Program Information

In the spring of 1864 the Federal Army of the Potomac, led by General Ulysses S. Grant, sped across the Virginia heartland in a series of battles followed by flanking maneuvers designed to envelop the rebel army and capture Richmond.

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Transcript

Lead: For 400 years service men and women have fought to carve out and defend freedom and the civilization we know as America. This series on A Moment in Time is devoted to the memory of those warriors, whose devotion gave, in the words of Lincoln at Gettysburg, The Last Full Measure.

Content: In the spring of 1864 the Federal Army of the Potomac, led by General Ulysses S. Grant, sped across the Virginia heartland in a series of battles followed by flanking maneuvers designed to envelop the rebel army and capture Richmond. The Battle of Cold Harbor, one of the bloodiest engagements of the Civil War, forced Grant to change his strategy.

At 4:30 AM on June 3rd, Grant’ began an attack on Lee’s well-entrenched and reinforced Confederate line ten miles northeast of Richmond. In this frontal assault against Lee’s masterful series of breastworks, the Federals suffered over 7,000 casualties, while the Confederate losses were 1,500. Later in the day Grant said to his staff, "I regret this assault more than any one I have ever ordered. I regarded it as a stern necessity, and believed it would bring compensating results; but, as it has proved, no advantages have been gained sufficient to justify the heavy losses suffered.” Cold Harbor was Grant’s last effort to defeat Lee’s army through direct assault.

Grant, instead, shifted his focus to Petersburg, the rail center that supplied Richmond. The Federals lay siege to Petersburg for over nine long months. After Petersburg fell, southern forces evacuated Richmond at the war’s end.

At the University of Richmond, I’m Dan Roberts.

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