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 - #1023

Texas Public Radio | By Texas Public Radio

Published February 9, 2015 at 2:49 PM CST

Renewed activity by the Federals besieging the Richmond-Petersburg area of Virginia ended on Tuesday, February 7, 1865 after two days of fighting. Approximately 35,000 Union infantry and accompanying cavalry advanced to the Boydton Plant Road to engage some 14,000 Confederates commanded by General John Pegram at Hatcher’s Run, southwest of Petersburg. In heavy fighting, Pegram was killed while attempting to stop the Union advance, which ultimately forced the Confederates to again substantially extend their defensive lines. After the battle of Hatcher’s Run, some 46,000 Confederates were forced to defend more than 37 miles of a perimeter around both Richmond and Petersburg. A final push in late March and early April 1865 eventually would overwhelm the Confederate defenders at Petersburg and force the evacuation of Richmond, the Confederate national capital.