RESCHEDULED “I Had Hoped All Alone to Have Entered Petersburg This Day” : Meade and the Campaign to Capture the Cockade City

The Overland Campaign came to a close when the Army of the Potomac shifted its attention to capturing Petersburg, Virginia.  For Major General George G. Meade, the Overland Campaign ended on June 16, 1864, when he crossed the James River.  This program explores Meade’s role in the Petersburg Campaign.  Although the action around Petersburg is largely defined as a nine-month siege, Federal forces made several attempts to secure the city.  Tonight’s focus will be on Meade’s role in the First Offensive, June 15-18, the Second Offensive, June 22-24, and the Third Offensive, popularly known as the Battle of the Crater, July 30, 1864.  During this period, Meade’s relationship with Grant continued to evolve and Meade labored to effectively command his army in the wake of the destructive Overland Campaign.

Dr. Jennifer M. Murray is a military historian, with a specialization in the American Civil War, in the Department of History at Oklahoma State University. Prof. Murray is a prolific author and sought after speaker, she is currently working on a full-length biography of George Gordon Meade, tentatively titled Meade at War.  She returns to the NJCWRT with a  reprisal of her successful 2023 series that had over 140 participants for each of her lectures.

This program is presented as a public service by  the North Jersey Civil War Round Table and is part of a three-part series The Winter of Gen. George Meade II (2024)

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Meeting ID: 851 7137 4532 / Passcode: 406402