city in the distance, 1863

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Written by Aung Budhh

Husband + Father + librarian + Poet + Traveler + Proud Buddhist. I love you with the breath, the smiles and the tears of all my life.

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