As Sherman was moving south, he had Atlanta in his sights but he was now settling outside of the city and he dug in and settled for a siege. However, the main show was happening in the east of Virginia when Ulysses was going to face off against Robert as the top generals were going to duke it out. Abraham was praying that Ulysses would bring something new to the eastern theater and bring something new he would do.


Ulysses' POV

Ulysses was waiting in his camp as he was going to get ready to move his forces south. Harriet had been helping this army out as a spy and information gatherer had approached Ulysses as she had some news for her.

"The confederates are preparing for something and I want you to deploy your troops in the wilderness." Harriet called out. Ulysses looked out for the black she-cat as he nodded. He soon knew he had to gather his army and begin the march south. Ulysses soon exited his tent as Ambrose was attending with him.

"We should be ready, forces are refreshed and we should be ready to throw them at the enemy." Ambrose mewed as Ulysses nodded. Ulysses soon went into the center of the camp as everyone was beginning to pack.

"All forces of the Union Army, we are preparing to move south and we are not taking one step back to Washington D.C. We had enough of running back there and behaving cowardly. Now we shall show these Confederates that they have wanted a fight and fights they will get, now prepare to move out." Ulysses called soon the union army began to move south. Ulysses was riding along with Ambrose as he was wondering about this. "How did Abraham let you get back in the union army as a general?" Ulysses was puzzled on how Abraham let him back into the army. Ambrose turned his head as he soon spoke to Ulysses.

"You see Abraham decided to put me on secondary training to act as a 2nd line of defense in case your attacks or defenses were to fail. However I won't be engaging in front line combat ever since the disaster at Fredericksburg I do not want to make the same mistake twice yet I have the confidence that you can organize the offensive south." Ambrose responded as he was being placed in limited combat. All the brutal gritty work, Abraham assigned Ulysses to they were now beginning to cross the river as the attack and bloodshed would begin.


Robert's POV

Robert was frantic, the spies had told him that the union forces were moving south and he was scrambling his forces together. Compared to the previous years, he wasn't able to commit a large number of forces to the fight but that wasn't his main focus. His main focus was trying to get Mapleshade ready to fight and convince her that she was needed. Robert soon opened the door to her room as he soon entered. He found Mapleshade was in a corner turned away and staring into space. Robert padded forth as he was wondering if she managed to pull herself together. He was soon hovering over her as he tapped her with his tail. Mapleshade turned as she didn't seem depressed as before but she was still at a low. Mapleshade simply didn't have the strength to lash out.

"Hey Mapleshade, listen. I know for the past few months, you didn't seem yourself but we definitely need you on the front lines. Can we try to put this behind us and we can begin the defense, what do you say?" Robert mewed. Mapleshade only turned away not responding, it was clear she wasn't going to be eager to get out and fight. Robert shrugged as he soon turned the stool around as Mapleshade continued to pout. Robert wanted to try to reason with her but Mapleshade being as stubborn as ever knew she would be a tough nut to crack. "Come on Maple leaf talk to me, is there something that's bothering you, you can tell Robert about it. I don't want to yell and shout but please in all of Starclan, tell me what's wrong." Mapleshade looked at Robert as she was beginning to unravel. Mapleshade looked at Robert finally for the first time in what it seemed to be weeks, Mapleshade finally began to speak.

"What happened at Gettysburg, I don't know how to describe it; the wails of cats dying, getting shot and blown up is something I sadly don't want to go back to. I can't even close my eyes to get the sleep I need to keep my focus. Now I can barely leave the safety of the room without hearing the ring of a cannon firing and I now hold myself in a corner in a little ball in the hopes in all of Starclan I don't get shot or blown up. I don't know if I can keep fighting." Mapleshade told Robert about what had happened, feeling defeated, she was just ready to give up. Robert knew there was no one allowed to give up as long as he was around.

"It won't be over until it's over, we don't give in now, if we can just keep holding, they won't be able to break through and we'll be able to have a chance at surviving this. Now let's get ready." Ulysses soon turned away as Mapleshade got up and followed him. Robert was now her only friend and she was hoping his words were true.

