Robert E. Lee considered the destruction of the Weldon Railroad south of Petersburg not only a threat to his supply lines but also to the county seat of Dinwiddie County; if Dinwiddie Court House fell, Lee’s Confederates would be forced to evacuate both Petersburg and Richmond because it represented a key point on his army's potential retreat route. On Thursday, August 25, 1864 A. P. Hill’s Confederates were ordered to attack Hancock’s Union Second Corps at Ream’s Station on the Weldon Railroad. Hill’s surprise attack routed the Union Second Corps, inflicting over 2372 total casualties, while suffering only 720 Confederate dead or wounded. Yet, the battle for Ream’s Station in the long run did little to deter the efforts of Union forces slowly extending their siege lines westward around beleaguered Petersburg.
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.