COLLAPSE
OF THE
CONFEDERACY
1865
Military reverses in the last months of 1864
had left the Confederacy reeling, but the Union
armies still had much to do before they could
claim victory. In 1865, they took the struggle to
the Southern heartland and finally found the
decisive breakthrough they sought in Virginia.
❮❮ Fall of Petersburg
Less than 30 miles (48km) from the Confederate
capital of Richmond, Petersburg had become the
central focus of the conflict. When General Robert
E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia was eventually
forced to abandon the town in April 1865, the end
of the war was in sight.