An ill-fated plan to detonate gunpowder under the Confederate trenches at Petersburg, Virginia, results in Federal disaster.
Tag: Ambrose E. Burnside
Petersburg: Federals Poised to Attack
The Federal tunneling operation is completed, and Ambrose Burnside looks to use his U.S. Colored Troops to lead the impending assault. But Burnside is met with unexpected orders to change his plans.
Petersburg: The Tunneling Expedition Continues
As Ulysses S. Grant seeks to break the Confederate defenses east of Petersburg, Virginia, Federal troops continue digging a tunnel beneath the enemy lines in an effort to detonate explosives and create a hole large enough for the troops to surge through.
Petersburg: The Tunneling Expedition Begins
A Federal colonel proposes opening a gap in the Confederate siege lines by digging a tunnel under them and detonating explosives.
The Second Battle of Petersburg: Day Three
Federal forces from the Armies of the Potomac and the James launch another assault on Petersburg’s eastern defenses. P.G.T. Beauregard’s Confederates try to maintain their defenses as Robert E. Lee is uncharacteristically slow to respond.
The Second Battle of Petersburg: Day Two
Federals launch renewed attacks on the vital railroad city of Petersburg, while Confederates scramble to strengthen the defenses outside town.