What an incredible weekend, with the Chiefs winning the Super Bowl! I could not be more happy to be more wrong. As Patrick Mahomes told the press, "The Chiefs are never the underdogs." I have no idea what to expect next season but more victories. As we head into March Madness, I will regularly update those teams that make the tourney.
This past week, I was drawn to some anniversary posts on Facebook surrounding the Battle of Hatcher's Run. Some of these posts were well-written and detailed. However, I noticed that one in particular argued that it was a Confederate victory. Petersburg is arguably one of the most hotly debated and contested events surrounding the memory of the Civil War. Interpretations vary from every battle being a Confederate victory until the city's capture on April 2 to a stalemate for nine months. Amateur and professional historians fail to explain their methods for measuring victory during this "blockade."
Most people call it the "Siege of Petersburg" or the "Richmond-Petersburg Campaign;" however, after speaking with a Napoleonic scholar, he explained that the French would reference this as a "blockade." It was a partial siege in which the lines only partially circumvented the enemy city. The city was never entirely circumvented, but it was not required. The Union army had to clip each one of the railroads leading into Petersburg. The Union army found themselves outside the city after the Overland Campaign from May 5 to June 18. The Army of the Potomac and the Army of the James attempted to take the city by storm between 15 and 18 June, but due to miscommunication and exhaustion, the Union army failed to secure the city entirely. Nevertheless, Lee could not abandon the city as it would ultimately cut off all supplies, leading to Richmond and the Army of Northern Virginia. In other words, the Army of Northern Virginia would have to abandon Virginia (a Jominian focus). For nine months, a series of battles took place outside of Petersburg and Richmond, in which either the Union managed to hold or briefly cut off supplies leading into the city. Many historians cite battles like the Crater, Jerusalem Plank Road, the Wilson-Kautz Raid, and First and Second Deep Bottom as Confederate victories. Yet, at what level of war?
Tactics, Operations, and Strategy are the makeup of all levels of war in which one can achieve victory or defeat. Tactics are at the lowest level of war, dealing with the movement of men on the battlefield, while operations (grand tactics) deal with campaign objectives and movements. Finally, strategy deals with the overall war effort and attaining political goals. From the list below, I will list the battles taking place during the blockade of Richmond and Petersburg, along with my interpretation of each battle. If you have any questions or follow-ups, please comment below.
Battle of Jerusalem Plank Road: Tactical Confederate victory/operational Union victory/strategic gains for the Union and Confederates
Wilson-Kautz Raid: Mixed interpretations, multiple Confederate tactical victories/temporary Union operational victory/Union strategic gains→ My interpretation comes from Kautz’s account.
First Battle of Deep Bottom: Tactical stalemate/Union operational victory/Union strategic gains
Battle of the Crater: Confederate tactical victory/no operational gains for either side/Confederate strategic gains
Second Battle of Deep Bottom: Tactical stalemate/Union operational victory/Union strategic gains
Battle of Globe Tavern: Union tactical victory/Union operational victory/Union strategic gains
Second Battle of Reams Station: Confederate tactical victory/operational Union victory/strategic gains for both Union and Confederates
Battle of Chaffin’s Farm: Decisive Tactical/operational/strategic Union victory
Battle of Peeble’s Farm: Decisive Tactical/operational/strategic Union Victory
Battle of Vaughan’s Road: Tactical Union victory/no operational or strategic gains for either side
Battle of Darbytown Road: Confederate victory/no operational gains/Union strategic gains
Battle of Fair Oaks: Confederate victory/no operational or strategic gains for either side
Battle of Boydton Plank Road: Tactical Union victory/no operational change/partial strategic Union victory
Battle of Trent’s Reach: Tactical Union victory/no operational or strategic gains for either side
Battle of Hatcher’s Run: Tactical Union victory/operational Union victory/strategic Union gains
Battle of Fort Stedman: Union tactical victory/no operational change for either side/strategic Union gains
Battle of White Oak Road/Lewis’s Farm: Union tactical victory/Union operational victory/Union strategic gains
Battle of Dinwiddie Courthouse: Tactical Confederate victory/operational Union victory/strategic Union gains
Battle of Five Forks: Decisive Union tactical, operational, and strategic victory
Third Battle for Petersburg: Decisive Union tactical, operational, and strategic victory.
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