Siege of Petersburg—Grant's Fifth Offensive

Throughout the summer of 1864, Union General Ulysses S. Grant made several unsuccessful assaults against the Confederate defenses around Richmond and Petersburg. In the fall of 1864, after decisive Union victories on other fronts of the war, Grant ordered another wave of assaults against Petersburg and Richmond. With simultaneous attacks at both cities, Confederate General Robert E. Lee came very close to abandoning Petersburg. On September 29-30, 1864, Union forces captured New Market Heights and Confederate Fort Harrison, and Lee ordered nearly half his troops around Petersburg to march north to Richmond's defense. When Grant struck south of Petersburg on September 29-October 2, 1864, Lee turned around some of his troops to meet this new threat. By the end of Grant's fifth offensive, Lee still held both cities, but Grant had tightened the noose around Petersburg and Richmond.

Petersburg, Virginia · United States