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Offensives

The term “offensives” will often be used at Beyond the Crater. Benjamin Butler was responsible for the first offensive against the city of Petersburg which ended with The Battle of Old Men and Young Boys on June 9, 1864. Ulysses S. Grant then launched nine offensives through the course of the Siege of Petersburg, as follows1:

Siege Number Grant’s Number Battles Dates
1
Ninth of June June 9, 1864
2
I
First Petersburg June 15-18, 1864
Howlett’s House June 16-17, 1864
3
II
First Weldon Railroad June 22, 1864
Wilson-Kautz Raid June 22-July 1, 1864
St. Mary’s Church June 24, 1864
Hare’s Hill June 24, 1864
Staunton Bridge June 25, 1864
Sappony Church June 28-29, 1864
First Reams’ Station June 29, 1864
4
III
First Deep Bottom July 27-29, 1864
Crater July 30, 1864
Lee’s Mill Pond July 30, 1864
A
Confederate Mine August 5, 1864
B
Dutch Gap August 13, 1864
5
IV
Second Deep Bottom August 14-19, 1864
Globe Tavern August 18-21, 1864
First Gravelly Run August 23, 1864
Second Reams’ Station August 25, 1864
Fourth Bermuda Hundred August 25, 1864
C
Gregory’s Chimneys September 10, 1864
D
Cattle Raid September 14-17, 1864
E
Poplar Spring Road September 15, 1864
6
V
Chaffin’s Bluff Sept. 29-Oct. 1, 1864
Poplar Spring Church Sept. 29-Oct. 1, 1864
Dr. Boisseau’s House October 4, 1864
First Darbytown Road October 7, 1864
Second Squirrel Level Road October 8, 1864
Second Darbytown Road October 13, 1864
F
First Fort Brady October 22, 1864
7
VI
Second Fair Oaks October 27-29, 1864
First Hatcher’s Run October 27-28, 1864
Fourth Jerusalem Plank Road October 30, 1864
Forts Haskell and Morton November 5, 1864
G
First Stony Creek Depot December 1, 1864
8
VII
Expedition to Hicksford and Bellefield December 7-12, 1864
Fourth New Market Heights December 10, 1864
H
Second Fort Brady January 23-24, 1865
9
VIII
Second Hatcher’s Run February 5-7, 1865
I
Fort Stedman March 25, 1865
10
IX
Fourth Petersburg (Lewis’ Farm, Third Boydton Plank Road, White Oak Road, Dinwiddie Court House, Five Forks, Third Jones’ Farm, Sutherland’s Station, Breakthrough, and Ninth Corps Attacks) March 28-April 2, 1865
Occupation of Petersburg and Richmond April 3, 1865

The numbered offensives are those initiated by Union movements.  Items marked with a letter are not part of the ten offensives and are typically the result of Confederate counterattacks.  Beyond the Crater will eventually have battle summaries under the Resources section of the site grouped by offensives.

  1. Sommers, Richard J.  “GRANT’S FIFTH OFFENSIVE AT PETERSBURG: A STUDY IN STRATEGY, TACTICS, AND GENERALSHIP. THE BATTLE OF CHAFFIN’S BLUFF, THE BATTLE OF POPLAR SPRING CHURCH, THE FIRST BATTLE OF THE DARBYTOWN ROAD, THE SECOND BATTLE OF THE SQUIRREL LEVEL ROAD, THE SECOND BATTLE OF THE DARBYTOWN ROAD”. 1970 Ph.D. thesis.  Appendix J: List of the Federal Offensives at Petersburg, Page 1399-1400
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