US Civil War-The Siege of Petersburg- Grant's Checkmate on Lee

It is true, the war continued for another 7 days after the siege was won by the Union. But like in a game of chess, when each opponent knows and can see the end game and that a checkmate is inevitable, so too both Grant and Lee had to have seen this.The siege is a prototype for the trenches in WW1.The number of interesting characters at the siege, both honorable and some less so, is fascinating. The siege, so complex and important, seems to be sometimes overlooked compared to other battles. At the end of the day, while there are a few more battles that occur during Lee's retreat, particularly the horrific Sayler's Creek, the Siege is effectively what ends the American Civil War`