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The '''Richmond–Petersburg Campaign''' was a series of battles around [[Petersburg, Virginia]], fought from June 9, 1864, to March 25, 1865,<ref>[http://www.cr.nps.gov/hps/abpp/battles/bycampgn.htm#East64 NPS Civil War Battle Summaries by Campaign (Eastern Theater)]. Military historians do not agree on precise boundaries between the campaigns of this era. This article uses the classification maintained by the U.S. [[National Park Service]]. See [[#campaign-dates|Classifying the campaigns]].</ref> during the [[American Civil War]]. Although it is more popularly known as the '''Siege of Petersburg''', it was not a classic military [[siege]], in which a city is usually surrounded and all supply lines are cut off, nor was it strictly limited to actions against Petersburg. The campaign was nine months of [[trench warfare]] in which [[Union Army|Union]] forces commanded by [[Lieutenant general (United States)|Lt. Gen.]] [[Ulysses S. Grant]] assaulted Petersburg unsuccessfully and then constructed trench lines that eventually extended over {{convert|30|mi|km}} from the eastern outskirts of [[Richmond, Virginia]], to around the eastern and southern outskirts of Petersburg. Petersburg was crucial to the supply of [[Confederate States Army|Confederate]] [[General (CSA)|Gen.]] [[Robert E. Lee]]'s army and the [[Confederate States of America|Confederate]] capital of Richmond. Numerous raids were conducted and battles fought in attempts to cut off the railroad supply lines through Petersburg to Richmond, and many of these caused the lengthening of the trench lines, overloading dwindling Confederate resources. |
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The '''Richmond–Petersburg Campaign''' was a series of battles around [[Petersburg, Virginia]], fought from June 9, 1864, to March 25, 1865,<ref>[http://www.cr.nps.gov/hps/abpp/battles/bycampgn.htm#East64 NPS Civil War Battle Summaries by Campaign (Eastern Theater)]. Military historians do not agree on precise boundaries between the campaigns of this era. This article uses the classification maintained by the U.S. [[National Park Service]]. See [[#campaign-dates|Classifying the campaigns]].</ref> during the [[American Civil War]]. Although it is more popularly known as the '''Siege of Petersburg''', it was not a classic military [[siege]], in which a city is usually surrounded and all supply lines are cut off, nor was it strictly limited to actions against Petersburg. The campaign was nine months of [[trench warfare]] in which [[Union Army|Union]] forces commanded by [[Lieutenant general (United States)|Lt. Gen.]] [[Ulysses S. Grant]] assaulted Petersburg unsuccessfully and then constructed trench lines that eventually extended over {{convert|30|mi|km}} from the eastern outskirts of [[Richmond, Virginia]], to around the eastern and southern outskirts of Petersburg. Petersburg was crucial to the supply of [[Confederate States Army|Confederate]] [[General (CSA)|Gen.]] [[Robert E. Lee]]'s army and the [[Confederate States of America|Confederate]] capital of Richmond. Numerous raids were conducted and battles fought in attempts to cut off the railroad supply lines through Petersburg to Richmond, and many of these caused the lengthening of the trench lines, overloading dwindling Confederate resources.Some even ate their clothes so they would not starve so quickly. |
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Lee finally yielded to the overwhelming pressure—the point at which supply lines were finally cut and a true siege would have begun—and abandoned both cities in April 1865, leading to his [[Appomattox Campaign|retreat]] and surrender at [[Battle of Appomattox Court House|Appomattox Court House]]. The Siege of Petersburg foreshadowed the trench warfare that was common in [[World War I]], earning it a prominent position in military history. It also featured [[African Americans at Siege of Petersburg|the war's largest concentration of African American troops]], who suffered heavy casualties at such engagements as the [[Battle of the Crater]] and [[Battle of Chaffin's Farm|Chaffin's Farm]]. |
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Lee finally yielded to the overwhelming pressure—the point at which supply lines were finally cut and a true siege would have begun—and abandoned both cities in April 1865, leading to his [[Appomattox Campaign|retreat]] and surrender at [[Battle of Appomattox Court House|Appomattox Court House]]. The Siege of Petersburg foreshadowed the trench warfare that was common in [[World War I]], earning it a prominent position in military history. It also featured [[African Americans at Siege of Petersburg|the war's largest concentration of African American troops]], who suffered heavy casualties at such engagements as the [[Battle of the Crater]] and [[Battle of Chaffin's Farm|Chaffin's Farm]]. |