<Table> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> This article includes a list of references, but its sources remain unclear because it has insufficient inline citations . Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations . (June 2010) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) </Td> </Tr> </Table> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> This article includes a list of references, but its sources remain unclear because it has insufficient inline citations . Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations . (June 2010) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) </Td> </Tr> <P> Richmond, Virginia, served as the capital of the Confederate States of America for almost the whole of the American Civil War . Not only was Richmond the seat of political power for the Confederacy, it served as a vital source of munitions, armament, weapons, supplies, and manpower for the Confederate States Army and Confederate States Navy, and as such would have been defended at all costs regardless of its political status . The city was less than 100 miles (160 km) from the Union capital in Washington, D.C. . </P> <P> Due to its symbolic and strategic importance to the Confederate war effort, it was the target of numerous attempts by the Union Army to seize possession of the capital, most notably during the Peninsula Campaign of 1862 and the Overland Campaign of 1864 . Its proximity to the fighting would lead to it becoming a center of hospitals and military prisons . The city finally fell to Union forces on April 3, 1865, with large portions of the city destroyed by fires set during the evacuation . </P>

Where did the confederacy place their capital city during the civil war