Walter Coffey's Blog, page 30

The Second Battle of Petersburg

Some 10,000 Federal troops advance on just 2,200 Confederates defending the vital transportation center of Petersburg, south of Richmond. This becomes one of the Federals’ greatest opportunities to destroy the Confederates in Virginia and win the war.Continue reading

Federals Prepare to Move on Petersburg

Ulysses S. Grant orders Benjamin F. Butler’s Federals to capture Petersburg, the vital railroad city south of the Confederate capital of Richmond. Butler assembles his army and prepares to attack.Continue reading

I Hope God Almighty Will

Robert E. Lee finally discovers that Ulysses S. Grant’s Federals are crossing the James River to strike at Petersburg, south of Richmond. P.G.T. Beauregard hurries to assemble a makeshift Confederate force to defend the key city while waiting for Lee’s help.Continue reading

Georgia: Johnston Compacts His Line

William T. Sherman’s Federals attempt to maneuver around the strong defenses of Joseph E. Johnston’s Confederates near Marietta, Georgia. Federal forces kill a prominent Confederate commander, Johnston contracts his Confederate line, and Sherman tries moving southeast around Johnston’s left.Continue reading

Trans-Mississippi Operations in June 1864

West of the Mississippi River, A.J. Smith’s Federals confront Confederate raiders in Arkansas, Richard Taylor expresses frustration over missed opportunities during the Red River campaign, and Confederates attack Federal shipping near the Indian Territory.Continue reading

Grant Crosses the James

Ulysses S. Grant directs the Federal Army of the Potomac to begin crossing the James River to move against Richmond and Petersburg. Meanwhile, Robert E. Lee struggles to find where the Federals had gone.Continue reading

Morgan Leaves Empty Shelves and Pockets

Confederate raider John Hunt Morgan leads a raid into Kentucky to weaken Federal forces in the Western Theater. Morgan soon finds that his presence is not as welcomed in his home state as it previously had been.Continue reading

The Battle of Brice’s Crossroads

Nathan Bedford Forrest scores one of his greatest victories against the Federal effort to stop his Confederates from harassing William T. Sherman’s supply lines in northern Mississippi.Continue reading

The Battle of Petersburg

Benjamin F. Butler’s Federals advance on the nearly defenseless town of Petersburg, south of Richmond, Virginia. This marks a prime opportunity for the Federals to hasten the end of the war.Continue reading

Hunter Terrorizes the Shenandoah Valley

George Crook’s Federals from West Virginia join forces with David Hunter’s Army of the Shenandoah and prepare to drive southward “up” Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley from Staunton. Meanwhile, Robert E. Lee devises a daring plan to detach one of his Confederate corps from the Army of Northern Virginia to oppose this new Federal threat in the Valley.Continue reading