Crucible of the Civil War offers an illuminating portrait of thestate's wartime economic, political, and social institutions. Weighing in oncontentious issues within established scholarship while also breaking ground inareas long neglected by scholars, the contributors examine such concerns as thewar'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 topicslong disputed by historians, such as Virginia's decision to secede from the Union, the development of Confederate nationalism, and how Virginians chose to remember thewar after its close.