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After President Lincoln had appointed Major General Henry W. Halleck to the position of general in chief, both men spent much of their time contemplating the value of a siege on the Confederate capital of Richmond. This was well before US Grant replaced Halleck in 1864.At the time prior to Grant, both Lincoln and Halleck did not think that a siege on Richmond would succeed. In fact, they believed that a siege would only aid the Confederates. A Union siege would tie up thousands of troops, horses and artillery. This would allow the well entrenched Rebels with the opportunity to economize with troops on the defensive. This then would allow General Robert E. Lee to allocate spare troops to reinforce other Southern armies and to also use their Shenandoah Valley base to threaten raids across the Potomac River.
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What was the purpose of the Union siege of Petersburg?
In order to capture the Confederate capital city of Richmond, Grant wanted to cut the railway supply line that ran from Petersburg Virginia, north to Richmond. So far repeated Union attempts to take Richmond had failed. At least three or more Union tries at this goal were repulsed. Both Richmond & Petersburg we well fortified. Since attacking Petersburg seemed impossible with Confederate General Lee commanding the defence of both cities, Grant decided to lay siege to Petersburg in order to hope for a surrender. Almost 10 months passed before the siege succeeded. Because of the length of the siege, Lee had no choice but to withdraw from both Richmond & Petersburg. Grant cut the supply lines to Richmond. With Lee gone Grant;s forces were finally able to take Richmond. Lincoln, who had waited years to have this done, paid a visit to the captured city.
What caused the Union to place the capture of Richmond as a secondary target in the US Civil War?
When Henry W. Halleck had been appointed the third general in chief for the Union, he and President Lincoln devoted much of their time to solving the problems that Confederate General Lee and his Army of Northern Virginia were causing in the Eastern Theater. This was in 1862, some months after Lincoln took the general in chief title away from General McClellan and some months later, bestowed it on the successful General Halleck. Both men concluded at that time, that a siege on Richmond would not prove to be a success. They came to believe that a siege would present the heavily entrenched Confederates with the opportunity to economize their troops in the defense of the city. They were certain that Lee and President Davis would then have extra forces to wreak havoc in the Shenandoah Valley and to reinforce Southern armies in the West or anywhere else that they were needed. They also feared an assault on Northern targets of opportunity.
What US Civil War situation was agreed upon by both the North and the South?
When Union General in Chief Halleck was in Washington DC, he and US President Lincoln agreed that based on previous experiences, the Union army should steer clear of Richmond because of its vast network of entrenchments. Ironically, Confederate General Robert E. Lee felt the same way.For Lee, Richmond's dependence on food from the Shenandoah Valley, was reason enough not to have Richmond under a Union siege at that time. Now the Union high command failed to understand this as a weakness. Undoubtedly Lincoln and Halleck failed to understand that a farmland nation would have difficulty in supplying Richmond or the Army of Northern Virginia when it was two-fold dependent on both a railway and a canal to supply Richmond and/or a Southern army on the move.
What are the union and confederate name for siege of Vicksburg?
I believe both sides call it the Siege of Vicksburg.
When did the Union siege of Petersburg begin?
From June 19, 1864, Petersburg was effectively under siege by the Union army. This city was important because Richmond had been able to receive supplies from that city.
When did Siege of Lincoln happen?
Siege of Lincoln happened in 1644.
Where there other names for the battle of petersburg?
Answer Siege of Petersburg Siege of Richmond
Where did Petersburg Siege take place?
The siege of Petersburg a city in Virginia was the main factor in the fall of Richmond. Petersburg lay south of the Confederate capital of Richmond. By laying siege to this city it began to cut off the railway supplies to Richmond.
What did Union General McClellan expect the Confederate army to do as his troops approached Richmond?
General George B. McClellan fully expected to use the rivers surrounding the Peninsula to allow him to take perfect defensive positions. With that would come a siege on Richmond. He believed the Southern army would have no choice but end the siege by attacking the Union's strong defensive positions. Once the Rebels failed, he would counterattack and capture Richmond. This, he believed would end the war, so did President Lincoln.
