Richmond, Virginia the Confederate capital had been the target of several campaigns throughout the Civil War from its earliest days. The Union armies were forced to withdraw every single time, sometimes in good order, sometimes with its tail between its legs. Despite the best efforts of the Confederate States Army, however, such defeats were never final.
In 1864 the Union returned, with General Ulysses S. Grant who recognised the need to lay siege to both Petersburg and Richmond simultaneously in order to outflank and threaten their supply lines – neither city’s supply lines were threatened until the end of the war, which makes the sieges unusual. The Confederacy had started construction in 1863 of a ring of forts and defensive trenchworks with abatis. Richmond had 25 forts alone. In addition, the front
