Siege of Petersburg

The **Richmond–Petersburg Campaign** was a  of battles around Petersburg, Virginia, fought from June 9, 1864, to March 25, 1865. Fought during the American Civil War, it is more popularly known as the **Siege of Petersburg**. But it was not a classic military siege, in which a city is usually ed and all supply lines are cut off. Nor was it strictly limited to actions against Petersburg. The campaign consisted of nine months of trench warfare in which Union forces commanded by Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant assaulted Petersburg unsuccessfully. Then the Union Army constructed trench lines that eventually extended over . They ran from the eastern outskirts of Richmond, Virginia, to around the eastern and southern outskirts of Petersburg. Petersburg was  to the supply of Confederate Lieutenant General Robert E. Lee's army and the Confederate capital of Richmond. Numerous raids were conducted and battles fought in attempts to cut off the railroad supply lines through Petersburg to Richmond. Many of these caused the lengthening of the trench lines, overloading dwindling Confederate resources.

Lee finally gave in to the pressure and  both cities on April 3, 1865. This led to Lee's final surrender at Appomattox Court House on April 9, 1865.

## Background
On March 10, 1864, Ulysses S. Grant was d to lieutenant general. He was given command of all Union troops. He moved his own headquarters to be with the Army of the Potomac (still commanded by Maj. Gen. George G. Meade) in Virginia. Grant intended to  Lee's army to a  battle. His secondary  was to capture Richmond (the capital of the Confederacy). But Grant knew that the latter would happen automatically once the former was accomplished. His coordinated strategy called for Grant and Meade to attack Lee from the north, while Major General Benjamin Butler drove toward Richmond from the southeast. Major General Franz Sigel was to control the Shenandoah Valley. Butler's Army of the James bogged down against inferior forces under Gen. P.G.T. Beauregard before Richmond in the Bermuda Hundred Campaign. Sigel was soundly defeated at the Battle of New Market in May. At Lincoln's request, Banks was sent to Louisiana for the Red River Campaign and his move on Mobile was cancelled. However, Crook and Averell were able to cut the last railway linking Virginia and Tennessee. Sherman's Atlanta Campaign was a success, although it dragged on through the fall.

Grant and Meade's Army of the Potomac crossed the Rappahannock River and entered the area known as the Wilderness. On May 5, 1864, Grant was met by an undersize Confederate force of 60,000 soldiers led by Lee. At the bloody but tactically inconclusive Battle of the Wilderness (May 5–7) and Battle of Spotsylvania Court House (May 8–21), Grant failed to destroy Lee's army. But, unlike his predecessors, Grant did not retreat after the battles. He repeatedly moved his army leftward to the southeast in a campaign that kept Lee on the  and moved ever closer to Richmond.  The taking of Petersburg by Union forces would make it impossible for Lee to continue defending Richmond. The armies of Lee and Grant were deadlocked just outside of Richmond in their Cold Harbor defenses. The infantry attack was intended as a  while the cavalry entered the city from the south. But the 2,500 Confederate defenders fought off both attacks.

## Second battle of Petersburg 
Meade’s Army of the Potomac marched from Cold Harbor to support Butler. Meade's leading XVIII Corps crossed the Appomattox River and attacked Petersburg on June 15. The Confederate defenders were driven back to Harrison Creek. The Union XVIII Corps was then relieved by the II Corps. The next day, June 16, II Corps captured another part of the Confederate line. Beauregard moved more defenders to hold the Union troops while Lee, now aware of the situation at Petersburg, rushed troops to the city. On June 18, the Union II, XI, and V Corps attacked but were beaten back with heavy casualties. Now the Confederate fortifications were heavily defended and all hopes of an easy Union victory were lost. This was the beginning of the siege of Petersburg. Rather than a tactical siege with short term s, it now became a  siege involving a number of battles.

## Battle of First Deep Bottom 
Continuing their attacks, the Union Army under Grant began their third offensive against Richmond-Petersburg. The plan called for the infantry to push the Confederates to the west. It was dug right up to a Confederate strongpoint. At night, with pick and shovel, they then turned the breastworks into  deep trenches. Pointed stakes turned outwards were designed to break up any frontal attacks. They were below the top of a ridge and part of their lines could not be seen by Confederates, blocked by the terrain. They dug several listening shafts. But when the digging sounds stopped on 23 July, they quit looking and dismissed any danger from mining. Meade said he did not want to be responsible for the "massacre" of colored troops.

Just before 5:00 am the explosion blew up a Confederate artillery battery and most of an infantry regiment. The blast killed at least 278 Confederates instantly. He was placed on indefinite leave of absence with no s to return to duty. Grant was forcing Lee to use Confederate troops on two s.

Grant learned that Lee was sending part of his force to support Early in the Shenandoah Valley. He thought the Confederate trenches between Petersburg and Richmond were now more lightly defended. The information was wrong. At first, the Union attacks were successful. But soon Confederate reinforcements arrived and the Union advance stalled. Grant had failed to capture the Weldon Railroad in June. The Union V Corps under General Gouverneur K. Warren was ordered to move west, destroy the tracks and, if possible, hold the rail line. Warren was successful in destroying tracks. But attacks and counterattacks went on for the next three days. Tired from the battle at Deep Bottom, they were forced marched to the south of Petersburg to tear up more tracks. Gregg's cavalry cleared a path ahead of them. But on August 25, Confederate general Heath attacked the Union forces at Ream's Station. Supplies of everything were running low. Lee's army was feeling the effects of Grant's scorched earth policy in the Shenandoah Valley. There was also a detachment of about 150 men of the 13th Pennsylvania Cavalry. At dawn, his columns attacked the Confederates. Fort Harrison was the key to General Butler's plan. It was the strongest point in the Confederate line north of the James. On high ground, the fort had a view all the way to the James River. The fort was lightly held by only 200 Confederate troops as most were in Petersburg at the time. On February 5, 1865, Gregg's Union cavalry division moved towards Ream's Station and the Dinwiddie Court House. Their mission was to raid and cut off Confederate supply trains. Major General Andrew A. Humphreys's II Corps moved west to cover V Corps' right flank. After initial battles the siege had settled into trench warfare. There were now a total of about 50 miles of trenches around Petersburg and Richmond. The sound was Confederate soldiers moving aside the *Cheval de frise* defenses in preparation for an attack. This set the stage for the final attack. On the morning of April 2, Grant ordered all his troops south of the Appomattox River to charge the Confederate lines. The first success came at the same place where Sheridan had broken through the day before. Union General Horatio Wright's VI Corps quickly overran the Confederate pickets and began a brutal battle that lasted only 20 or 15 minutes.

The siege had lasted nine and a half months. There were a combined total of about 70,000 casualties. Richmond fell on April 3, 1865 and six days later, Lee surrendered his Army of Northern Virginia to General Grant at Appomattox Courthouse.

## Notes 
## References 
## Other websites 
* 
* 
* 
*