The Hammer Blow: Sheridan’s Expedition and the Unraveling of Petersburg
As March of 1865 bled into April, the American Civil War, now in its fourth brutal year, hung by a thread in the trenches surrounding Petersburg, Virginia. For nine long months, General Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia had clung desperately to the city, the vital railway hub serving as the last lifeline for his capital, Richmond. Against them, General Ulysses S. Grant’s Union forces, numerically superior and increasingly well-supplied, maintained a relentless pressure, a grinding siege that had sapped the Confederacy’s last reserves of men, material, and hope.
Into this crucible of exhaustion and impending collapse rode Philip H. Sheridan, a squat, fiery Irishman whose aggressive cavalry tactics had already turned the tide in the Shenandoah Valley. Grant, ever the strategist, saw in Sheridan the perfect instrument for the final, decisive blow. The stage was set for an expedition that would not merely win a battle but would unravel the very fabric of Confederate resistance, leading inexorably to Appomattox.
The Crucible of the Siege: Lee’s Last Stand
The Petersburg campaign had been a testament to Lee’s tactical genius and the resilience of his soldiers, who, despite starvation, disease, and overwhelming odds, had held a vast defensive perimeter. But the cost was immense. Lee’s once-formidable army, stretched thin across 35 miles of fortifications, was a shadow of its former self. Desertion rates soared, supplies dwindled, and the prospect of reinforcements was a distant memory. Grant, meanwhile, pursued a strategy of attrition and envelopment, steadily extending his lines westward, aiming to cut the railroads that fed Petersburg and Richmond: the Southside Railroad and the Richmond & Danville Railroad.
By late March, Grant felt the time was ripe for a final, aggressive push. He had meticulously planned an offensive to turn Lee’s right flank. The mission was entrusted to Sheridan, who, with his formidable Cavalry Corps and elements of the V Corps under Major General Gouverneur K. Warren, was tasked with a wide sweep around the Confederate western flank. Their objective was two-fold: sever the crucial supply lines and, more importantly, force Lee out of his entrenched positions into open battle, a scenario where the Union’s numerical superiority would be decisive.
The Advance into the Quagmire: Dinwiddie Court House
On March 29th, 1865, Sheridan’s expedition, numbering roughly 12,000 cavalry troopers and 12,000 infantrymen, began its movement. The spring rains turned roads into quagmires, slowing the advance, but the Union troops pushed on with grim determination. Lee, anticipating Grant’s move, dispatched a combined force of infantry and cavalry under Major General George Pickett and Major General Fitzhugh Lee to counter Sheridan’s thrust.
The initial clash occurred on March 31st near Dinwiddie Court House. Pickett’s Confederates, desperate and fighting on their home ground, launched a fierce attack that caught elements of Sheridan’s cavalry off guard. The Confederates, though outnumbered, fought with a ferocity born of desperation, pushing the Union cavalry back. For a moment, it seemed Sheridan’s audacious advance might be stalled, perhaps even broken. "The enemy drove in my cavalry pickets and skirmished heavily with my main line," Sheridan reported, acknowledging the unexpected resistance.
The situation was precarious. Sheridan’s cavalry was isolated, with Warren’s V Corps struggling through the mud to provide support. Had Pickett pressed his advantage more aggressively, or had Warren’s infantry been delayed further, the outcome could have been different. But Sheridan, never one to shy from a fight, rallied his troops, and with the timely, albeit slow, arrival of elements of Warren’s corps, the Confederate advance was checked. The stage was now set for a more decisive confrontation, one that would earn the moniker "the Waterloo of the Confederacy’s cavalry."
Five Forks: The Hammer Blow
The morning of April 1st, 1865, dawned cold and overcast, but the air crackled with anticipation. The decisive engagement would take place at Five Forks, a critical crossroads southwest of Petersburg where five roads converged. This position was the linchpin of Lee’s western flank, controlling access to the Southside Railroad. If Five Forks fell, Lee’s entire position at Petersburg would become untenable.
Sheridan, seething from the previous day’s skirmish and determined to crush the Confederate resistance, devised a plan to envelop Pickett’s force. He would pin the Confederates with a frontal cavalry assault while Warren’s V Corps, having finally arrived, would strike a devastating blow against their left flank. However, the execution of the infantry attack was plagued by miscommunication and delays, exacerbated by the dense woods and Warren’s perceived slowness.
