As Lee sat in Petersburg nearly surrounded by Grant what was his plan to still win the war?

Answer 1

Left brain logic: to try to escape the trap and join up with Joe Johnston's army in North Carolina.

Right-brain emotion: a realization that they could never win, but were psychologically incapable of surrendering till they were barefoot and starving.

Answer 2

The general conception of Lee's plan was:

1 - to break through the Union front at Petersburg;

2 - if the endeavor had succeeded, Grant should have been forced to shorten his siege line;

3 - Lee, therefore would have sent an important part of his army to Johnston in the North Carolina;

4 - In case of failure Lee thought he would have been able to abandon Richmond and Petersburg joining Johnston with the whole Army of Northern Virginia.

Lee's plan as it was conceived in details.

- Eastward of Petersburg the Confederate line was leaning towards the Federal ones with a wide salient, called Colquitt, after the name of a general. There, both the opposite entrenchments were divided by no more than 150 meters and the Confederate outposts stood about 50 meters from the enemy line.

The ground beyond the salient was in slight ascent towards the Union strong fortified position called Fort Stedman.

The first stage of the attack foresaw its capture by surprise.

Afterward the Confederate attacking columns would have enlarged the breach, seizing the enemy entrenchments on both sides of the fort and, at the same time, advancing through the opponent main fortified line until reaching its backline.

Such an action could lead to very important developments:

-to compel Grant to evacuate the whole front from Fort Stedman to the Boydton Plank Road, in order to avoid from being cut out from his base of City Point;

- not only, but the said action could even lead to the conquest of this base, which was located only about 15 kilometers behind the Union line near the Appomattox River. It would have meant the paralysis of the enemy's combat organization.

It was a significant strategic formulation, planned many decades ahead on those which would have been developed in Europe after the WW1, to overcome similar strategic problems.

From a military point of view, the plan, even if successful, could hardly led to win the war. But it would surely have had a deep impact on the Union's home front and/or, would have prolonged the war. Maybe it could also convince the belligerents to negotiate a peace of compromise.