Civil War in Virginia - resources An American Turning Point: The
Civil War in Virginia A free exhibition commemorating the 150th
anniversary of the American Civil War On display at the VHS
February 4–December 30, 2011 War came to Virginia shortly after
its leaders voted to secede from the United States on 17 April
1861. For the next four years the Old Dominion was the major
battleground of the Civil War. Its geographical location, being
so near Washington, D.C., and the fact that Virginia's capital
city of Richmond also served as the southern capital, guaranteed
that Union armies would try to end the war quickly by capturing
the seat of the Confederate government. By the end of the war in
April 1865 Virginia had hosted over 2,000 military engagements,
including twenty-six major battles. The presence of so many
soldiers marching and fighting across the state also devastated
the economy of the Old Dominion. Farms and towns suffered under
the weight of occupying armies. The war also ended slavery
forever. Thus V