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Opening Assaults: The 18th
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June 18, 1864
During June 16 -17, the Confederates had been building a more permanent and formidable line of trenches to connect the part of the Dimmock Line they still controlled to the banks of the Appomattox River on the east side of Petersburg. On the night of the 17th, under the cover of darkness, the Confederates fell back to this new line to await the Union attacks the next morning. This maneuver disrupted the Union plans. Much like the previous two days, the Union attack failed again due to poor cohesion among the various Corps.
The Aftermath
From the lowliest of privates to the upper echelon of both armies, it was obvious to all that with the Union's failure on the 15th to take advantage of it initial success, its subsequent poorly-coordinated attacks over the next three days, and the heroic defense put up by Beauregard's forces until Lee arrived, the armies were facing, for them, a new style of fighting - siege warfare. Back to Battles of the Siege
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Did You Know?
Slaves who entered Union lines and came to City Point, Virginia (present day Hopewell) during the Siege of Petersburg, were typically employed unloading ships and working in the hospitals. (Petersburg National Battlefield)