Evacuation Fire

The Evacuation Fire destroyed roughly 1,000 buildings after Confederate forces set the first fires just after daybreak on Monday, April 3, 1865. It spread from here to the James River, and from the foot of Gambles Hill east to beyond 14th Street. Shockoe Warehouse at Shockoe Slip and Public Warehouse on the site of Kanawha Plaza were fired to destroy tobacco, and railroad bridges and some private warehouses were also set on fire, though armed workers prevented the Tredegar Iron Works from being ignited. The fires spread partly through blown sparks and partly through mob action. Shockoe Slip, the Gallego Mills, and the commercial district around the Basin burned. The Arsenal caught fire around 8 am, and shells exploded every minute for hours while thick smoke hung everywhere. Thousands took shelter in Capitol Square, and an unknown number were killed. As fire and mob raged, Union troops entered the city, and a brigade of 4,500 soldiers worked to contain the fires and restore order. By mid-afternoon the worst was over, but the fire burned throughout the day, the ruins smoldered until June, and six days later, on April 9, 1865, Lee surrendered at Appomattox.

Richmond, Virginia · United States