Page:Civil War The 42nd Infantry Division of Bedford County Virginia.djvu/32

 the war from a war of maneuvers to a war of siege.

General Grant decided not to make battle as General Lee was much too strong in his defenses around Richmond, but to string out his army from Richmond to Petersburg, a distance of twenty-three miles and cut all lines of communications north of the James River and to capture all five of the railroads leading into Petersburg to stop all supplies and at the same time strike the Confederate forces at every opportunity as General Lee would have to stretch his forces those twenty-three miles also to hold him in tow.

On June 7 General Phil Sheridan's army from the Shenandoah Valley joined Grant's army and was sent west to raid Charlottesville and disrupt Confederate communications. Lee was forced to send Wade Hampton's cavalry after Sheridan, leaving him no one for reconnaissance, as General J. E. B. Stuart had been killed May 11 at Yellow Tavern, a Richmond suburb, stopping Sheridan's Union cavalry from entering Richmond proper.

From this time on the war was to go against the Confederate army. On June 13th General Grant ordered a push on all fronts, battles were fought at Savage's Station, Malvern Hill, Harrison's Landing, Bermuda Hundred, Five Forks and etc. Each battle fought had taken a toll of his men and supplies. He now faced winter with his men half starving and freezing in the filthy trenches. Death, disease and desertion were slowing destroying the once proud army of Northern Virginia.

Grant did not let up even in the dead of winter; he wanted to keep Lee off balance. Infantry and cavalry assaults were made daily and all five railroad lines were now in Union hands. The strong forts of forts Gregg and Waitworth were over run and in Union hands.

On April 2, 1865 General Lee telegraphed Jefferson Davis. "I advise that all preparations be made for leaving Richmond tonight". Now General Lee had only one escape route left and he ordered his entire force to march and assemble at Amelia Court House. The ten months of siege of Richmond and Petersburg were over. During this period Federals suffered approximately 42,000 casualties, the Confederates about 28,000 not counting desertions.