University Capital Campaigns


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University Capital Campaigns

University Capital Campaigns

Montgomery, the state capital of Alabama and a sleepy river town of about 9,000 people (half African-American), hosted the convention to create the Confederate States of America. It was therefore the provisional capital of the Confederacy in the early months of 1861. But after the bombardment of Fort Sumter at Charleston, SC in April, Confederate leaders realized the importance of Richmond, Virginia as a potential national capital.

Tredegar Iron Works

Historically speaking, the Confederate leadership viewed Virginia as vital to their new country. The state was referred to as the "mother of the South." During the American Revolution, Virginians such as George Washington, Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army; and Thomas Jefferson, writer of the Declaration of Independence, played an integral role. Therefore, without Virginia, Confederates thought their new nation would be incomplete, according to historian William J. Cooper, Jr. in his book, Jefferson Davis, American.

Strategically speaking, the move to Richmond made perfect sense. Richmond was the primary industrial and manufacturing center of the South. It was the home of the Tredegar Iron Works, the second largest foundry in the world and absolutely necessary for arms production. The city also had the largest flour mill on the planet to aid in feeding troops and civilians. Moving the political capital to Richmond would ensure that the industrial capital of the South would be better protected.