Robert E. Lee seeks to renew the prisoner exchange cartel with Ulysses S. Grant amidst a manpower shortage in the Confederacy.
Tag: Army of the James
The Battles of Darbytown and New Market Roads
Robert E. Lee’s Confederates face significant reductions due to illness, casualties, and desertions while defending Petersburg and Richmond. Fighting erupts outside Richmond as Lee attempts to reclaim Fort Harrison.
The Battle of Chaffin’s Bluff
Benjamin F. Butler, commanding the Federal Army of the James, plans to send 20,000 men north to seize Confederate Forts Harrison and Gilmer, which make up a vital part of the Chaffin’s Bluff defenses southeast of the Confederate capital at Richmond, Virginia.
The City Point Explosion
An explosion aboard an ammunition ship nearly kills Ulysses S. Grant at his headquarters on the James River. Suspicions of Confederate espionage are later confirmed.
Petersburg: Floored in the First Round
Ulysses S. Grant grows increasingly dissatisfied with the performance of Benjamin F. Butler, whose feud with William F. “Baldy” Smith ends with the dismissal of Smith from the Federal army.
The Battle of the Weldon Railroad
As the Federal armies prepare to surround Petersburg, Ulysses S. Grant aims to cut off the city’s supply lines by capturing the two main railroads south and west of town.