Writestream Radio Network

As the 150th Anniversary of the Civil War winds down, there are still some important events that enthusiasts and historians are looking forward to. Arguably, one of the most important was the showdown between the Union Army of the Potomac, and Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia. What had begun in 1864 at the Battle of the Wilderness, had turned into the bloody Overland Campaign that had ended with the two armies facing off near the town of Petersburg, Virginia. There both sides had dug in, and a monotonous trench warfare reminiscent of World War I had developed. And despite occasional Union attempts to break the Confederate trench lines, the stalemate had prevailed through early 1865. There, in March and April, the Union forces finally managed to break out, beginning a desperate race by both armies into Southwestern Virginia. For weeks the pursuit continued, with Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's forces gradually encircling Lee's Army. Finally, at Appomattox Court House, the pursuit ended, and G