More Civil War battles were fought on Virginian soil than on that of any other Confederate state. No state suffered more from invasion and occupation than the Old Dominion, and none witnessed as much of the war. Virginia's story of the Civil War stands unique among the Confederate States.

Virginia at War, 1861 looks at Virginia on the eve of secession, detailing the activities of the convention that finally took the state out of the Union and explaining how Richmond became the capital of the new Confederate nation. Chapters in the book examine Virginia's private state army and its little-known state navy, as well as the impact that secession and the first year of the war had on Virginia's black community, both slave and free. Virginia was the only Confederate state to suffer an internal secession, and the story of that "other Virginia" that broke away and became West Virginia is explored in all its bizarre complexity.

Virginia at War, 1861 is the first in a new five-volume series, edited by William C. Davis and James I. Robertson Jr. for the Virginia Center for Civil War Studies at Virginia Tech. Each volume will bring together leading Civil War historians to study one year of the Civil War in Virginia.

Contributors: John M. Coski, William C. Davis, Joseph T. Glatthaar, C. Stuart McGehee, Michael Mahon, James I. Robertson Jr., and Craig L. Symonds.

William C. Davis, director of programs at the Virginia Center for Civil War Studies, is the author or editor of more than fifty books, including, most recently, The Pirates Laffite: The Treacherous World of the Corsairs of the Gulf. He was also chief consultant for The History Channel's Civil War Journal and is professor of history at Virginia Tech.

James I. Robertson Jr., Alumni Distinguished Professor of History at Virginia Tech, is the author or editor of more than two dozen books, including the award winning Stonewall Jackson: The Man, the Soldier, the Legend. He was chief historical consultant for the movie Gods and Generals .

Reviews:

"Goes beyond traditional military history, offering fresh perspective on the initial changes that confronted the state's civilian population. . . . Lucid, insightful, and well-researched."--North Carolina Historical Review

"Deserves a home on the bookshelf of anyone who wants to know more about Virginia's role in the War Between the States."--Fredericksburg (VA) Free Lance-Star

"What emerges most palpably is how fully Virginians threw themselves into the war effort."--Virginia Magazine of History and Biography

"A novel approach to the study of the Civil War . . . The range of topics here means that most readers will find something to interest them."--Journal of American History

"Imparts not only the significant role the state played during the war but also reveals the social and cultural impact the conflict has on average Virginias."--Civil War Book Review

"The Virginia at War series promises to be a substantial contribution to Civil War studies."--Military Trader

'This inaugural volume of Virginia at War verges on 'instant classic' status and will surely attract the wide readership it deserves. . . . Every state--on either side of the conflict--should give thought to commissioning a similar series of books."--Southern Arts Journal

"Features top-rate historians writing on their favorite topic."--WTBF Radio

"This volume, the first of a projected quintet on Virginia's Civil War experience, represents the happy conjunction of an important topic and a group of talented historians. No state occupied a more central position in the great sectional drama, and the authors, in well-written and well-argued essays, address various dimensions of how Virginians came to terms with enormous challenges and disruptions of their social and political landscape."--Gary W. Gallagher, author of The Confederate War

"Here is fresh, original work by strong scholars. Robertson and Davis, the 'dynamic duo,' have assembled an all-star lineup with predictable results: this is insightful history about what I consider the most significant Confederate state at a most critical moment."--Emory M. Thomas, author of Robert E. Lee: A Biography

"This book is highly recommended to those interested in various aspects of Virginia in the Civil War during 1861."--www.curledup.com

"Virginia at War, 1861 deals with all aspects of the war, civilian and military. Edited by two of today's foremost Civil War scholars, it is a significant work."--Charles P. Roland, author of An American Iliad