Virginia Land and Naval Forces

After secession from the Union in April of 1861, the state of Virginia formed its own state level Land and Naval Forces.  General Robert E Lee was immediately placed in command of Virginia Land Forces, and he set about organizing the defenses of his home state.  Virginia Governor John Letcher ordered the seizure of the Federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry as well as the Gosport Navy Yard, both of which eventually provided critical weaponry, ammunition and war materiel for the new Confederate Army.  Many future Confederate leaders began service in the Virginia Land & Naval Forces to include Robert E Lee, Stonewall Jackson, James C Pemberton, John Bankhead Magruder, Jubal Early, William B Taliaferro, Catesby ap Roger Jones, John Mercer Brooke, and Matthew Fontaine Maury. In addition, the Virginia Land and Naval Forces also established critical fortifications along the James and York Rivers to guard the approaches to Richmond.  This…