The First Attacks on Petersburg

On June 9, 1864, as Grant prepared to shift his army from Cold Harbor, the 10th Corps under Maj. Gen. Quincy A. Gillmore crossed the Appomattox River on pontoon bridges at Point of Rocks and began the first attacks on Petersburg. United States Colored Troops under Gen. Edward W. Hinks attacked the outer line of defenses while the cavalry of Gen. August V. Kautz circled around the city to attack from the south. Petersburg was then protected by heavy earthworks manned by only 2,500 troops, and in the "Battle of Old Men and Young Boys" a handful of Confederate troops and local militia slowed the cavalry's advance. That action and the formidable appearance of the Dimmock Line convinced Gillmore that the works were too strong to assault, and he halted the attack. On June 13 Grant began moving his army from Cold Harbor toward Petersburg, but Robert E. Lee, believing Grant was still in his front, was slow to respond to reports of the movement. Additional attacks followed from June 15-18, but by then Lee had recognized Grant's movement and begun rushing reinforcements to Petersburg. After more than 60,000 Federal casualties in the Overland Campaign from May through the June attacks, the attempt to take Petersburg quickly had ended, and ten months of siege warfare lay ahead for both armies.

Virginia · United States