The Fall of Richmond, Virginia, on the Night of April 2nd, 1865

"The Fall of Richmond, Virginia, on the Night of April 2nd, 1865" captures a pivotal and chaotic moment at the end of the American Civil War with theatrical intensity and historical precision. This dramatic lithograph by Currier & Ives reimagines the harrowing night when Confederate forces and civilians fled Richmond, the beleaguered capital of the Confederacy, as fires engulfed the city. Long a vital hub for Confederate supplies, troops, and munitions, Richmond had withstood years of Union assault before finally falling in the spring of 1865. When Union General Ulysses S. Grant succeeded in taking nearby Petersburg, Confederate President Jefferson Davis and his Cabinet fled the capital by rail, issuing a scorched-earth order that led retreating soldiers to set ablaze warehouses, armories, and bridges.

The print shows Rebel soldiers and civilians hurriedly evacuating across the Mayo Bridge, their figures silhouetted against a backdrop of towering flames and exploding munitions. Smoke billows over the James River, which mirrors the fiery glow of the burning city, amplifying the devastation. At the right, the portico of the Confederate Capitol building is dramatically illuminated, standing as a stark symbol of a collapsing regime. The entire composition is alive with tension and movement, capturing not only the physical destruction but also the symbolic fall of the Confederacy itself.

Just days after this cataclysmic event, President Abraham Lincoln, accompanied by his son Tad, walked through the ruins of Richmond on April 4th—an emblem of the Union’s triumph and a personal act of reconciliation. The solemn aftermath was short-lived: within a week, General Robert E. Lee surrendered at Appomattox Court House, and Lincoln was tragically assassinated by a Confederate sympathizer, underscoring the volatile final chapter of the war. The burning of Richmond, as shown here, becomes a prelude to both national healing and profound tragedy.

This lithograph also exemplifies the enduring legacy of Currier & Ives, a firm that became synonymous with 19th-century American visual culture. Founded by Nathaniel Currier in 1835 and expanded with James Merritt Ives in 1857, the company produced tens of thousands of affordable, hand-colored prints that shaped the public’s understanding of history, everyday life, and national identity. Their works ranged from idyllic landscapes and genre scenes to significant historical events like this one, which allowed people across the country to bring stirring images of America’s past into their homes.