The U.S. Civil War, which took place from 1861 to 1865 , changed the face of the nation in profound ways, from the abolition of slavery to strengthening the federal government, but a very bloody price was paid to get there, with 620,000 — 2% of the population — dying in the conflict. Despite how far-ranging the war was, stretching from the Confederate raid in St. Albans, Vermont, to the Battle of Picacho Pass in Arizona, it was Virginia that saw the most action.

Virginia played a central role in the war for several reasons. Richmond was the capital of the Confederacy from May 1861 until the end of the war, and Washington, D.C., the Union capital, was only 100 miles away, just across the border from Virginia. The state played host to more than 2,000 battles, skirmishes, and other milita

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