What Influence Did Petersburg Have on the Civil War

¶ … Petersburg have on the Civil War

The Significance of the Siege of Petersburg

The Civil War was the bloodiest chapter in America's history. An unparalleled percentage of the population perished in the Southern State's abortive attempt to free itself from Federal Control. If the Confederacy was a brilliant butterfly, the Siege of Petersburg would be the inexorable pin that held it to the collection board of history. Petersburg was a ten-month siege that was a turning point for the war, leading to the surrender and defeat of the Confederate Army. This was a significant ordeal because of the geographic location of Petersburg, the way in which it pinned down General Lee's army, and how the South was left open for a devastating attack on its infrastructure and morale.

Geographically, Petersburg is located on the south side of the Appomattox River, and is a little over 20 miles south of Richmond, in Virginia. Richmond was the capital of the Confederacy. Petersburg was an extremely significant city not because of the town itself, which only had a population of about 18,000, but because of the railroads that ran through it. "Of the three railroads that led to Richmond from outside of Virginia, two went through Petersburg and the remaining one passed nearby. Federal occupation of Petersburg would virtually isolate Richmond and force the evacuation of the Confederate capitol." (Epperson) Several attempts by the North to attack Petersburg had failed, including Butler's "Battle of Old Men and Young Boys" which had been an earlier attempt to take out railroad bridges. The successful surrounding of Petersburg would take advantage of the geographical location by causing a distraction southeast of the city, while the Yankees actually crossed the James river using bridges and boats, led by Major General W.F. "Baldy" Smith.

Once Petersburg was surrounded, the railroads that ran supplies to many key Confederate areas were immobilized. "Union forces besieged Petersburg for 9 months. Union forces were well supplied. Confederate forces could barely find food to eat." (MultiEducator) Lee and his forces were pinned down and unable to move. Confederate General Jubal Early attempted to distract the Northern army by marching on Washington D.C., the Northern capitol, but he was driven back to Virginia with no success, and Lee remained imprisoned. The Confederate forces, starving and low on supplies and men, attempted to break out from the surrounded area. Their attempt failed, and this began the full-blown Union assault. Lee knew he was outnumbered, but he had no choice but to fight, and the Army of Virginia was forced to withdraw from both Petersburg and Richmond. There was constant shelling by both sides, but the Union troops had fresh supplies arriving on a regular basis, while the Confederates had none. One of the most famous attempts by the Confederacy to break the stalemate was their attempt to dig a tunnel under the Northern troops and set off a large amount of explosives from underground. "The uncoordinated attack that followed achieved nothing but 4,000 Union casualties. As Grant wrote Halleck: 'It was the saddest affair I have witnessed in the war. Such opportunity for carrying fortifications I have never seen and do not expect again to have.'" (MultiEducator)

The truest weapon that the Union had against the Confederacy during the Siege of Petersburg was the fact that the South was left wide open for assault. Without Lee to guide the troops, the Southern armies were at a significant disadvantage. General Sherman of the Union was able sweep across the country and devastate the South that lay in his path.

Sherman's forces lived off the land during their trek and basically gave America a taste of old-fashioned burning and pillaging of wars past, sweeping through Georgia and leaving destruction and fire in their wake. Without Lee's guidance the other Confederate leaders attempted to maintain control, but essentially failed. Confederate soldiers were abandoning their posts and returning home because they feared for their land and loved ones that were under attack. It was a direct hit to Southern morale, while being very encouraging to the North. "After three and a half months of incessant maneuvering and much hard fighting, Sherman forced Hood to abandon Atlanta, the munitions center of the Confederacy. The fall of Atlanta greatly boosted Northern morale." (Freeman)