Complex sentence: Virginia refused to provide soldiers for this purpose and its State government leaders called convention in Richmond, Virginia, which voted to secede on April 17,1861, subject to ratification by a popular vote on May 23,1861.
Split into simpler sentences: Virginia refused to provide soldiers for this purpose and its political elite began the process of seceding from the Union. A convention in Richmond, Virginia voted to secede on April 17,1861, subject to ratification by a popular vote on May 23,1861.