Attempting to prevent the extension of Union siege lines to the south and west of Petersburg, on Wednesday, June 22, 1864 troops of A.P. Hill’s corps attacked the Federal Second Corps, inflicting heavy losses during an extended engagement. The Second Corps was driven back, with the loss of seventeen hundred prisoners. This engagement temporarily stopped Grant’s drive against the Weldon and Petersburg Railroad. At the same time Union cavalry also attacked the South Side Railroad near Petersburg, destroying considerable amount of track which was quickly repaired by the Confederates. The Confederate cavalry under the command of W.H.F. “Rooney” Lee, Robert E. Lee’s son, skillfully defended the South Side Railroad and aggressively pursued the Union raiders. If Grant’s forces could not completely isolate Petersburg, the Union siege of that city would fail.
00000174-b11b-ddc3-a1fc-bfdbb1a20000The Schreiner University Department of History is honoring the sesquicentennial of the American Civil War with a series of short vignettes focusing on events from 1861 through 1865. The Civil War was the most destructive conflict in American history, but it was also one of our most defining moments as a people and as a nation. Let us know what you think about "This Week in the Civil War." E-mail your comments to Dr. John Huddleston at jhuddles@schreiner.edu.Airs: Weekdays at 5:19 a.m., 8:19 a.m., 4:19 p.m. on KTXI and 4:49 a.m., 9:29 p.m. on KSTX.