Episode 64 - The End Nears

In June 1864, Ulysses S. Grant laid siege to Petersburg, the railroad hub that supplied the Confederate capital. The siege lasted 292 days. Trench warfare, disease, and the failed Battle of the Crater defined the long stalemate.

On April 2, 1865, Union forces broke through. Jefferson Davis evacuated Richmond and Confederate troops set the city ablaze on their way out. Two days later, Abraham Lincoln walked the fallen Confederate capital, surrounded by Black Richmonders who hailed him as a liberator. Five days after that, Grant and Lee met at Appomattox.

Key Takeaways

The Siege of Petersburg began in June 1864 in the wake of the Overland Campaign and lasted 292 days. Grant understood that Petersburg, twenty-three miles south of Richmond, mattered more strategically than the Confederate capital itself because three railroads converged there to supply Lee's army.
Both armies dug dozens of miles of trenches, a grim foreshadowing of the trench warfare of World War I. Nearly 250,000 soldiers were eventually engaged. Lee's outnumbered force held the line for months because of the entrenched defenses, but disease, starvation, and desertion ground the Confederate army down.
On July 30, 1864, Pennsylvania miners in Ambrose Burnside's Union army detonated a 511-foot tunnel under Confederate lines. The explosion blew a crater 170 feet long. Hundreds of Confederates died instantly, but the Union assault into the crater was trapped and slaughtered. Grant called it "the saddest affair I have witnessed in the war." Burnside was relieved of command.
Richmond civilians endured food shortages, inflation, hunger, and rioting through the winter of 1864-1865. The Confederate government increasingly drafted teenage boys and elderly men to fill the trenches.
On April 2, 1865, Union breakthroughs shattered the Petersburg defenses. Jefferson Davis received the news in church and quietly left. Confederate forces evacuated Richmond that night, setting their warehouses and supplies on fire. The flames destroyed much of the city's business district, greater commercial damage than what Sherman did in Atlanta or Columbia.
On April 4, 1865, Abraham Lincoln walked the streets of fallen Richmond escorted by ten sailors. Black Richmonders surrounded him shouting "Glory to God!" and "The great Messiah!" When one man knelt before him, Lincoln said, "Don't kneel for me. That is not right. You must kneel to God only, and thank Him for the liberty you will enjoy hereafter." Five days later, Grant and Lee met at Appomattox Court House.

Questions & Answers (FAQ)

Q1: Why did Grant attack Petersburg instead of Richmond directly?

Petersburg sat twenty-three miles south of Richmond and was the rail hub that supplied the Confederate capital. The Weldon, South Side, and Richmond & Petersburg Railroads all converged there. Grant understood that if Petersburg fell, Lee's army could not be supplied, and Richmond would become impossible to defend. Cutting the supply lines was a more effective path to ending the war than a direct assault on the capital.

Q2: How long did the Siege of Petersburg last?

292 days, from June 1864 to April 1865. It was the longest sustained military engagement of the Civil War and one of the longest sieges in American military history. Both armies dug dozens of miles of trenches, prefiguring the trench warfare of World War I a half-century later.

Q3: What was the Battle of the Crater?

On July 30, 1864, Pennsylvania miners in Ambrose Burnside's Union army detonated a 511-foot tunnel they had dug under Confederate lines at Petersburg. The explosion blew a crater 170 feet long, 60 feet wide, and 30 feet deep, killing hundreds of Confederates instantly. The Union assault that followed went down into the crater rather than around it, was trapped by Confederate counterattacks, and was slaughtered. Grant called it "the saddest affair I have witnessed in the war." Burnside was relieved of command.

Q4: How did Richmond fall?

On April 2, 1865, Union forces broke through the Petersburg defenses after months of pressure on Lee's supply lines. Lee told Jefferson Davis that Richmond had to be abandoned. Davis received the news while in church and quietly left. That night, Confederate forces evacuated Richmond and set their own warehouses and supplies on fire to prevent capture. The fires spread out of control and destroyed much of the city's business district. Union troops entered the next morning.

Q5: What did Lincoln do when he walked through Richmond?

On April 4, 1865, Lincoln arrived in Richmond escorted by ten sailors and walked the streets of the fallen Confederate capital. Black Richmonders surrounded him, shouting "Glory to God!" and "The great Messiah!" When one freedman knelt before him, Lincoln said, "Don't kneel for me. That is not right. You must kneel to God only, and thank Him for the liberty you will enjoy hereafter." It was one of the most striking scenes of the war's final days. Five days later, Grant and Lee met at Appomattox.

