ON THIS DAY IN UNITED STATES HISTORY
April 3, 1865
Union Forces Capture Richmond, Virginia,
the Capital of the Confederate States of America
On this day in 1865, the first Union troops entered the city of Richmond, Virginia. Two days earlier,
Confederate General Robert E. Lee had made the decision to abandon his defenses in Petersburg leaving the door open
for Union troops to march on Richmond. Lee realized that losing Richmond would be a major blow but believed that he
would be able to continue to fight the war more effectively without the constraint. As it turns out, Union General
Ulysses S. Grant and his army was able to pursue Lee and force him to surrender in Appomatox, Virginia on April
9.
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