The Union Army crosses the James River, ending Grant's Overland Campaign and besieging Petersburg

After a six week sustained offensive designed to draw the Army of Northern Virginia to battle, the Union forces achieved the strategic success of crossing the James River, initiating a siege of Petersburg, and setting the framework for the fall of Richmond.  The fighting cost both sides dearly but Grant wore down Lee at each engagement and put the Army of Northern Virginia now almost permanently on the defensive. (By John Osborne)  
Source Citation
Charles P. Roland, An American Iliad: The Story of the Civil War (New York: McGraw-Hill, 2002), 168-179. 
    Date Certainty
    Exact
    Type
    Battles/Soldiers
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