Lynchburg, Virginia has often been called the “Hill City” because of its terrain. Its origins date back to 1757 when John Lynch began a ferry service across the James River. In 1786 a town charter established Lynchburg.

Because of its location on the James River, Lynchburg flourished as a commerce center. Three railroads, the river, and the canal system connected Lynchburg to other Virginia cities.

When the Civil War began Lynchburg became a vital transportation center for the Confederacy. Foodstuffs from the Shenandoah Valley were transported to Lynchburg for storage and distribution to Southern armies.

Military equipment and munitions were also manufactured in Lynchburg. Troops arriving from all over the South were encamped and trained at the Fair Grounds which became known as “Camp Davis.” Lynchburg citizens made bandages, clothing, cartridges, and dug earthen defense works around the city.

Lynchburg developed into a major military hospital complex. Tobacco warehouses were converted into hospital facilities which cared for thousands of wounded soldiers brought here by rail and canal. Following the Battle of the Wilderness 10,000 wounded Confederate soldiers were transported here for care.

Lynchburg’s vital role as a supply and transportation hub made the city a prime target for Northern forces. In June 1864 Union General David Hunter was directed to proceed to Lynchburg to destroy the railroads and canals providing supplies to the Army of Northern Virginia.

Robert E. Lee, acutely aware of Lynchburg’s importance, sent an entire corps under the command of General Jubal Early to meet the threat. By June 17 they began arriving in Lynchburg to support troops under the command of Generals John Breckinridge and Francis Nicholls.

Early’s forces dug a defensive line two miles out from the city limits. Union forces attacked June 17-18, 1864 and were repulsed by entrenched Confederates. Hunter retreated, and Early’s army chased him down the Valley beginning Early’s famous “Valley Campaign.”

Lynchburg was spared from the Union offensive and continued to move supplies to Confederate forces fighting around Richmond and Petersburg. By spring 1865, these forces were pushed to Saylor’s Creek, Virginia where Lee fought his last great battle. On April 9, 1865 Lee surrendered his forces at Appomattox Court House, twenty five miles east of Lynchburg.