44th VA INF wrote: Was a war turning breakthrough at pertersburg possible and could it have turned the tide of the war around
For which side? For the South, if Lee's ANV had been able to break out of their trenches, break through the Union lines, and head to North Carolina to hook up with Johnston maybe the war could have been prolonged, but honestly, the CSA was in pretty desperate straits by then. I don't see how Lee could have stopped Grant's massive juggernaut after Petersburg.
The ANV was losing many men a day to desertion; they could not feed their troops or animals. They were so desperate for ammo they were recycling lead from battlefields to make more. Their men were thread bare. Many had no shoes, some even had no pants. SOme men had no shoulder arms, not even bayonets or knapsacks. Field hospitals lacked basic medicines and equipment. Sherman was pressing up through the Carolinas. Grant would have chased southward after Lee.
If you mean a turning point for the North, that is pretty much what happened. Once Grant had worn down the ANV in a lengthy siege, his Army of the Potomac was able to finish off the ANV once Lee evacuated the Petersburg trenches and failed in his attempt to reach North Carolina.
Last edited on Sun Aug 31st, 2008 02:18 am by CleburneFan
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