A "good" effect of Richmond being the capitol of the CSA, from the Confederate standpoint, was making defending Richmond a priority protected the Tredegar Works, the major industrial facility in the south. IMHO, given the thinking in the CSA, protecting Tredgar would not have been as big a priority and you'd not have as many troops defending it. If Richmond falls sooner, eliminating Tredgar, this seriously hurts the CSA's war making ability. Moving the capitol to Virginia was a political move to secure the largest and wealthiest state in the Confederacy, will keeping the capitol in Alabama tip Virginia?