Siege of Petersburg

The Siege of Petersburg was a series of Civil War operations around Petersburg, Virginia, from June 1864 to April 1865. Its collapse forced the Confederacy to abandon Richmond and helped bring about its surrender.

Trench warfare: A form of warfare in which opposing forces fight from fortified trenches and connected defensive positions. Both armies built extensive lines that defined the campaign after its opening battles.
Overland Campaign: A series of 1864 battles in Virginia between Union forces led by Ulysses S. Grant and Confederate forces led by Robert E. Lee. Grant moved south after the Overland Campaign without disengaging Lee's army.
George G. Meade: The Union general who commanded the Army of the Potomac during the latter part of the Civil War. Meade led the principal Union army in the operations around Petersburg.
Fall of Richmond: The Confederate evacuation and Union occupation of Richmond, Virginia, on April 3, 1865. Petersburg's evacuation left Richmond exposed to Union forces.
Battle of the Crater: An 1864 Union assault at Petersburg that followed the detonation of a mine beneath Confederate defenses. A dramatic breach failed when Union troops crowded into the crater instead of advancing through it.
Battle of Cold Harbor: A June 1864 battle in Virginia marked by a costly Union assault on entrenched Confederate positions. After Cold Harbor, Grant crossed the James River to threaten Petersburg.
P. G. T. Beauregard: A Confederate general who commanded forces defending Petersburg during the campaign's opening phase. Beauregard organized the initial defense that delayed the larger Union force.
American Civil War: A war fought in the United States from 1861 to 1865 between the Union and the Confederacy. The campaign's outcome accelerated the Confederacy's defeat in the war.
Battle of Globe Tavern: An August 1864 battle in which Union forces captured and damaged the Weldon Railroad south of Petersburg. The Union severed a key Confederate supply route into Petersburg.
James River: A major Virginia river that flows southeast to Chesapeake Bay. The Union crossing enabled an attack on Petersburg from the south and east.

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