Sheridan, witnessing the initial sluggishness and fearing the opportunity might slip away, rode furiously among the V Corps, personally directing regiments, his voice a torrent of exhortation and expletives. "By God, gentlemen, we’ve got to get on!" he reportedly bellowed. His fury was palpable, his energy infectious. He placed himself at the head of advancing troops, waving his battle flag, inspiring his men to a fever pitch.
The Union assault, spearheaded by Griffin’s V Corps and Sheridan’s cavalry, crashed into the Confederate lines. What followed was a brutal, chaotic battle. Compounding the Confederate woes, General Pickett and his senior officers were reportedly at a shad bake a mile and a half away from the front lines when the Union attack commenced, leaving their forces leaderless and unprepared for the sudden, overwhelming assault. This infamous absence contributed significantly to the Confederate collapse.
The Confederates, initially putting up a fierce fight, were eventually overwhelmed. Their left flank was utterly shattered, and the Union cavalry, after a fierce mounted charge, enveloped their right. The battle became a rout. Thousands of Confederate soldiers were captured, killed, or scattered. The "Waterloo of the Confederacy’s cavalry," as it came to be known, was a crushing Union victory.
The aftermath of Five Forks also saw one of the war’s most controversial dismissals. Believing Warren had been too slow and lacked the necessary aggression, Sheridan relieved him of command on the field of battle, a decision that haunted Warren for the rest of his life and remains debated by historians. Regardless of the controversy, the immediate impact was undeniable: the Confederate western flank was not just broken; it was annihilated.
The Unraveling and the Pursuit
The news of the disaster at Five Forks reached Lee late on April 1st. He immediately understood the gravity of the situation. His defensive line, stretched to the breaking point, was now irretrievably breached. There was no choice but to evacuate Petersburg and Richmond. On the night of April 2nd, the Confederate capital, which had stood defiant for four years, was abandoned.
The fall of Five Forks ripped open Lee’s western flank and forced his retreat, but Sheridan’s expedition was far from over. It transitioned seamlessly into a relentless pursuit. His cavalry, now invigorated by victory, harassed the retreating Confederates, cutting off escape routes, destroying supplies, and inflicting heavy casualties. The retreat became a desperate race westward, with Lee hoping to link up with General Joseph E. Johnston’s forces in North Carolina.
The relentless pursuit culminated in the Battle of Sayler’s Creek on April 6th, where Sheridan’s cavalry, supported by other Union corps, trapped and captured a significant portion of Lee’s remaining army, including several Confederate generals. It was a devastating blow, further depleting Lee’s already dwindling forces. As captured Confederates were marched past him, Sheridan reportedly remarked, "There are enough men to whip Lee’s whole army."
The Road to Appomattox
The road from Five Forks to Appomattox was short but agonizing for the Confederates. Sheridan’s expedition had not only destroyed Lee’s ability to hold Petersburg but had also positioned Union forces to block his final escape. By April 8th, Sheridan’s cavalry, having outrun the Confederate main body, had effectively cut off Lee’s last avenue of retreat at Appomattox Court House.
On the morning of April 9th, 1865, Lee, surrounded and with no hope of breaking through, sent word to Grant requesting a meeting. The surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia at Appomattox Court House that afternoon effectively ended the American Civil War.
Legacy and Conclusion
Sheridan’s expedition was more than a series of battles; it was the final, decisive stroke that shattered the Confederacy’s last gasp. His aggressive leadership, combined with the strategic brilliance of Grant, culminated in a campaign that dismantled Lee’s formidable defenses, annihilated his cavalry, and blocked his escape. The victory at Five Forks, directly attributable to Sheridan’s audacity and tactical prowess, was the linchpin that forced the evacuation of Petersburg and Richmond and led directly to Appomattox.
The "Hammer Blow" had landed, not just on the Confederate lines at Petersburg, but on the very heart of the rebellion. Sheridan’s expedition stands as a testament to the crucial role of cavalry in the final phase of the war, transforming from reconnaissance and skirmishing to decisive, battle-winning action. It solidified Sheridan’s reputation as one of the Union’s most effective and ruthless commanders, and it etched the names Petersburg, Five Forks, and Appomattox into the annals of American history as the places where the long, bloody conflict finally came to its inevitable, dramatic end.
