What is Overland Campaign?
The '''Overland Campaign''' was a series of battles in the [[Eastern Theater of the American Civil War]].<ref name=overlandHIST>{{cite web |url=http://www.history.com/news/grants-overland-campaign-150-years-ago |title=Grant's Overland Campaign, 150 Years Ago |author=Christopher Klein |date=7 May 2014 |website=History in the Headlines |publisher=A&E Television Networks, LLC |accessdate=18 October 2016}}</ref> It took place during May and June of [[1864]].<ref name=overlandHIST/> [[Union (American Civil War)|Union]] general [[Ulysses S. Grant]] wanted to defeat the Confederate [[Army of Northern Virginia]], commanded by [[Robert E. Lee]], and to [[wikt:capture|capture]] the Confederate [[Capital city|capital]] of [[Richmond, Virginia]].<ref>David W. Hogan Jr, ''The Overland Campaign, 4 May — 15 June 1864'' (Washington, DC: Center of Military History, United States Army, 2014), pp. 10–16</ref> The battles were some of the bloodiest battles of the war.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://study.com/academy/lesson/grants-overland-campaign-history-summary-quiz.html |title=Grant's Overland Campaign: History & Summary |author= |date= |website= |publisher=Study.com |accessdate=18 October 2016}}</ref> == Background == In the [[Spring (season)|spring]] of 1864, Grant had been [[wikt:appoint|appoint]]ed to command all Union armies.<ref name=RickardHOW>{{cite web |url=http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/wars_overland.html |title=U.S. Grant's 1864 Overland Campaign |author=J. Rickard |date= |website=Military History Encyclopedia on the Web |publisher=HistoryOfWar.org |accessdate=18 October 2016}}</ref> Grant's plan to end the war had several parts. Union General [[William Tecumseh Sherman]]'s [[Atlanta Campaign]] and Grant's Overland Campaign were supported by other campaigns.<ref name=RickardHOW/> They were all intended to keep Lee from [[wikt:reinforce|reinforcing]] his main army.<ref name=RickardHOW/> [[George Meade]] was still in ([[wikt:nominal|nominal]]) command of the [[Army of the Potomac]], but there was little doubt Grant wa