For Lee, calamity came in late March 1865. Realizing that Petersburg was a lost cause so long as Grant kept pressing with more men and resources to the southwest and the last rail line that supplied the city from the south, Lee developed a daring plan that called for him and his troops to flee the city, hook up with General Joseph Johnston to stop Sherman's assault, then return to take on Grant. It was a bold ploy that might actually have worked had Lee commanded a sufficient number of men, though even with his small army, he had no other choice.

Soldiers in the trenches before battle, Petersburg, Virginia, 1865 Photo courtesy of the National Archives (111-B-157)

Just before daylight on March 25, 1865, Confederate forces under General John Gordon attacked Union-held Fort Stedman, which lay directly east of Petersburg. The surprise assault was a success, and the Rebel forces pushed on to the Union secondary line. If they could break the line and hold it, Grant would have to pull troops back from the southwest and Lee's army could break out toward North Carolina and General Johnston. Unfortunately for Lee, the Union forces rallied with a mighty counterattack that destroyed the Confederate front. By midmorning, Lee's forces had been pushed back at a loss of nearly 5,000 men.

Fighting Southwest of the City

With that, Grant — assisted by Philip Sheridan's cavalry — made a major push against Lee's right flank in the hope of preventing Lee's escape to the south. On March 29, a full corps attacked Lee's right while Sheridan led a corps of cavalry and infantry in a wide sweep toward the small town of Five Forks on the Confederate right. Sheridan knew that if he could get behind Lee's army, he could stop it in its tracks and effectively end the war that day.

But Lee wasn't about to go down without a fight. He quickly realized what was happening and sent troops under George Pickett to oppose Sheridan's assault. Pickett managed to stop Sheridan at Dinwiddie Court House, just short of Five Forks, on March 31. But Sheridan wasn't defeated; he merely waited for reinforcements. Grant sent him a corps under General Gouverneur Warren.

The ensuing battle was hard fought, with Sheridan loudly rallying his troops, hell-bent on stopping Lee at all costs. Sheridan's goal was the South-side Railway, a Confederate central supply line. Sheridan's forces managed to all but annihilate Pickett's division and take the town of Five Forks. Grant cabled Lincoln that Five Forks was under Union control and Petersburg was next. Lincoln contacted the press, which carried the news under huge headlines. The end of the war was within the Union's grasp.

On April 2, Grant launched an all-out assault along the Confederate line defending Petersburg. Artillery battered the Rebel forces, softening the line and killing many. Then the guns stopped, and Union infantry attacked in a huge wave that eventually tore a hole in the middle of the Confederate line. The Rebels fought with all they had, but they were outnumbered and outgunned. Lee knew that Petersburg was lost and made plans to abandon the city. He wired Jefferson Davis that Richmond could no longer be protected and encouraged Davis and his cabinet to flee the capital as quickly as possible. Then Lee took his remaining army of hungry, ill-equipped men and headed west with the intention of joining Johnston's army.

Fleeing Richmond

News that the Confederate government was abandoning Richmond spread quickly, and soon the city's civilian population was fighting with government and military officials for all available vehicles. Those who were able joined Davis and his staff in flight. Those who couldn't leave took to their homes, locking doors and shuttering windows, unsure of what to expect as Union forces advanced upon them.

Fires were set and buildings destroyed in an attempt to keep anything useful out of Union hands. Before long, the city was engulfed in a blaze that could be seen for miles. The citizens of Richmond, having suffered for so long, began looting the city, looking for food and anything of value. Many got drunk on whiskey that had been left undestroyed. Chaos reigned as the once proud Confederate capital collapsed upon itself.

Grant's forces marched into Richmond on April 3, the day after the fall of Petersburg. The Crown of the Confederacy was finally under Union control.