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| Debacle at Petersburg: The Battle of the Crater: An Interview with A. Wilson Greene |
. . . "The Siege of Petersburg was not a siege in the traditional sense of the word.
"It was a series of battles, raids, and skirmishes centered in and around the defensive entrenchments that surrounded Petersburg. Ironically, a lengthy siege was what General Ulysses S. Grant was trying to avoid.
"The Union first attempted to take Petersburg from the Confederates on the 9th of June, when union forces crossed the James River under cover of night.
"This early attempt at taking Petersburg failed, as did the second. During both of the battles for Petersburg, the confederate line held firm in the trenches.
"For Grant, the only option was to gain ground piece by piece, which meant taking sections of the trenches in each offensive or skirmish. Grant knew he had a superior number of forces to Lee.
"If Grant could succeed in cutting off Lee’s access to resources and dwindle his forces even further, one final push would then be enough to defeat the Confederate army.
"During the nine and a half months that followed, the two sides engaged in trench warfare. At the beginning of June, Lee had 20 000 men against the Union's 67 000, yet the Confederate army held on despite being outnumbered.
"If one defensive line fell, they moved back and reinforced. The Union could gain ground, only to be halted and pinned down by heavy Confederate fire. Grant and his generals had to change their approach because of this characteristic of trench warfare." . . .
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