Fires
Information about fires and the Richmond Fire Department in Richmond, VA during the Civil War

Written Accounts

1865-10-20, Richmond Whig; The granite front of the Exchange Bank, destroyed in the evacuation fire, is being repaired and to be reused as a bank
1865-12-19, Richmond Examiner; attempted arson under the St. Charles Hotel
1865-12-20, Official Records, Ser. I, Vol. XLVI/1, p. 1292-1295; Ewell's report on the fall of Richmond and the retreat to Appomattox
1866-01-03, Richmond Examiner; fire at Castle Thunder – no serious damage. Notes that negroes were being housed there and tried to escape
1866-01-17, Richmond Examiner; fire destroys the large warehouse of James H. Grant, 10th between Byrd and Canal. Now used as storehouse for US Government. Canal boat crushed by falling wall
1866-04-16, Richmond Dispatch; “old frame building on the outskirts of Chimborazo” burns down
1866-04-16, Richmond Dispatch; lengthy and chatty description of the fire at Chimborazo – fire in a building on the western edge, detached from the main village. Crowd watches
1868-05-16, Alexandria Gazette; two buildings burn down at Chimborazo. Notes that it is still occupied by negroes.
1869-04-03, Boston Traveller; long and detailed account of a visit to Richmond. Particular emphasis on Belle Isle, Libby Prison, Castle Thunder and the Cold Harbor battlefield.
1870-12-16, New York Times; very dramatic and detailed account of the Spotswood Hotel fire. Erasmus Ross, former clerk of Libby Prison, among the dead.

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