Petersburg, Siege of

In the American Civil War, Union capture of Petersburg after a prolonged siege from June 1864 to March 1865. Lying south of Richmond, Virginia, Petersburg commanded the main Confederate supply routes, and this victory marked the final phase of the war. General Robert E Lee was finally forced to abandon Richmond and Petersburg on 2 April 1865 and surrendered a week later.

Initial attacks The Union general Ulysses S Grant realized the strategic significance of Petersburg and ordered it to be attacked in June 1864, when it was garrisoned only by 2,500 untrained or overage troops. General William F Smith brought his troops up to the fortifications on 15 June, attacked, captured the first line of trenches, and then decided to abandon the assault. He considered a night attack, but abandoned the idea. By the time he began thinking of mounting another attack the following day, the Confederates had rushed in reinforcements from their field armies and the opportunity to end the war immediately was lost. Both sides strengthened their forces and during 17-18 June the Union made a fierce attack which was successfully repulsed, at a cost of over 10,000 Union casualties.

Siege From then on, the siege became a drawn-out affair. A mine charged with four tons of gunpowder was exploded beneath the Confederate line on 30 July, leaving an enormous crater and a wide-open avenue for attack, but the attack itself failed. The Union troops congregated in the crater where they were rapidly shot down by Confederates who soon filled the gap and repulsed any further attempt to break through. Eventually, on 29 March 1865, Grant sent General Philip Sheridan with an army around the left flank of the Petersburg position to strike into the country beyond and sever all communications between Petersburg and Richmond. Lee was forced to abandon both cities on 2 April and marched to Appomattox where he signed the total surrender of all Confederate forces on 9 April.