Pros and cons of Virginia's secession

wausaubob

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Although the shelling of Fort Sumter and the federal militia call-up led to the secession of Virginia, this was not an unmixed blessing.
Although gaining the wealth and population of Richmond and Virginia, along with the iron working capabilities of Virginia was a plus, defending Virginia then drew resources from all over the Confederacy.
Although Virginia had a good logistical network, and getting the United States to fight in Virginia made the state into an advanced killing ground like Verdun in World War I, the troops there were not available to defend Tennessee and Louisiana.
I have to mention that McClellan was probably right in refusing to batter his head against the easily reinforced entrenchments. Grant too, probably was disappointed that he could not get Lee to fight in open country, and instead had to settle for an indirect approach.
But the troops from all over the Confederacy that were in Virginia were not available at Shiloh, New Orleans and Memphis. The capture of those places early in the war by the United States led the Confederates to have a reduced agricultural economy and greater reliance of a very weak railroad system.
The problem with Virginia is that it was not as important to the United States as it had been in 1787. By 1860 New York and Brooklyn, when combined, had a larger population that Virginia, and a large part of Virginia's population were enslaved people eager to test the probability of gaining their freedom.
Moreover, the Confederacy never got all of Virginia. Some of the western counties, which included the towns of Wheeling and Charlestown, immediately formed a non-secessionist enclave. Other parts of Virginia, like Alexandria and Norfolk, were reoccupied by the United State by mid 1862.
Plus some prominent Virginians did not join the Confederacy.
 
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