Wade Hampton, commanding cavalry for the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia, receives information that a herd of cattle capable of feeding the hungry army was loosely guarded by Federals.
Exploring the most important 55 months in American history
Wade Hampton, commanding cavalry for the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia, receives information that a herd of cattle capable of feeding the hungry army was loosely guarded by Federals.
Confederates score a decisive victory that decimates the Federal Second Corps, but it does little to stop the Federals from extending their siege lines south of Petersburg.
The fighting that began between Federals and Confederates south of Petersburg on August 18 continues the next day over a section of the Weldon Railroad that the Federals will not relinquish to the Confederates.
Fighting breaks out southwest of the Petersburg siege lines when Federals try moving beyond the Confederates’ flank to sever the Weldon Railroad.
Ulysses S. Grant launches a diversionary attack north of the James River in hopes of either opening a path to Richmond or weakening the Confederate defenses at Petersburg to the point of breaking.
Federal siege operations resume in front of Petersburg, Virginia, after the disastrous defeat at the Crater. Ulysses S. Grant seeks new strategies to outmaneuver the Confederate defenders, including a failed canal project and attempts to probe weak points in their defenses.