NextPrevious

Total War: March to September 1864

The Man of the Hour

What was the first alarm for the people of Richmond in 1864?

The winter had been relatively quiet, albeit filled with bad news from the war front, but Richmonders felt reasonably safe until the first of March, when the alarm bells rang and the government clerks were herded from their offices to man the fortifications. That alarm turned out to be unfounded, but just three days later came the news that Major-General Benjamin “Beast” Butler was bringing yet another Union force up the Peninsula.

General Philip Sheridan and the Union cavalry were also much more aggressive than in the past. In the spring of 1864, Sheridan conducted several raids in Virginia. All told, the people of Richmond felt much less safe than before. They knew, however, that the really big test still had not arrived.



Close

This is a web preview of the "The Handy Civil War Book" app. Many features only work on your mobile device. If you like what you see, we hope you will consider buying. Get the App