For the Confederate troops, supplies were already limited, and when Grant cut off what remained of their supplies, it only made their conditions worse . Petersburg, at the time, was the main hub for transporting goods to and from Richmond, making it a prime target for Grant's troops. Grant knew that without Petersburg, Richmond could never survive, and if Richmond was not able to survive, neither could the Confederate Army (Stone Sentinels). Add to that the fighting that lasted nine months, and the men who fought on the Confederate side definitely felt like they were involved in a siege. The only major assault attempted by Grant during these months of battle was the Battle of Crater. Most of the battle involved bypassing Confederate troops in order to completely cut off their supply lines. These attempts lasted nine and a half months, from June 15, 1854 to April 2, 1865. Ultimately, Grant accomplished his mission of outflanking Lee's troops at the Battle of Five Forks. After losing this battle, Lee's troops were forced to flee to Appomattox, Virginia, where his troops surrendered a week later (Stone