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.
Tag: David B. Birney
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 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.
The Second Battle of Petersburg: Day Four
Federal forces launch yet another assault on the Petersburg defenses, but by this time Robert E. Lee’s Confederate Army of Northern Virginia is arriving to resist.
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.