America at War

In this episode, we concentrate on the siege at Petersburg, VA. With Grant unable to destroy the Army of Northern Virginia in the 1864 campaign season, instead he maneuvered Lee's Army into Petersburg for an extended siege. While Lee's army was able to fight another day, as Grant extended the siege lines around Petersburg, Lee's forces were stretched far too thin. In the spring of 1865, Lee was hoping to shorten his lines with an attack on a Union fortification. Unfortunately, it failed and Lee was forced to evacuate the siege lines and attempt to head south and join with Joe Johnston's forces. Short on men and supplies, Lee's gambit failed and he laid down his arms on April 9, 1865. The war was over.

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In our last full episode devoted to the western theater, we know turn our attention to Sherman's next act, his march through the Carolina's. When he completed his march across Georgia, the thought was to reunite with Grant. Instead, Sherman wanted to march through the heart of the Carolina's to the border of Virginia. Imperiling Lee's supply line. Grant agreed to the idea. Sherman marched through the heart of the Confederacy, further wrecking the fragile Confederate economy, and driving morale down to the bottom of the barrel. Despite Jefferson Davis naming Robert E. Lee General-in-chief of the Confederacy, it was too little, too late. The end of the war was in sight. Take a listen!

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Once Atlanta was secured, Sherman considered next steps. Sherman mulled over an idea - marching through Georgia. After deliberations with the Lincoln Administration and General Grant, Sherman convinced them to back his plan. He wanted retribution and to demonstrate what the Union could do. In a severe blow to Confederate morale, Sherman wrecked the economy of Georgia. Rather than contesting Sherman, Confederate General Hood marched north to Tennessee to distract Grant and the Union high command. Grant and Sherman had planned for this. Hood wrecked the remainder of his army at the battle of Franklin. The heart of the Confederacy was defenseless.

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In this episode we journey east. In the aftermath of the disaster at Cold Harbor, Grant turned his eyes toward Petersburg, the critical supply hub for the rebel capital at Richmond. While giving Lee the slip, Grant's tired troops bungled the capture of Petersburg. A siege ensued. In the meantime, in an effort to siphon troops from the siege line, Jubal Early launched a raid on Washington, DC. While it temporarily succeded in drawing forces off the siege lines, it caught the attention of Grant, who ordered Phil Sheridan to the Shenandoah to stop Confederate intrusions. He did that and more - destroying Early's force and denuding the valley of supplies for the Confederates.

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In our last episode we covered Sherman's march to Atlanta. In this episode we cover the siege and fall of Atlanta. Dissatisfied with General Johnston's penchant for retreat, Confederate President Jefferson Davis replaced him with John B. Hood. Hood was the polar opposite of Johnston - aggressive to the point of recklessness. Upon taking command, Hood tangled with Sherman in attempt to stop his advance on Atlanta. Given Hood's desire to attack, he may have slowed Sherman down, but could not stop him from layng siege to Atlanta. In the end, all Hood accomplished was waste his army away with quesionable attacks. 

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In this episode we head west and focus on General Sherman's march on Atlanta, Georgia. After the victory at Chattanooga, moving into the Confederate heartland and neutralizing Atlanta seemed a prudent next step. Over the summer of 1864, General Sherman and his opponent, General Johnston maneuvered, retreated, skrimished, and occasionally fought from Tenneesee to Atlanta. Johnston prudently chose to give up space for time to preserve his army, but the Confederates could not afford to do so. Faced with a great deal of criticism, as Sherman's army arrived at the gates of Atlanta, Johnston was replaced with John Hood who, in the later half of the campaign, would destroy the army Johnston wanted to preserve.

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In this episode we continue our coverage of Grant's overland campaign. After the wilderness and Spotsylvania Grant continued to move south with Lee moving in concert with him. After being stopped at North Anna, Grant continued south and wandered into the battlefields of McClellan's campaign in 1862. Grant and Lee met again at a place called Cold Harbor. Lee entrenched. Grant attacked. While Grant would recognize that it was a mistake to attack, for Grant's critics, Cold Harbor was synomous with his new nickname, 'butcher Grant'. I weight the evidence and conclude that Grant's failures at Cold Harbor can't be seen in isolation with the other battles of the Overland campaign. Take a listen!

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Grant's overland campaign began in 1864 as he moved south to engage Lee's forces. Grant was determined to destroy Lee's Army. While outnumbered, Lee adroitly moved south in concert with Grant, engaging the Army of the Potomac, first, at a place known as the wilderness, a tangle of undergrowth that was fought over the year before where it was known as Chancellorsville. Grant attacked Lee's forces and nearly suceeded but was pushed back. Disengaging with Lee, Grant moved south and re-engaged Lee at a place called Spotsylvania. Lee had the advantage over Grant, but the Army of the Potomac pushed hard. Grant's determination set him aside from his predecessors.   

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As we mentioned in our last episode, we are ready to start 1864, the last full year of the Civil War. We will focus on Ulysses S. Grant's assumption of command of all armies that the Union could field. After years of searching, President Lincoln finally found a general he could work with. Grant, unlike his presecessors, was not only ready to commit the Army of the Potomac to battle, but pursue Lee until the rebel army was broken. Grant was also ready to apply force at every point of the map to keep the Confederates engaged. While these subsidary campgains failed, Grant was ready to battle Robert E. Lee. 

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 A short episode that will focus on what is next now that we are ready to start focusing on the last full year of the Civil War - 1864.

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