The Union breakthrough at Petersburg ended the 292-day siege, forced the evacuation of the Confederate capital Richmond, and led directly to Lee's surrender one week later.
Key Facts
- Date
- April 2, 1865
- Duration of preceding siege
- 292 days days
- Confederate losses (approx.)
- Over 10,000 killed, wounded, captured, or fled
- Notable Confederate death
- Lt. Gen. A.P. Hill killed in action
- Richmond & Petersburg occupied
- April 3, 1865
- Lee's surrender
- April 9, 1865, Appomattox Court House
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Following 292 days of siege, Confederate lines around Petersburg had been stretched beyond defensible limits by repeated Union flanking movements, desertions, and battle casualties. The Union victory at the Battle of Five Forks on April 1, 1865, exposed the Confederate right flank and rear and cut remaining supply lines, leaving the thinly held trenches vulnerable to a general assault.
On April 2, 1865, Union forces under General Ulysses S. Grant launched a massive assault on Confederate fortifications south and southwest of Petersburg. Desperate Confederate defenders, though outnumbered, delayed the breakthrough long enough for Confederate government officials and most of the Army of Northern Virginia to evacuate Petersburg and Richmond during the night of April 2–3. Lt. Gen. A.P. Hill was killed during the fighting.
Union troops occupied both Petersburg and Richmond on April 3, 1865. The bulk of the Union Army pursued the retreating Army of Northern Virginia westward, surrounding it and compelling General Robert E. Lee to surrender on April 9, 1865, at Appomattox Court House, effectively ending major combat operations in the American Civil War.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant.
Side B
1 belligerent
Gen. Robert E. Lee, Lt. Gen. A.P. Hill (KIA).