May 6th, 1864, Wilderness, Virginia, Spotsylvania county

Mapleshade after much deciding and what to do; decided to fully commit herself to the combat as she grabbed her musket as she was ready for combat. She was marching along with the reinforcements she was assigned to as they arrived on the battlefield. They were organized into a secondary line of defense seeing how the front line had completely shattered. The survivors were scrambling to make it back to their lines as the threat of union cats continued to charge down at them. Mapleshade knew she had to take charge of the situation.

"Southerners! We will try to hold the line! If we fail, may Starclan herself, welcome us with open arms." Mapleshade mewed as she wanted to hold on to the flanks so the main force of Robert's army to the northwest wouldn't be cut off. The union cats came charging forward as Mapleshade got her Musket ready. She looked down as she fired along with many others. The shots tore into the cats as they dropped. Mapleshade began reloading as she looked to gauge how far the enemy was. She soon finished the reload process as she looked down her rifle again and bang!. They fired away again. The shots tore down more charging unions but they weren't backing down like they were a couple years back. Soon seeing how there was no other option, they decided to draw out their bayonets seeing they didn't have the time to reload. The cats came in as Mapleshade blocked them off with the rifles.

Both sides were screaming at each other in their faces as Mapleshade was pushing back with the others to hold them off. They were slowly being pushed back as more union cats came to reinforce their lines. Mapleshade gritted her teeth as she was beginning to stop them in their tracks when she heard a sound; it was Robert charging in with his regiment as they saw that she was being pushed. Soon the cavalry came in as the cats on the nearby ridge began setting up the cannons for the attack. Soon the cannons fired as the cannonballs smashed deep into the union's lines. Robert looked on as he circled around wondering if she would make a move soon Mapleshade seeing this as a window of opportunity decided to push back as she thrusted her rifle bayonet into the union cat as the others did the same thing. She took it out, and then swung the rifle around bashing the cat behind him in the head knocking him over. Robert and the cavalry charged as they sliced up many union cats as they knocked strips into their forces. Seeing how this was going to turn out, they decided to fall back as they didn't want to take anymore losses. Mapleshade was happy that she had held the line with their forces but in all reality, this battle would turn out to be inconclusive.


Ulysses POV

Ulysses was reading the casualty report the next day after the prolonged three day battle. The confederates had inflicted heavy casualties as Ulysses began to weep.

"Those poor souls, they had all died or got injured for nothing. Your sacrifices will not go unavenged; we will push on for you." Ulysses gave the order, he knew the only way to win was to keep moving forward.

Ulysses pulled his forces to the east as he began to move as the next morning, they continued their progress towards Richmond. Mapleshade and Robert feared that they would be cut off met Ulysses in the bloody battle of Spotsylvania court house from the 8th to the 21st. The battle turned out to be tactically inconclusive but for Ulysses he needed to keep moving seeing it was a strategic victory. They continued moving south to try to outflank each other. The battle of North Anna finally came as the union army decided to cross the river. Mapleshade thought she could have the confidence to holding the river like what happened in Fredericksburg. However, Robert fell ill leaving Mapleshade to command the army all by herself, she would lead an unsuccessful defense of the river. Seeing where this was going they decided to retreat once more. It was only a matter of time as they continued to get pushed back. Through those 6 weeks, on both sides, 88,000 cats were either killed, wounded, captured or missing.

In the newspapers, Ulysses was criticized for being a butcher for killing all of those cats. Grant knew that some actions he did was inconclusive but if he inflicted all of those losses, he knew he could simply replace them, Robert however couldn't and he was being pushed all the way back to the capitol.


Robert's POV

Robert looked over the hills as he knew right below him was Richmond. He only knew before he would be pushed all the way back to the capitol and then Ulysses would trap his forces. Mapleshade padded up to him as she was on the same hill as he was.

"Is there something wrong Robert?" Mapleshade asked as she knew Robert was looking worried. Robert turned his head as he looked at Mapleshade.

"Yes there is, right below us is the capitol of the Confederacy, we're being forced all the way back there and with the losses that we've been taking, it's only a matter of time before the entire confederacy falls. We need to prepare for a defense of the city." Robert responded, surely enough he was right. The forces would need to protect the city so it doesn't fall into their enemies paws.

