Richmond National Battlefield Park commemorates eleven different sites associated with Union campaigns throughout the war to capture Richmond, VA. Located on the James River, just 110 miles from the Union capital in Washington, Richmond was a symbol and prime target. These sites in and around Richmond include Cold Harbor (June 3, 1864), Mechanicsville (June 26, 1862), Malvern Hill (July 1, 1862), Chickahominy Bluff, Fort Harrison, Drewry's Bluff, Gaines' Mill, and Fort Brady. The cold winter of 1864-65 witnessed the final collapse of Confederate power and morale. While the well-supplied Union army waited for spring for their final attack, Robert E. Lee's veterans were starving in their trenches. Food and equipment were scarce and the horses were so weak they could no longer pull the heavy cannon. The Confederates evacuated Richmond by early April, burning parts of the city to keep storage and facilities from Union possession.
Petersburg, a key railroad town 20 miles to the south, was really part of the overall objective of Richmond. The Petersburg National Battlefield Park also commemorates various sites, such as Five Forks. Also, 60 miles or so west of Petersburg is Sayler's Creek where on April 6, 1865, the last major engagement between the armies of Lee and Grant occurred. General Lee's surrender at Appomattox came on April 9, 1865.
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