On August 18 and 19, 1864 the Union Fifth Corps left its position sieging Petersburg and moved westward, occupying over a mile of the Weldon Railroad running south from Petersburg. Returning to the city, the Fifth Corps was halted by the terrain and Confederate troops commanded by Henry Heth. The following day, A.P. Hill’s Confederate corps attacked the Union Fifth, pushing the Federals away from Petersburg. But the vital Weldon Railroad remained in Union hands, with every single yard of track held by Union forces being systematically destroyed. By Sunday, August 21 Lee had to accept the loss of that section of the Weldon Railroad. Petersburg was even more isolated; virtually all significant rail lines linking Petersburg to the rest of the Confederacy had now been cut by Union forces.
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.