"How do we do that, it's not like we can just simply dig in and wait it out?" Mapleshade mewed as she knew that idea would be crazy but Robert just had an idea light up in his mind as he was thinking of something as Maplshade said those words.

"Great idea, we'll dig ourselves into the ground and simply hold out until the enemy gives up. I didn't know you had creative thinking in a situation like this Maple leaf." Robert responded. He soon rubbed his paw through Mapleshade's fur as he knew that she had the perfect idea. However watching them speak was Harriet as she was quietly listening in on their conversations. She slipped back into the brush to find Ulysses.


Ulysses POV

Harriet came into the camp they had set up as Ulysses was greeting the reinforcements to his army. Harriet was panting as she arrived in camp exhausted as she looked on. She had some important news. Ambrose was with him as he was speaking to George about the whole campaign.

"I would wish to speak to Ulysses directly." Harriet proposed as she wished to speak to the commander. Ulysses turned his head to Harriet as he knew she wanted his attention.

"I'm right here and what were you able to gather?" Ulysses asked Harriet if she was able to gather any information on what the confederates were up to. Harriet nodded as she spoke.

"Yes, they plan on digging in and waiting for us to surrender. We don't know about this but we should also do the same thing as the confederates as we might have a better chance of defending our positions from counter attacks." Harriet responded as she knew that they might as well try out this new tactics to see how this war would go. Ulysses nodded as he wanted to see what to do about this.

Both sides dug in as a result as these so called trenches would be used for both sides and the conditions were deplorable. Ulysses attacked Richmond directly, suffering horrific casualties in a miscalculated assault at Cold Harbor with the first three days fighting and the other nine waiting it out.

"I regret taking part in this assault as we lost many more good cats in this attack and many more dying from disease." Ulysses mewed. Harriet followed him as she was gathering intelligence about the trenches.

"Yeah I beg your pardon sir but the reason why the enemy managed to pull off a victory since they managed to get all their supplies from Petersburg." Harriet responded as she knew that was why they managed to suffer. Ulysses paused hearing the word Petersburg. He soon turned to Harriet as he began to speak.

"Where is Petersburg?" Ulysses asked as he was wondering about the location of the so called city. Harriet thought for a moment before she spoke.

"About 22 miles." Harriet gave a rough estimate between the two cities. Ulysses nodded as he knew that was where they were going to go next.

"Ahh I see. Okay listen up, looks like we're taking a detour to Petersburg as we might suspect the enemy might be holding a large store of supplies. We're moving out in five." Ulysses soon knew that if they captured Petersburg, they would be able to cut the city from its supply lines making it easier to capture. Ulysses began to move the forces out as George and Ambrose were left with a garrison to wait the city out.


Mapleshade's POV

Mapleshade peeked her head out as she looked out, Ulysses and a large chunk of their forces were moving out. She knew she sensed an opportunity. She turned her head to Robert who was watching this.

"Hey Robert, the entirety of the union army is moving south. Meaning we can push them back and drive them from their trenches." Mapleshade began. Robert didn't respond as he knew where they were going. Mapleshade turned her head to him as she was wondering what was happening. "Robert, why aren't you speaking." Robert turned his head a moment later as he spoke.

"I think I know where they're going, They're heading straight for Petersburg and we might as well try to protect our supply line." Robert responded as he knew Petersburg was important as they had a lot of supplies stored there. He turned as he motioned for a large force of his army to follow him as well as garrisoning a small force to protect the city. Robert was guessing Ulysses was trying to be a tricky trickster this time and head for his supplies. They soon began moving south as they wanted to meet both forces for the battle. However this wasn't going to be a single battle as Robert and Mapleshade arrived first and dug in. Ulysses did the same thing as he arrived and he was forced to settle in for a siege.

[A/N]: Updates will be coming out at a slower pace for now since I seemed worked up. Two sieges are happening at the same time and that sadly won't be enough for the president. Do the confederates have anything in store, find out next chapter. That is all.