1.) In 1860, Petersburg was the second largest city in Virginia and the seventh largest in the Confederacy. 2.) Petersburg’s transportation nexus made it an attractive target for General Ulysses S. Grant in June 1864.
3.) The Petersburg Campaign encompassed 292 days of combat, maneuver, and trench warfare between June 15, 1864, and April 2, 1865.
4.) On July 30, 1864, Pennsylvanians exploded four tons of explosives under the Confederate line and created the most famous American military crater.
5.) April 2, 1865, proved to be the day of decision at Petersburg.
6.) Petersburg remains the longest siege in American history but was not a siege, at least in the traditional sense.
7.) The Battles and Siege of Petersburg involved more than 180,000 soldiers and produced some 60,000 casualties.