o great to resist forever, that eventually the Southern defenses had to fail somewhere, and when they eventually did it would be all over.When Grant's attempt to advance on Richmond in the summer of 1864 stalled, unlike all previous commanders in the north, he simply moved and tried again. For the next nine months, Union forces sidestepped to their left trying to outflank the Confederates. Eventually the trenches formed a complete semicircle going well south of Richmond. Both sides suddenly saw that the city of Petersburg, about 50 miles south of Richmond, was the key to continuing or ending the war, because it was the only rail junction connecting Richmond to the rest of the Confederacy. Faced with the need to defend a line running continuously from north of Richmond to Petersburg, the Confederates were stretched thinner and thinner. Eventually their line broke. Within a little over a week it was over. The final year of the Civil War was something new in the history of warfare - never before had two large armies remained locked in continuous combat for such a long period of time. In the past the armies would fight, retreat, regroup, and usually meet at some later date and place but in 1864-65 even though they moved around some it was almost one continuous fight to the end. On the final day the Union soldiers were told that if they hurried this was the day they could finish everything although that inspired them, they were also promised that once they reached Appomattox Station rations would be handed out. Many of the men later admitted they did so because they figured it was the quickest way to get breakfast. After a small skirmish near Appomattox Station Lee decided to surrender his army right before the Union carried out their attack....
