Crucible of the Civil War offers an illuminating portrait of the state's
wartime economic, political, and social institutions. Weighing in on contentious issues within
established scholarship while also breaking ground in areas long neglected by scholars, the
contributors examine such concerns as the war's effect on slavery in the state, the wartime
intersection of race and religion, and the development of Confederate social networks. They also
shed light on topics long disputed by historians, such as Virginia's decision to secede from
the Union, the development of Confederate nationalism, and how Virginians chose to remember the war
after its close.