The Cavalry at Appomattox
A Tactical Study of Mounted Operations During the Civil War's Climactic Campaign, March 27-April 9, 1865

White Oak Road
Hatcher's Run, Gravelly Run
Civil War Virginia

American Civil War
March 31, 1865


Robert E. Lee
This book not only offers concise detail but also gives terrific insight into the state of the Union and Confederacy during Lee's life. Lee was truly a one of kind gentleman and American, and had Virginia not been in the south or neutral, he ultimately would have led the Union forces.

On March 30, Lee shifted reinforcements to meet the Federal movement to turn his right flank, placing Major General W.H. Fitzhugh Lee's cavalry divisions at Five Forks and transferring Pickett's division from the Bermuda Hundred front to the extreme right.

Warren pushed the V Corps forward and entrenched a line to cover the Boydton Plank Road from its intersection with Dabney Mill Road south to Gravelly Run.

Ayres's division advanced northwest toward White Oak Road. On March 31, in combination with Major General Philip Sheridan's thrust via Dinwiddie Court House, Warren directed his corps against the Confederate entrenchments along White Oak Road, hoping to cut Lee's communications with Pickett at Five Forks.

The Union advance was stalled by a crushing counterattack directed by Major General Bushrod Johnson, but Warren's position stabilized and his soldiers closed on the road by day's end.

This fighting set up the Confederate defeat at Five Forks on April 1.

Result(s): Union gained ground

Location: Dinwiddie County

Campaign: Appomattox Campaign (March-April 1865) next battle in campaign  previous battle in campaign

Date(s): March 31, 1865

Principal Commanders:  Major General G.K. Warren [US]; General Robert E. Lee and Lieutenant General Richard H. Anderson [CS]

Forces Engaged: Corps

Estimated Casualties: 2,670 (US 1,870; CS 800)


The Passing of Armies: An Account Of The Final Campaign Of The Army Of The Potomac
The beginning of the final campaign of the Army of the Potomac against Confederate General Robert E. Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia. It was the spring of 1864 and General Grant had Lee and his army backing up toward what finally became the siege of Petersburg, Virginia.
March - April 1865

Click for larger image

April 9, 1865

Lee's Surrender to Grant


P.G.T. Beauregard:
Napoleon in Gray

Beauregard often gets overlooked, he was never as beloved as Lee or Stonewall Jackson, but he was capable, the man had a sharp mind and Lee understood this, even if Jefferson Davis did not


Virginia State Battle Map 1865
State Battle Maps
Civil War Submarines
Appomattox Courthouse
Civil War Picture Album
President Abraham Lincoln
Confederate President Jefferson Davis
Battle of Gettysburg
American Civil War Exhibits
Civil War Summary
Documents of the Civil War

American Civil War Book Titles

CUSTER: The Controversial Life of George Armstrong Custer
After graduating last in his class at West Point, he rose to become the Union's youngest general on the strength of his flamboyance and military genius. Next came 12 years of checkered service in the American West, ending with the famous massacre at Little Bighorn

Two Great Rebel Armies: An Essay in Confederate Military History
The Army of Northern Virginia was able to compile a large number of impressive victories during the war. The Army of Tennessee was only able to win at Chickamauga, and even that victory proved barren strategically.

Sheridan's Lieutenants: Phil Sheridan, His Generals, and the Final Year of the Civil War
Summary of Sheridan's role in the last year of the Civil War. An introduction to the lives of a remarkable group of soldiers. Merritt, Mackenzie, Crook, Upton, and Wilson were young, gifted, and tough officers who contributed to Union victory. Custer is remembered today because he blundered at the Little Bighorn

April 1865: The Month That Saved America
There was nothing inevitable about the end of the Civil War, from the fall of Richmond to the surrender at Appomattox to the murder of Lincoln. It all happened so quickly, in what was the most moving and decisive month not simply of the Civil War, but indeed, quite likely, in the life of the United States

Unconditional Surrender: U. S. Grant and the Civil War
This is the best juvenile biography on Ulysses S. Grant by a wide margin. Marrin has done an excellent job in introducing Grant to a young audience. I highly recommend it.


Grant's Lieutenants: From Chattanooga to Appomattox
This new volume assesses Union generalship during the final two years of the Civil War. Steven Woodworth, one of the war's premier historians, is joined by a team of scholars-- Grimsley, Marszalek, and Hess, among others--who critique Ulysses S. Grant's commanders

Selected Letters of Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, 1865-1914
Known as the hero of Little Round Top and the commanding officer who accepted the Confederates' surrender at Appomattox.

From Manassas to Appomattox: General James Longstreet
According to some, he was partially to blame for the Confederate defeat at Gettysburg; according to others, if Lee had followed Longstreet's advice, they would have won that battle. He has been called stubborn and vain; and he has been lauded as one of the greatest tacticians of the Civil War

Civil War History Documentary DVD Movie Titles

Civil War Combat: America's Bloodiest Battles
The violent mayhem of the hornet's nest at Shiloh, the valiant charge on the sunken road at Antietam, the carnage in the wheat field at Gettysburg, and the brutal fighting at Cold Harbor

Ulysses S. Grant - Warrior President
Grant pushed for the annexation of Hispaniola, not to relocate blacks, but to give them the option to leave, thus impressing upon white southerners the importance of black people in their labor force and encouraging them to pay better wages and treat their employees better

The Civil War in Virginia
Virginia was the arena where North and South fought many of their bloodiest battles. the program gives a full account of the events that took place describing in detail the history of the American Civil War in Virginia

The Last Days of the Civil War - April 1865: The Month That Saved America, Civil War Combat:
The Tragedy At Cold Harbor
The remarkable succession of events leading from the fall of Richmond to Appomattox.

The Last Confederate: The Story of Robert Adams
Great historically correct movie of a noble confederate and his undying love of a Yankee girl.

The Civil War - A Film by Ken Burns
Here is the saga of celebrated generals and ordinary soldiers, a heroic and transcendent president and a country that had to divide itself in two in order to become one

American Experience: The Massachusetts 54th Colored Infantry
After Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, the governor of Massachusetts was authorized to raise the first northern black regiment,  the Massachusetts 54th colored infantry.

Blue Vs. Gray - Killing Fields
Relive the most vicious fighting of the Civil War, in which General Ulysses S. Grant forcibly reversed the tide of the conflict by paying with the blood of thousands. It was a desperate time for the Union

Sources:
U.S. National Park Service
U.S. Library of Congress.

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