#34: Ingenious Pontoon Outmaneuvers Southern Forces

Confederate defenders feverishly worked to safeguard Richmond’s assets as the war neared its end, knowing the capital’s fall was imminent. Their mission: delay the Union advance at all costs, a task that tested their resolve and ingenuity.

To impede the Union’s advance, Confederates destroyed bridges across the James River. However, General Ulysses S. Grant astounded them by rapidly constructing a pontoon bridge, spanning 2,000 feet in width and exceeding 80 feet in depth, catching Southern forces off guard and leading to Richmond’s capitulation.