The War Centers on Virginia

By the summer of 1864 the center of the American Civil War hovered around the center of Virginia. Richmond was the Confederate capital. Virginia was the home state of Confederate Commander Robert E. Lee. No Rebel state had provided more generals, more soldiers, or more funding than did the Old Dominion. And it was Virginia where the Rebel cause would end in the spring of 1865.

The Siege of Petersburg Begins

The siege of Richmond and Petersburg began in June 1864 in the wake of the Overland Campaign. The siege would last for 292 days. Richmond was the Confederate capital, but Petersburg, only twenty-three miles to the south, was its chief supply hub. The Weldon, South Side, and Richmond & Petersburg Railroads converged there. They carried food, ammunition, uniforms, reinforcements, horses, medical supplies, and industrial materials into the Confederate capital.

In that light, Union Commander Ulysses S. Grant understood that Petersburg mattered more strategically than Richmond itself. If Petersburg fell, Lee's army could not be supplied. And that meant that Richmond would become impossible to defend. With that in mind, Grant concentrated on cutting the railroads feeding Lee's army.

Trench Warfare and the Dictator Mortar

As the siege of Richmond and Petersburg settled in, both armies dug dozens of miles of trenches. It was a grim foreshadowing of the trench warfare of World War I. Nearly 250,000 soldiers eventually became engaged in the conflict. Blue and gray bombarded each other throughout the siege. One 13-inch Union mortar was nicknamed the "Dictator." Although Union forces greatly outnumbered the Confederates, Lee's army was able to hold for months because of the entrenched defenses.

Disease, Starvation, and the Winter Stalemate

Soldiers lived in the crowded trenches and damp dugouts. They were often surrounded by mud, stagnant water, and human waste. Winter brought cold snow and freezing rains. The men often lacked proper shelter, blankets, or dry clothing. Disease spread through the camps during the long stalemate. Dysentery, typhoid, malaria, and pneumonia killed thousands. Additionally, starvation, desertion, and shrinking supplies further diminished the Confederate army.

The Battle of the Crater

In June of 1864, Pennsylvania miners serving in General Ambrose Burnside's Union army began building a 511-foot long tunnel underneath Confederate defenses. On July 30, 1864, Union forces used the tunnel to detonate an explosion that created a crater roughly 170 feet long, 60 feet wide, and 30 feet deep. Hundreds of Confederate soldiers were killed instantly.

But the crater plan backfired. Northern forces entering the crater were soon trapped by the Southerners and suffered heavy casualties. The Crater incident ended as a terrible failure. Grant called it "the saddest affair I have witnessed in the war." General Burnside was relieved of his command.

Richmond Civilians and the Long Stalemate

As the months dragged on, Richmond civilians endured food shortages, inflation, hunger, and rioting. The Confederate government increasingly relied on teenage boys and elderly men to reinforce shrinking defensive lines. Grant pressured Lee's army relentlessly. Throughout late 1864 and early 1865, Union forces repeatedly pushed westward to sever the rail lines that converged at Petersburg. By the spring of 1865, Lee's army was exhausted, starving, and running out of options.

The Fall of Richmond

On April 2, Union breakthroughs finally shattered the Petersburg defenses. Lee knew then that he could no longer defend Petersburg and Richmond. April 2 was a Sunday. Jefferson Davis was in church that day when he received word from Lee that Richmond would be given up. The president paled and quickly left, a signal to other congregants of the impending doom. Word spread through the city. That night Confederate forces evacuated.

In retreat, they set warehouses and supplies on fire to prevent their capture. The night of April 2, mobs entered the streets of Richmond and spread the fires. The flames quickly got out of control and destroyed much of the city's business district, a far greater economic and commercial damage than what Sherman and his men caused in Atlanta, Georgia or Columbia, South Carolina.

Lincoln Walks the Fallen Capital

Union troops entered Richmond on April 3, 1865. The next day, President Abraham Lincoln arrived to survey the scene. Escorted by ten sailors, he walked the streets of the decimated capital city. Lincoln was soon surrounded by a crowd of Black Richmonders shouting "Glory to God!" and "Bless the Lord!" and in reference to Lincoln, "The great Messiah!" One man knelt before him but Lincoln said, "Don't kneel for me. That is not right. You must kneel to God only, and thank Him for the liberty you will enjoy hereafter."

The victorious General Grant was not in Richmond that day. He was already in dogged pursuit of Lee and what remained of the Confederate force. Five days later, on April 9, 1865, the war's two principal generals would meet in person at Appomattox Court House.

For historical maps of the Petersburg and Richmond campaigns, visit the HISTORY250® maps library.