Former Confederate capital remembers its fiery fall

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - From the White House of the Confederacy to a former slave-trading center, the fiery fall of Richmond was remembered at dozens of venues over four days. Museums, the state and city, the National Park Service and private groups teamed up to tell Richmond’s central role in the fall of the Confederacy and the emancipation of enslaved people, an often overlooked aspect of the war’s end in previous commemorations. Thursday, the city’s skyline was illuminated to represent the flames that engulfed Richmond on April 2, 1865, after Confederate soldiers torched supplies of supplies ahead of Union soldiers entering the city. Hundreds strolled the streets on a balmy night to learn of the city’s historic evacuation. The Union army and members of the U.S. Colored Troops helped snuff the fire and restore calm. On April 4, 1865, President Abraham Lincoln and his son Tad walked through the smoldering city, cheered on by freed slaves. Tours were held to follow the footsteps of the somber president, who was assassinated 10 days later. Saturday a commemorative procession followed the route of the Union Army into Richmond. Like many of the nation’s Civil War commemorative events, Richmond recognized the African-American side of the war. Walking tours were held along the Richmond Slave Trail, which documents the shackled steps of slaves from the James River to Shockoe Bottom, the city’s former slave-trading center. The Emancipation Proclamation was also celebrated, as was the role of women during the Civil War.