Overland Campaign Begins

Gen. Grant’s Overland Campaign begins as troops cross the Rapidan River at the Germanna Ford in Virginia.

Captured by Irish photographer Timothy O’Sullivan May 4, 1864, a column of covered wagons, men, and horses cross the Rapidan River on pontoon bridges as they make their slow march toward the confederate capital of Richmond, Va to neutralize Lee’s army.

A pontoon bridge is a floating bridge that uses floats or boats to support troops, cargo, and equipment.

Photograph showing a wooden boat, used by the Army of the Potomac to build pontoon bridges, resting on a cart.

Photograph showing a wooden boat, used by the Army of the Potomac to build pontoon bridges, resting on a cart.


Further Reading:

  • The Overland Campaign of 1864 American Battlefield Trust — “The Overland Campaign, some 40-odd days of maneuver and combat between the Rapidan and James Rivers.”

  • The Overland Campaign The Civil War Monitor — “In May and June 1864, General Ulysses S. Grant and the Army of the Potomac pushed doggedly toward the Confederate capital of Richmond, Virginia, in the Civil War’s bloodiest military movement: the Overland Campaign.”

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