Shockoe Slip in Richmond, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

Burnt District

Photographed By Bernard Fisher, November 8, 2009

1. Burnt District Marker

Inscription. More than 1,000 buildings burned between 4th and 15th Streets, from Main Street to the river.

“The sky in the direction of Richmond is lurid with the glare of burning houses. …It was as if a great battle were going on around us.” Kate Mason Rowland, 1865

As the Confederates evacuated Richmond in 1865, they torched bridges, warehouses, and arsenals to keep them from the Union Army. All the buildings in the Shockoe warehouse district were destroyed. The devastation was so complete, residents afterward had trouble identifying their own streets.

Erected by Richmond Riverfront Canal Walk.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, US Civil. A significant historical year for this entry is 1865.

Location. 37° 32.006′ N, 77° 25.971′ W. Marker is in Richmond, Virginia. It is in Shockoe Slip. Marker can be reached from the intersection of South 14th Street (U.S. 360) and Dock Street, on the right when traveling south. This marker is on the Richmond Riverfront Canal Walk. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Richmond VA 23219, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. George Washington’s Vision (a few steps from this marker); Mayo's Bridge (within shouting distance of this marker); Atlantic Sturgeon

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(within shouting distance of this marker); Use of Arms (within shouting distance of this marker); Canal Walk / Historic Canals (within shouting distance of this marker); James River & Kanawha Canal (within shouting distance of this marker); New Turning Basin (within shouting distance of this marker); Tobacco District (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Richmond.

Also see . . .
1. Richmond Riverfront Canal Walk. Venture Richmond (Submitted on November 9, 2009.)

2. Reaction to the Fall of Richmond. American Battlefield Trust (Submitted on November 9, 2009.)

Richmond Riverfront Canal Walk image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Bernard Fisher, November 8, 2009

2. Richmond Riverfront Canal Walk

S 14 St & Dock St image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Bernard Fisher, November 8, 2009

3. S 14 St & Dock St

Richmond's Burnt District image. Click for full size.

Apr 1865

4. Richmond's Burnt District

View in the "Burnt District," Richmond, Va., showing two women dressed in black approaching shell of four-story building, gutted by fire Library of Congress. [LC-USZC4-4593]

Burnt district (horses hitched to iron fence on foreground) image. Click for full size.

Photographed By John Reekie, Apr 1865

5. Burnt district (horses hitched to iron fence on foreground)

Library of Congress [LC-B815- 942]

Richmond, Va. General view of the burned district. image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Alexander Gardner, Apr 1865

6. Richmond, Va. General view of the burned district.

Library of Congress [LC-B817- 7110]

Credits. This page was last revised on February 1, 2023. It was originally submitted on November 9, 2009, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia. This page has been viewed 1,556 times since then and 46 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on November 9, 2009, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia. 5. submitted on November 10, 2009, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia. 6. submitted on November 11, 2009, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia.