In the autumn of 1863, after Gettysburg, the war in northern Virginia became a series of maneuvers between a depleted Union army and Robert E. Lee's weakened Army of Northern Virginia. Lee also had to detach James Longstreet to help Braxton Bragg in the West, leaving the Army of Northern Virginia badly outnumbered. Further, what opportunities there were were marred by bad luck at the battle of Mine Run and AP Hill's poor judgment at Bristow Station.
The appointment of Ulysses S. Grant changed the war substantially, as Grant decided to grind Lee's army down in a war of attrition. What followed was the campaign in the Wilderness, featuring battles at Spotsylvania and North Anna, including Bloody Angle, with Grant sustaining enormous casualties. The campaign culminated at Cold Harbor, where Grant was defeated. What followed was the Siege of Petersburg, which ground on into 1865 after Union failure in the Battle of the Crater.
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CHAPTERS:
0:00 Post-Gettysburg Attrition
1:33 Longstreet's Detachment
2:19 Bristow Station Blunder
5:14 Mine Run Fortifications
9:49 Grant Takes Command
13:21 The Wilderness Opens
16:16 Longstreet Wounded
17:45 Grant Refuses Retreat
18:40 The Mule Shoe Trap
21:09 Bloody Angle Breakthrough
25:11 North Anna Trap
27:28 Cold Harbor Slaughter
30:45 Grant Marches South
33:17 Petersburg Siege Begins
34:56 The Crater Explosion
Sources Referenced in this Episode:
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