March 9, 1865
The Federal occupation of Columbia, VA, by Maj. Gen. Philip H. Sheridan, USA.
Assistant Secretary of the Navy Gustavus V. Fox asks Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant if the James River is high enough for the Union ironclads to make a run up the river in the direction of Richmond. Grant replies that though the river is high enough, if the Navy doesn’t cooperate with land forces not much will be gained.
Col. Samuel H. Roberts and his Third Brigade, Third Division, 24th Corps, Army of the James return to Bermuda Hundred from their recent expedition up the Rappahannock River to Fredericksburg. Grant orders them to the Potomac to halt illicit trade in that area.
General Robert E. Lee writes to Confederate Secretary of War John C. Breckinridge with his thoughts on the current state of Confederate affairs.
Note: All “Today In The Petersburg Campaign” blog entries are used with permission from Ronald A. Mosocco’s Chronological Tracking of the American Civil War per the Official Records of the War of the Rebellion. Order the book HERE.
Copyright © 1993, 1994 by Ronald A. Mosocco