Civil War

This Week in the Civil War

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.

This Week in the Civil War - #929

Texas Public Radio | By Texas Public Radio

Published September 30, 2014 at 3:49 PM CDT

On the same day Union troops seized Fort Harrison north of Richmond, sixteen thousand troops of the Union Army of the Potomac under George Meade pushed to the south and west from Petersburg, attempting to encircle the city and seize the South Side Railroad which remained in Confederate hands. At Peebles’ Farm, southwest of Petersburg, Warren’s Fifth Union Corps attacked Confederate defenders commanded by A.P. Hill. The Confederates counterattacked and succeeded in blunting the Union advance. However, the stalled Union movement did successfully extend the Union’s siege lines to Petersburg’s west, forcing the beleaguered Confederates to further extend their own defensive lines. This fighting south of the James and the Union assault against Fort Harrison to the north forced the undermanned Confederates to shift troops defensively from one front to another.