Richmond lay close to Washington and offered the Confederacy little defensive depth. A more central capital might have been harder to reach, but it would have lacked Richmond's concentration of industry and Virginia's military resources. The Confederacy depended heavily on Virginia for the material capacity to sustain war. Richmond was therefore both a strategic vulnerability and an industrial asset that Confederate leaders could not easily abandon.
Notable Point · 29:45-33:10
Richmond was both a vulnerable capital and an industrial necessity
Richmond's exposed position invited Union attack, but Virginia's industry and military resources made the city difficult for the Confederacy to replace.