On to Richmond! Civil War 150th

Science and Technology

Richmond Petersburg VA Civil War sites proved to be valuable testing grounds for new technologies. The Industrial Revolution was in full swing by 1860, and advancements such as ironclad ships, torpedoes and mines, the telegraph, and photography turned mainstream during the war. Critical advancements were also made in the medical field. The Richmond-Petersburg Region offers many opportunities to understand more about the impact of science and technology on VA Civil War battles through stories and interactive experiences.

Sally Louisa Tomkins

When the government asked the public to help care for the wounded of First Bull Run, Sally Louisa Tomkins responded by opening a private hospital in a private house subsidized by her substantial inheritance. Because her hospital returned more of its patients to the ranks than any other medical-care facility, officers tried to place their most seriously wounded men in Tompkins' care. To circumvent the regulation calling for all hospitals to be run by military personnel, Confederate President Jefferson Davis appointed Tompkins captain of cavalry, unassigned, making her the only woman to hold a commission in the Confederate States Army. Her military rank allowed her to draw government rations and a salary to help defray some of her operating costs. The hospital treated more than 1,300 Confederate soldiers from its opening until it closed in June 1865.

Matthew Fontaine Maury

In 1842, Matthew Fontaine Maury was appointed superintendant of the Depot of Charts and Instruments of the Navy Department in Washington. In this position he began publishing his research on oceanography and meteorology, as well as charts and sailing directions. By the fall of 1853 Maury had become internationally recognized for his work, and in 1855, he published The Physical Geography of the Sea, which is now credited as "the first textbook of modern oceanography." As tensions increased between the South and the North, his regional interests became solidified. Shortly after Virginia’s secession, Maury resigned from the United States Navy to accept the position of commander in the Confederate States Navy. Because of his international fame, he was sent to England as a spokesperson for the Confederate government and the Southern cause. During the Civil War, Maury was successful in acquiring war vessels for the Confederacy and in the progress he made in harbor defense, experimenting with electrical mines.

Henricus

The James River at Henricus played an important role during the American Civil War. In 1864, Richmond was the focal point of Federal strategy. Union General Benjamin Butler devised a plan to build a canal, the key to a safer, shorter route up the James River for Federal naval forces. Construction began in August 1864. By mid-November, the canal was two-thirds finished. Manpower alone had removed 15,000 cubic yards of soil in addition to that removed by steam dredge, but the bulkhead proved difficult to destroy. Six tons of gunpowder was placed throughout its carefully dug channels.
On New Year’s Day, 1865, General Butler and his staff assembled at the site of Dutch Gap Canal to watch the explosion. Amidst a thunderous roar, the bulkhead blew up and earth was sent flying almost 100 feet into the air, ultimately falling back into the gap and foiling the canal project. The project was temporarily abandoned as other Federal military gains in the area negated the need for the canal. Two weeks after the explosion, pressure from heavy rains that had been swelling the James River forced a 10-foot gap through the remaining part of the bulkhead. This opened the Dutch Gap Canal for limited use to small vessels.