This week in the Civil War: Feb. 8,1865

Union raid on Confederate supply lines in Virginia

Union forces bidding to sever Confederate supply lines near Petersburg, Virginia, took the offensive against Confederate rivals this month 150 years ago in the Civil War. Union Cavalry fanned out down the Boydton Plank Road on a mission to search out and destroy Confederate supply wagons. Other Union troops taking part in the fight found themselves pushed back by fierce Confederate resistance. The fighting that began on Feb. 5, 1865, dragged on for two more days. In the end, Confederate soldiers thwarted the Union raiders but federal fighters at the end of the battle had gained new ground in what was part of the larger Richmond-Petersburg campaign.