A special election in January 1861 allowed Virginia voters the opportunity to pick delegates to the convention. To the dismay of secessionists in Virginia and across the South, of the 152 delegates they elected, a solid majority were Unionist. Desire to leave the Union had never been as strong in the Upper South, and some Unionists speculated that Virginia’s example might even draw the wayward Deep South back into the United States.
When the convention met on February 13 in the Mechanics Institute at the foot of Capitol Square in Richmond, all of the factions favored delay. Radical secession men, small in number, were content to let the Confederates organize their infant republic in Montgomery, Alabama, before acting. Adamant Unionists, also a minority, bided their time as well. The great majority of delegates were conservatives who loved the Union, mistrusted Lincoln, but accepted his election and inauguration. They hoped that, like their predecessors in constitutional disputes o
Unidentified Member of the Richmond HowitzersThe Richmond Howitzer Company of the 1st Regiment of Volunteers was founded on November 9, 1859, by George Wythe Randolph, a grandson of Thomas Jefferson, a U.S. Navy veteran, and a Richmond lawyer. After electing Randolph its first captain, the company, which was recruited from elite Richmond circles, marched to Charles Town, Virginia (now West Virginia), to help provide security during Brown’s trial and subsequent execution. Curious out-of-towners had flooded into Jefferson County, taxing the authorities’ ability to keep order. In addition, a series of damaging fires had swept through the area, and the locals pointed their fingers at allies of the accused. Virginia governor Henry A. Wise called for militia support, including the Howitzers, the cadets from the Virginia Military Institute in Lexington (commanded by Thomas J. Jackson and including the sixty-six-year-old “cadet” Edmund Ruffin), and the Richmond Grays, in whose rank
Forum, Feb. 24: Hanover Finance Committee backs school district budget
Published: 2/23/2021 10:00:12 PM
Modified: 2/23/2021 10:00:12 PM
Hanover Finance Committee backs school district budget
On March 2, Hanover voters will have an opportunity to weigh in on next year’s proposed Hanover School District budget, as well as other important matters.
The Hanover Finance Committee unanimously supports the proposed agreement with Service Employees in Article 5 and the proposed Hanover School District budget in Article 6. The overall budget is down by $36,000, or .25%, from the current year. While anomalous, it is important to note that one item, sixth grade tuition, is responsible for this overall decrease as it is down by $609,000, or 24%, due to a fluctuation in the projected number of sixth graders. By contrast, the Ray School operating budget for grades pre-K through 5 is up $409,000, or 3.44%.