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Episodes tagged "Battle of Petersburg": 1 through 4 of 4

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  1. Leading up to the Battle of Petersburg: The Mining Operation
    date June 20, 1864 to July 26, 1864map DINWIDDIE, Virginiatags Mine, Mining, Battle of the Crater, Battle of Petersburg, Civil War

                The battle of Petersburg, Virginia was crucial in the minds of both Union and Confederate leaders. A leading Civil War historian Bryce A. Suderow explains the Union Army’s thinking: Grant believed that if Union forces could overpower the Confederate lines and crush the Southern stronghold the Southern capital would inevitably fall, ending the American Civil War in the Union’s...

  2. The Union’s Last Resort: A Mining Operation
    date June 20, 1864 to July 26, 1864map DINWIDDIE, Virginiatags Civil War, Battle of Petersburg, Battle of the Crater, Mining Operation, Mining, Mine

                Both Union and Confederate leaders knew that a decisive battle at Petersburg could mean a decisive battle of the war; but, it is unlikely that Union leaders would have guessed that their best chance for victory would depend on constructing a mineshaft.  There was a lot riding on the outcome of Petersburg, Virginia.  Bryce Suderow, a Civil War historian, explains the Union’s...

  3. A Special Detail in the Final Battle Of Petersburg
    date April 2, 1865map DINWIDDIE, Virginiatags Civil War, Battle of Petersburg

    Specific military units did not usually separate intentionally on the battlefield during the Civil War, yet First Lieutenant William H. Rogers received orders that detached him from his unit. On March 31, 1865, Lieutenant Rogers was temporarily relieved of his command of company K of the 1st Connecticut Heavy Artillery and was assigned 100 men from artillery units, who would “follow a charging [Union]...

  4. The 116th Colored Troops at the Battle of Petersburg
    date April 2, 1865map DINWIDDIE, Virginiatags Battle of Petersburg, Civil War, African-Americans

    William W. Woodward entered the Civil War by enlisting as a second lieutenant in company K of the Ohio 2nd Cavalry Regiment, but he left the war as a Colonel of the 116th Regiment of the United States Colored Troops. His tenure with the Ohio 2nd Cavalry yielded rewarding results, as he was promoted to Full Captain on November 14, 1862, just one month and eight days after he enlisted. However, things...