Hatcher’s Run Grant’s 8th Petersburg Offensive February 5-7, 1865
by Nigel Lambert
SOPO’s Take: Nigel Lambert, despite being a relative newcomer to studying the Siege of Petersburg, has utilized his background as a scientist (now retired) to produce the first monograph to ever come out on the Battle of Hatcher’s Run. This battle, fought from February 5-7, 1865, has been misunderstood since the week it was fought. Nigel, utilizing primary sources and and the Official Records, has shed a tremendous amount of light on what actually happened at this battle. He realized early on that the “standard” account of the battle was missing key info in some places and outright incorrect in others. Nigel’s feat is doubly impressive given the relative lack of Confederate sources from this time period. What’s more, this book is available as a FREE download at Nigel’s site https://www.hatchersrunbattle.com/.
Full disclosure: Nigel reached out to me on this site around 2021. While I provided him some images of pages from regimental histories, that is the extent of my involvement. He and Bryce Suderow collaborated in the intervening years, and Nigel has produced numerous articles on the battle prior to writing his eBook:
Emerging Civil War : a 2024 article describing the Rebel assault on February 5.
Emerging Civil War : a 2024 article describing the battle’s 14 Medal of Honor recipients.
Emerging Civil War : a 2024 article describing John Pegram’s fateful day.
Emerging Civil War: a 2024 article describing David Gregg’s final mission.
Emerging Civil War: a 2024 article describing the Union great skedaddle.
Emerging Civil War: a 2024 article describing the Union reaction to the great skedaddle.
Emerging Civil War : a 2024 article describing the origins behind the offensive.
Emerging Civil War: a 2025 article describing the consequences of the battle.
Emerging Civil War: a 2025 article describing Crawford’s controversial assault on February 7.
2024 UK American Civil War Round Table Lecture: The Battle of Hatcher’s Run on 5-7 February 1864 – YouTube
2025 UK American Civil War Round Table Podcast: The Battle of Hatcher’s Run With (Nigel Lambert) – YouTube
Nigel Lambert & Bryce A. Suderow (2022) “The Battle of Hatcher’s Run: A Re-Appraisal” North and South Magazine, Series 2, Vol. 2, No. 5, 35-46.
Nigel Lambert (2023) “A Civil War Medal of Honor Mystery” North and South Magazine, Series 2, Vol. 3 No. 6, 88-92.
Nigel Lambert (2025) “Curious Tales from Hatcher’s Run” Crossfire Magazine, American Civil War Round Table (UK), No. 137, 4-7.
Gerald Prokopowicz’s Civil War Talk Radio, Episode 2207, Oct 22, 2025, Nigel Lambert, Hatcher’s Run: Episode 2207: “Hatcher’s Run” with Nigel Lambert
Book Summary/Review:
SOPO Siege of Petersburg Book Notes:
SOPO Siege of Petersburg Book Sources:
Publisher Info:
The reason I [Nigel Lambert], a semi-retired UK scientist, wrote a scholarly book on the Battle of Hatcher’s Run is too long a story to relay in detail. My fascination with the Civil War dates back to my 1960s childhood amid the centennial activities. I have since built a sizable library on the war and have had the pleasure of visiting most of the major battlefields on several occasions. Thus, I have a sound overall knowledge of the Civil War.
I stumbled upon the Hatcher’s Run battle during the COVID lockdowns of 2020. At the time, I knew little about the event. I soon realized that history had not treated this battle kindly. Thanks to the internet, many senior US historians supported my curiosity, and I built a substantial Hatcher’s Run database. From 2021 to now (2025), through numerous articles and lectures, I have been at the forefront in raising awareness about the battle. The fact that such a task fell to someone like me shows how neglected the event had become. One of my proudest achievements was updating the Hatcher’s Run Wikipedia page, as it’s often the first stop for curious minds. Previously, the site was a derisory two pages of limited information, another sign of the battle’s neglect. This book represents the most comprehensive account of the battle to date.
In constructing a coherent Hatcher’s Run narrative, some statements are currently uncontested. For example, the battle occurred on February 5-7, 1865; John Pegram died on February 6; the Confederates attacked Humphreys’s line late on February 5, etc. Uncontested statements provide a solid foundation for the narrative. Many statements, however, are contested. Often, one can use logic and the established framework to dismiss errant claims. For instance, there is testimony suggesting that John Pegram was killed near Dabney’s Mill before 2 p.m. on February 6. However, the reliable framework shows that at 2 p.m., Pegram was fighting down Vaughan Road over a mile away from Dabney’s Mill, and that he died in the late afternoon.
In many places, my narrative diverges from the more common summary accounts. Bryce Suderow and I addressed these differences in a 2022 magazine article. Typically, I do not repeat these debates here; however, I do share my critical thinking on significant incidents.
There remain significant gaps in the narrative where flimsy or no testimony currently exists. I freely admit these gaps. For instance, there is no record explaining why Pegram split his division on the morning of February 6. We also do not know why Crawford rashly charged the formidable Confederate works at 6 p.m. on February 7. When I propose speculative scenarios, I clearly label them as such.
eBook Edition
ISBN: N/A
Publisher: Self-published
Release Date: April 2026 (3rd Edition)
Pages: 227 pages
The Siege of Petersburg Online Pages Which Mention This Book:
It’s a couple years since I read this splendid addition to the Petersburg Canon. I considered it a valuable bridging of a gap in our knowledge of the siege then and Nigel has made it more so now. Every student of the siege should download and read a copy.
You do yourself a disservice Brett. Having stumbled upon this wonderful website during the Covid lockdown days, I decided to cold email you with my queries about the published accounts of the Battle of Hatcher’s Run. As a random person from the UK, I little expected a reply. You not only replied, but supported my interest, shared substantial documentation, and contacts like Bryce Suderow. With your support I wrote several articles (my first) for your website. Push a little snowball at the top of a hill and watch how it grows. You provided that push, and that’s why your name is always first on any acknowledgements I present. Without your generosity of spirit there would be no eBook. Thank you, and thank you for the review.