Prelude to Petersburg

Prelude to Petersburg. 1864 Overland Campaign. On May 4, 1864, the Federal Army crossed the Rapidan River twenty miles west of Fredericksburg. The next day, Confederate General Robert E. Lee's forces struck the Union army in the Wilderness, opening a month-long campaign of nearly nonstop fighting and staggering casualty totals. . . After the Wilderness, Lee attempted to block Union General Ulysses S. Grant's southward drive toward Richmond at Spotsylvania Court House, then along the North Anna River, again at Totopotomoy Creek, and finally at Cold Harbor, just eight miles from Richmond. At Cold Harbor Grant's headlong assaults into Lee's line on June 1 and June 3 failed. Undaunted, he marched his army south to Petersburg and began the long process of cutting Richmond's supply lines. . . Wilderness . The fighting in the thick woods west of Fredericksburg produced nearly 30,000 casualties but no clear winner. . . Spotsylvania Court House . Grant ignored the indecisive results of the Wilderness and pressed southward. Lee blocked him here and for two weeks close to 200,000 men fought for an advantage. . . North Anna River and Totopotomoy Creek . These two engagements forced Grant to continue moving to Lee's right as the Union forces searched for a way to capture Richmond. . . Cold Harbor . Major attacks on the Confederate line bring the total number of casualties to around 90,000 men in six weeks of fighting. Grant's failure here turns his attention to Petersburg, ending the "overland" portion of the 1864 campaign. . This historical marker was erected by Petersburg National Battlefield - National Park Service - U.S. Department of the Interior.. It is in Petersburg in Prince George County Virginia