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During the American Revolution, George
Washington received the rank of
lieutenant general. This
rank was not bestowed again
until late in the Civil War when
on March 9, 1864, President
Abraham Lincoln made Ulysses S.
Grant general-in-chief of all
Union armies, which included
more than a half million
soldiers across the United
States.
Grant lost approximately 18,000 men at the
Wilderness battlefield, roughly another 19,000 at Spotsylvania, where the
fiercest 24-hour period of the war occurred at the "Bloody Angle," followed by
about 12,000 more at Cold Harbor near Richmond. Nevertheless, Grant decided to
cross the James River and attack Petersburg, the railroad center of the
Confederacy. Much of General Robert E. Lee’s supplies were brought from the
deep South to his army through the Petersburg rail lines. Grant realized that
if the rail lines were severed, Lee’s supply line would be restricted which
might hasten Lee’s defeat.
For four days in June of 1864 Grant’s army hit
hard at the southern line just outside Petersburg. When the aggressive attack
did not break the city’s defenses Grant decided to dig in and start siege
operations. Thus began a nine and a half-month siege, the longest siege in
American history. Grant’s headquarters was located at City Point, it
soon became the largest logistical and supply operations of the entire war.
During the Siege of Petersburg, City Point was one of the world’s busiest ports.
Enormous quantities of war materials were off-loaded at the half-mile stretch of
wharves along the James River. These supplies provisioned over 100,00 Union
troops and 65,000 animals. Tons of supplies were also shipped to the army by
the railroad, which had supply lines leading directly to the front.
Telegraph lines linked Grant to the
battlefront, Washington D.C. and other theaters of war. Seven hospitals were
built at City Point, over 6,000 patients a day could be treated at the largest
facility. Support facilities also included a bakery which produced more than
100,000 rations of bread each day.
President Lincoln met with Grant at his City
Point headquarters on two occasions. In March and April, 1865, Lincoln spent two
of the last three weeks of his life at City Point and nearby Petersburg and
Richmond. When you tour City Point it is fascinating to discover that Grant
refused the spacious accommodations available in the Eppes's Appomattox Manor
and lived in a tent from June until a crudely constructed officers' cabin was
completed in November 1864. The cabin, which for a time stood in Fairmount
Park, Philadelphia, has been moved back. It is located on the manor’s east lawn
and you can view the interior through the front door and windows.
Appomattox Manor, the ancestral home of the
Eppes family since 1763, serves as a visitor contact station. The east wing and
portions of the west wing were added around the central portion before the Civil
War. Although there are 23 rooms, only three are open to the public and only
two decorated with original Eppes's family furnishings. At the center you can
view a 15-minute video, shown every half hour, on Grant and the supply system
established at City Point. The attractive porch offers a view of both the
river and grounds including several of the original outbuildings. There are six
interpretive markers on the grounds.
The City Point Unit, which is part of the
Petersburg National Battlefield, is open daily at no charge from 8:30 A.M. to
4:30 P.M. It is closed on Christmas and New Year's Day. If you have time you
may want to take the Hopewell (see selection) and City Point Historic District
Walking Tour. A map will point out houses occupied by Union generals and
several other homes in the community that belonged to the Eppes family.
Directions:
Take I-95 to the Hopewell Exit. Take Route 10 into Hopewell. Once you cross
the Appomattox River, turn left at the second traffic signal onto Main Street,
which will change into Appomattox Street. Follow Appomattox Street to Cedar
Lane, turn left. At the end of Cedar Lane turn left into the National Park
Service parking lot.
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Once you have explored nature's handiwork
beneath the hills of Luray, you can well imagine the awe Andrew Campbell
and Benton Stebbins felt in 1878 when they discovered the labyrinth. With two
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