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Hundreds of hungry women marched straight into Confederate warehouses, smashing
1863 Event

April 2

Richmond Bread Riot: Starving Women Loot the Confederate Capital

Hundreds of hungry women marched straight into Confederate warehouses, smashing crates and snatching flour with bare hands. They weren't soldiers; they were mothers who'd watched their children starve while generals hoarded grain in Richmond. When militia finally fired blanks to scatter the crowd, the war's true cost became clear: even the strongest government can't feed its own people. The bread riot didn't just break a day; it cracked the very idea that the Confederacy could survive without its families' trust.

April 2, 1863

163 years ago

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