Cavalry General
Petersburg, VA-The Siege that Broke the CSA’s Back
Today we went to Petersburg Battlefield. Our first stop was the VC in town. We drove through the Olde Towne, much of which is still like it was during the great siege. We went to see Blanford Church and its cemetery, where over 30,000 soldiers are buried in mass graves. This is the site of the first Decoration DAY a.k.a. Memorial Day. General Logan’s wife observed in 1866 and in subsequent years that little girls decorated the graves of the fallen soldiers with flowers. She was so moved by this act of kindness that she pushed for a national day of memorial for our fallen soldiers.
The Petersburg siege, which lasted for ten months, (the longest of any on an American city) is know for its crater. Union miners from Pennsylvania convinced their superiors that they could mine a tunnel for over five hundred feet under the CSA line and penetrate them. They succeeded in doing this. A black regiment was chosen to lead the attack, because they were prepared and fresh. At the last moment Gen. Meade changed Burnside’s plans and made him send a ragtag white troop, who weren’t too swift in the grey matter. Instead of attacking around the crater, they charged directly through in and tried to ascend the thirty-foot high wall. Over 4,000 Union troops were set up like ducks in a shooting gallery. The crater itself still remains. It is not as impressive as it once was. What is pretty remarkable is the mineshaft and entrance, which is pretty well preserved.
After this fiasco, the siege continued on. Grant kept extending his lines, cutting off the supplies to the SCA by disrupting the rail lines. Meanwhile the Union army had a continuous supply line less than ten miles to the north at City Point along the James River. At this time it was the busiest port in the world, over two hundred ships docking daily with supplies. There was enough food and gear to keep over 100,000 soldiers happy for thirty days and enough fodder to keep over 12,000 horses, oxen, etc., fat for three weeks. Besides this the bakery produced over 100,000 loaves of bread daily, the field hospitals had a mortality rate of about 3%, and Grant received daily update and newspapers from a well-oiled spy system in Richmond under the capable hands of Elizabeth van Leuw.
The CSA, on the other hand were lucky to eat two meals per week. They were happy to eat the maggots in their hardtack. That is how desperate they had become. Grant’s war of attrition was succeeding. With the supply lines almost completely shut down Lee took off to meet up with Johnston’s army in North Carolina. He thought he could then attack Sherman’s forces and then turn back on Grant. Appomattox was less than one week away. Lee send George Pickett’s cavalry division (remember Gettysburg) to hold the lines at five forks, a major intersection near the only railroad still supplying the CSA. He failed.
About the Author
John Pelley is a Geriatric Gypsy. He is retired from the rat race of working. He is a full-time RVer, who ran away from home. He began our travels on the East Coast and, like the migrating birds, seek the warmth of the seasons He has discovered volunteering with the National Park System. He has a CD he has recorded of Native American flute music., A Day with Kokopelli. For pictures, links, and more information visit http://www.jmpelley.org.
General George Custer 7th US Cavalry ~ Song “Comanche”
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