1861

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Events

• April 17 – Civil War: Delegates to the Virginia Convention of 1861 voted eighty-eight to fifty-five to ratify the Ordinance of Secession and secede from the Union.

'Significance of the 1861 Virginia Secession Convention'

The 1861 Virginia Secession Convention was a pivotal gathering held in Richmond where Virginia delegates debated whether to secede from the United States in the escalating tensions leading to the Civil War. Initially, the majority of delegates favored remaining in the Union, but the convention’s stance shifted dramatically after the Confederate attack on Fort Sumter in April 1861 and President Lincoln’s subsequent call for troops.

On April 17, 1861, the convention voted to secede, making Virginia the largest and most populous state to join the Confederacy. This decision had profound military and political implications, as Virginia's strategic location and resources significantly bolstered the Confederate cause. The convention also led to the establishment of a provisional government loyal to the Union in the western counties, which eventually became the state of West Virginia.

The convention exemplified the intense divisions within Virginia and reflected the broader national crisis that culminated in the Civil War.

• Founded in July, the Charlottesville General Hospital comprised some 500 beds distributed among various buildings in town and at the University of Virginia, including the Rotunda, portions of The Lawn, and on Carr's Hill.
• July 13 – Civil War: By proclamation of Virginia Governor John Letcher, the entire regiment of officers and men of Captain John J. Johnson's Company, 12th Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 2nd Division, Virginia Militia was called out with orders to rendezvous at Charlottesville. In 1859, all of the men in the company joined the Confederate army at the beginning of the Civil War.

Births

• May 15 – Edwin A. Alderman, first president of the University of Virginia, is born.