For the past century and a half historians have conducted more research on the Civil War and Reconstruction than most other subjects. Except for minor mentions and one biography on the governor, the Restored Government of Virginia has been left out of the historiography. The earliest historians or political commentators believed the Restored Government to be a small and ineffectual government that failed to achieve any broad level of support from its constituents. Furthermore, the early works suggested that the governments’ true purpose was to see that western Virginia was separated from Virginia, not to seek the return of Virginia to the Union. While there has been slight variation over the years, historians generally continue to accept this narrative. Through the use of both federal documents and the Restored Governments various publications, this thesis seeks to demonstrate the legality behind the governments’ formation as well as explain how and why the government went from successfully restoring Virginia to being relegated to the dustbin of history. / Includes bibliography. / Thesis (M.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2019. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection