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.
Tag: Petersburg Campaign
The Siege of Petersburg Begins
Ulysses S. Grant announces his intention to use two Federal armies to starve the city of Petersburg into submission. But Grant’s tactics come into question, and President Abraham Lincoln visits Grant to see for himself the progress he has made.
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.
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.
The Second Battle of Petersburg
Some 10,000 Federal troops advance on just 2,200 Confederates defending the vital transportation center of Petersburg, south of Richmond. This becomes one of the Federals’ greatest opportunities to destroy the Confederates in Virginia and win the war.