Destruction of Richmond in 1865

Joined
Aug 12, 2011
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Elliott Bay
The burning of Richmond in 1865 produced some dramatic photographs. Is there a more precise record of the destruction, e.g., how many blocks and which blocks were burned? Certainly the entire city was not burned. Were the destroyed blocks commercial, residential, or industrial?

Was there a point in time when the burned area recovered?
 
The burning of Richmond in 1865 produced some dramatic photographs. Is there a more precise record of the destruction, e.g., how many blocks and which blocks were burned? Certainly the entire city was not burned. Were the destroyed blocks commercial, residential, or industrial?

Was there a point in time when the burned area recovered?
Here is one diagram of the burned out area. The green square just above the yellow is the capital building. The block between it and the blue basin below was mostly offices. The finger that curls west of the capital got the War Department.
Richmond map Centennial Committee.gif
 
I've read that the fire(s) was set by retreating Confederates. Was this done by ANV soldiers or other organizations? Was there a plan? Did Jefferson Davis order this?

Well... Ewell was in charge of Richmond with few men. The city was set on fire by the locals.They were burning state documents in the streets basically spread to the builds. They emptied all the liquor in the streets and the locals got hammered and added to the chaos in the city. In the end 54 blocks were burned to the ground.

Link... http://www.civilwar.org/education/h...ichmond.html?referrer=https://www.google.com/
 
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Funny....I recall years ago chatting with a friend who had spent about six months living in Richmond. I had not visited the city at that time of my life, so the images of the 1865 fire were very prominent in my mind.

When I remarked on the destruction of historic buildings, my friend replied with a puzzled look. "Jeez, there is hardly anything else but historic buildings in Richmond," he replied.
 
I forgot to that the union troops that enter the city put all the fires out. Here another story Ewell was suppose to destroy the all the food stuff. When he open the warehouse it was full of food stuff and the locals rioted and took the food stuff. The locals had been living on starvation ration until then...
 
Burnt_District.gif


Pretty cool from the Civil War Richmond site.

Are those piles of bricks stacked in the street, to be hauled away from the ruined buildings for re-use elsewhere?
 
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