The Siege of Petersburg

Dec 18

2 min read

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The Siege of Petersburg

June 9, 1864 - March 25, 1865

After his ill-fated attack on Lee’s troops at Cold Harbor, Grant again attempted to march his men around the Confederate army to reach Virginia. He brought his men to Petersburg, the center of Southern railroads approximately twenty-three miles south of Richmond.

Around ten thousand Union soldiers were first to arrive in Richmond. The city was guarded by just a few thousand Confederate soldiers; most were old men and young boys. These soldiers were able to hold off the Union army until reinforcements arrived.

By June 18, 1864, Grant had 100,000 Union soldiers on the front at Richmond. The Confederates had only twenty thousand soldiers. Perhaps because of his disastrous attack at Cold Harbor, instead of attacking, Grant dug trenches around Richmond and lay siege to the city. The siege would last for nine months. On April 2, 1865, his men starving, Lee ordered an attack on Grant’s lines. The Union easily fought off the attack, and Grant ordered all his troops to march on Petersburg. Knowing he had been defeated, Lee ordered the evacuation of both Petersburg and Richmond.

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