What was President Lincoln's strategy after he abandoned a siege on Richmond in 1863?
When President Lincoln appointed Major General Henry W. Halleck to the post of general in chief, both men had contemplated and rejected a strategy of placing a siege on Richmond, Virginia, the Rebel capital. By early 1863, this idea was clearly abandoned and Lincoln and Halleck changed their objectives for the war at that time. With Lee firmly entrenched in Richmond, they used the powerful Army of the Potomac to prevent General Lee from advancing towards Washington DC. Their idea was to wait in Virginia and take advantage of any mistakes that Lee and his Army of the Potomac might make. In the meantime, they focused their attention on the Western Theater and hoped that under the leadership of Major General Grant, progress against the South could be made in areas close to the Mississippi River.
Why did grant want to take Richmond?
Despite the tremendous goal of President Lincoln to capture the Confederate capital of Richmond, there was never any real danger of this happening until late in the War. Early in the war, in 1862 General George McClellan, leader of the Union's Army of the Potomac, failed to even attack Richmond due to bad planning and the great generalship of the South. It seemed that the only way to take Richmond in 1864 under Grant was to lay siege on Richmond. Richmond endured a 10 month siege before it was captured. This seems almost impossible to believe that Richmond did not fall to the Union at the onset of the war. Such was the state of the Union's inept strategies and tactics.
What cities did the army of potomac lay siege to in 1864?
Richmond and Petersburg
What was the purpose of the Union siege of Petersburg?
In order to capture the Confederate capital city of Richmond, Grant wanted to cut the railway supply line that ran from Petersburg Virginia, north to Richmond. So far repeated Union attempts to take Richmond had failed. At least three or more Union tries at this goal were repulsed. Both Richmond & Petersburg we well fortified. Since attacking Petersburg seemed impossible with Confederate General Lee commanding the defence of both cities, Grant decided to lay siege to Petersburg in order to hope for a surrender. Almost 10 months passed before the siege succeeded. Because of the length of the siege, Lee had no choice but to withdraw from both Richmond & Petersburg. Grant cut the supply lines to Richmond. With Lee gone Grant;s forces were finally able to take Richmond. Lincoln, who had waited years to have this done, paid a visit to the captured city.
What was the Union's strategy when it was decided that a siege of Richmond needed to be delayed?
When the point came where President Lincoln and General in Chief Henry W. Halleck decided to abort any siege on Richmond, they came up with a new strategy for handling operations in Virginia. The decision was made to use the Army of the Potomac to keep Lee's army well away from Washington DC. Then, be in position to attack Lee's army when and if it made a tactical error. In the meantime, the Western Theater would occupy their offensive operations against the South.
Was US President Lincoln responsible for the Union defeat in the Peninsula campaign?
It would be unfair to blame President Lincoln for the defeat of Union forces involved with the Peninsula campaign. General George B. McClellan had many chances to take advantage of his superior numbers in troops and his advantage by forcing the South's hand by attacking Richmond from the east on the peninsula. His failures of command, especially regarding his unneeded siege of Yorktown gave the South plenty of time to react.
Summary of the siege and fall of Richmond?
robert e.lee farted on yo face
What caused the Union to place the capture of Richmond as a secondary target in the US Civil War?
When Henry W. Halleck had been appointed the third general in chief for the Union, he and President Lincoln devoted much of their time to solving the problems that Confederate General Lee and his Army of Northern Virginia were causing in the Eastern Theater. This was in 1862, some months after Lincoln took the general in chief title away from General McClellan and some months later, bestowed it on the successful General Halleck. Both men concluded at that time, that a siege on Richmond would not prove to be a success. They came to believe that a siege would present the heavily entrenched Confederates with the opportunity to economize their troops in the defense of the city. They were certain that Lee and President Davis would then have extra forces to wreak havoc in the Shenandoah Valley and to reinforce Southern armies in the West or anywhere else that they were needed. They also feared an assault on Northern targets of opportunity.
