Overland Campaign - Definition and Overview

The Overland Campaign was a series of battles fought in 1864 in the American Civil War. Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, general-in-chief of all Union forces, directed the general actions of the Army of the Potomac, commanded by Maj. Gen. George G. Meade, against Gen. Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia. Although previous Union campaigns in Virginia had the Confederate capital of Richmond as their primary objective, this time the objective was the destruction of Lee's army. Grant ordered Meade, “Wherever Lee goes, there you will go also.”

Robert E. Lee

The significant battles fought during the campaign were:

• Battle of the Wilderness, May 5 – 7, 1864.
• Battle of Spotsylvania Court House, May 8 – 21, 1864.
• Battle of the North Anna River, May 23 – 26, 1864.
• Battle of Cold Harbor, June 1 – 12, 1864.

Although the overall campaign must be considered a Union strategic victory, because it maneuvered Lee into an untenable position and critically depleted his already scarce resources, each of the individual battles were Confederate victories. Grant differed from his predecessors by his determination to keep moving south despite his massive losses (approximately 53,000 casualties).

The Overland Campaign concluded with Grant's crossing of the James River and the start of the Siege of Petersburg.