The ''Richmond Examiner'', a newspaper which was published before and during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

under the masthead of ''Daily Richmond Examiner'', was one of the newspapers published in the

Confederate A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a political union of sovereign states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...

capital of

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, a city in the United States * Richmond, London, a town in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, England * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town ...

. Its editors viewed strong executive leadership as a threat to the liberties of its subscription readership. The paper published staunch and increasingly vitriolic opposition to the leadership and policies of Confederate President

Jefferson Davis Jefferson F. Davis (June 3, 1808December 6, 1889) was an American politician who served as the only President of the Confederate States of America, president of the Confederate States from 1861 to 1865. He represented Mississippi in the Unite ...

. Historians often consult the pages of the ''Examiner'' for insights into the growing problems faced by the Davis administration and the South as they faced the increasing prospect of defeat in the Civil War.

History

The ''Examiner'' was first published as the ''Richmond Weekly Examiner''. The newspaper published a weekly edition from 1848 until about 1863. As Richmond grew, demand for the paper increased and the ''Examiner'' began to publish a semi-weekly edition, the ''Richmond Semi-Weekly Examiner'', in 1849. The ''Examiner'' began to publish a daily edition in 1861. At the time of Virginia's secession in April, Richmond editors had commenced the publication of four separate, independent daily newspapers. All of the papers supported the Confederate cause, especially as the would-be nation had selected Richmond as its new federal capital. However, the ''Examiner's'' executive editor,

John Moncure Daniel John Moncure Daniel (October 24, 1825 – March 30, 1865) was the US minister to the Kingdom of Sardinia in 1854-1861. However, he is best known for his role as the executive editor of the '' Richmond Examiner'', one of the chief newspapers of th ...

, personally disliked President Jefferson Davis, and Daniel was not characterized by verbal self-restraint. In the words of the ''Encyclopedia Virginia'', "Daniel was known for his mordant, combative personality and rapier-like pen."

American Civil War

As Davis promoted some of his Cabinet members and demoted others, and made similar reshuffles and changes to the Confederacy's team of military field commanders, Editor Daniel and his staff defended many of the men who had been held back by the Davis Administration. In sharp contrast to this supportive attitude towards those who had been lateraled or dismissed, the ''Examiner'' criticized men who had remained on Davis's team. These critiques took on greater and greater bitterness over time. In August 1864 the daily paper attacked the Treasurer of the Confederate States of America, Edward C. Elmore. The Southern treasury was virtually empty, and the ''Examiner'' insinuated that Treasurer Elmore had

embezzled Embezzlement (from Anglo-Norman language, Anglo-Norman, from Old French ''besillier'' ("to torment, etc."), of unknown origin) is a type of financial crime, usually involving theft of money from a business or employer. It often involves a trus ...

the Southern States' tiny remaining stock of hard money in order to enjoy a gambling spree. The enraged treasurer challenged Daniel to a

duel A duel is an arranged engagement in combat between two people with matched weapons. During the 17th and 18th centuries (and earlier), duels were mostly single combats fought with swords (the rapier and later the small sword), but beginning in ...

, and wounded the crusading editor with a pistol shot.Washington, D.C. ''Daily National Republican'', August 16, 1864, p. 1, col 7; Washington, D.C. ''Evening Star'', August 27, 1864, p. 4, col. 1. On the military side, the ''Examiner'' championed the tactical skills of General

Joseph E. Johnston Joseph Eggleston Johnston (February 3, 1807 – March 21, 1891) was an American military officer who served in the United States Army during the Mexican–American War (1846–1848) and the Seminole Wars. After Virginia declared secession from ...

, an officer disliked by President Davis. After Davis relieved Johnston from command over the

Army of Tennessee The Army of Tennessee was a Field army, field army of the Confederate States Army in the Western theater of the American Civil War, Western Theater of the American Civil War. Named for the Confederate States of America, Confederate state of Tenn ...

in July 1864, the ''Examiner'' began to speak with despondency of the future prospects facing the Confederate States of America. Its editorial position may have caused further problems of morale in a capital city that would soon be hungry and besieged by the Union armies. The daily paper was itself hit by the

siege of Richmond The Richmond–Petersburg campaign was a series of battles around Petersburg, Virginia, fought from June 9, 1864, to March 25, 1865, during the American Civil War. Although it is more popularly known as the siege of Petersburg, it was not a c ...

, and was unable to continue to publish as a broadsheet with a masthead. The paper struggled on in a half-sheet format without a masthead until the fall of Richmond and the Confederacy in April 1865.

Reconstruction

The ''Daily Richmond Examiner'' tried to continue to publish under Federal occupation, but was unable to do so. The newspaper ceased publication in July 1867, when it merged into the ''Richmond Enquirer''. The ''Richmond Enquirer & Examiner'' was published from July 15, 1867 to December 31, 1869, when the newspaper changed its name back to simply ''Richmond Enquirer''. The

Library of Virginia The Library of Virginia in Richmond, Virginia, is the library agency of the Commonwealth of Virginia. It serves as the archival agency and the reference library for Virginia's seat of government. The Library is located at 800 East Broad Street, tw ...

has microfilm copies of the ''Examiner's'' weekly, semi-weekly, and daily editions for all of the years noted above, and has paper copies of the ''Semi-Weekly Examiner'' for the period of 1849–1863. The

University of Virginia Library The University of Virginia (UVA) is a public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States. It was founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson and contains his Academical Village, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The original governin ...

has copies from January 1861 through December 1865.

References

{{Reflist 1848 establishments in Virginia 1867 disestablishments in Virginia Defunct newspapers published in Virginia Mass media in Richmond, Virginia Newspapers established in 1848 Publications disestablished in 1867