Richmond is surrounded by historic battlefield sites from the Civil War, Cold Harbor, Seven Pines, Yellow Tavern, Malvern Hill, but in the closing days of the war the action shifted south to Petersburg where Union and Confederate forces dug in for 9 months of trench warfare. Grant extended his lines, Lee extended his line. The only difference, Grant had unlimited reinforcements, Lee had none. Both Lee and Grant tried to break this stalemate many times. Perhaps the most dramatic and terrible battle that took place was the Battle of the Crater.
For several weeks in June and July, Pennsyvania miners dug a tunnel under the Confederate lines. When completed it was packed with explosives. Specially troops trained for the attack were replaced at the last minute and the result was disaster. The explosion devestated Confederate lines and instead of entering the breach and spreading out, these new troops ran smack into the wall and piled up at the bottom of the crater. Thousands of these troops were slaughtered by Lee's soldiers as they rush back to the front and found there enemy helpless. Certain victory again was turned to defeat and the war continued another nine months.
This Saturday and Sunday, Petersburg National Battlefield will be remembering these events with special talks, living history programs and battle field tours. The remains of the crater and tunnel can still be seen. It is worth the trip down to Petersburg to see the battlefield. There are many of sites worth visiting nearby, such as City Point in Hopewell, where 150,000 Union forces were headquarted and Grant, Lincoln and Sherman plotted the end of the war. Petersburg Old Town has many restaurants, cafes and galleries to visit while you are there.
Petersburg National Battlefield NPS Site
City Point
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