Editing P. G. T. Beauregard (section)

===Richmond===
[[File:Battle of Cold Harbor.png|left|thumb|upright=1.5|The [[Battle of Cold Harbor]], May 31 – June 12, 1864]]

In April 1864, Beauregard saw little opportunity for military glory because he foresaw that there would be no more significant assaults against Charleston, and prospects for a major field command were unlikely. He requested a leave to recover from fatigue and a chronic throat ailment, but he instead received an order to report to [[Weldon, North Carolina]], near the Virginia border, to play a key role in the defense of Virginia. His new assignment, the Department of North Carolina and Cape Fear, also included Virginia south of the [[James River (Virginia)|James River]]. When he took command on April 18, he renamed it, on his own initiative, the Department of North Carolina and Southern Virginia. The Confederates were preparing for the spring offensive of Union Lt. Gen. [[Ulysses S. Grant]] and were concerned that attacks south of Richmond could interrupt the critical supply lines to Richmond and the army of Robert E. Lee.<ref>Williams, pp. 207–208; Eicher, p. 124.</ref>

{{Quote box
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|quote=Nothing illustrates better the fundamental weakness of the Confederate command system than the weary series of telegrams exchanged in May and early June between Davis, Bragg, Beauregard, and Lee. Beauregard evaded his responsibility for determining what help he could give Lee; Davis and Bragg shirked their responsibility to decide, when he refused. The strangest feature of the whole affair was that, in the face of Lee's repeated requests, nobody in the high command thought to ''order'' Beauregard to join Lee.
|source=T. Harry Williams, ''Napoleon in Gray''<ref>Williams, p. 225.</ref>
}}

As Grant moved south against Lee in the [[Overland campaign]], Union Maj. Gen. [[Benjamin Butler (politician)|Benjamin Butler]] launched the surprise [[Bermuda Hundred Campaign]] with landings up the James River. Beauregard successfully lobbied with Jefferson Davis's military adviser, Braxton Bragg, to prevent significant units of his small force from being transferred north of Richmond to the aid of Lee. His timely action, coupled with the military incompetence of Butler, bottled up the Union army, nullifying its threat to Petersburg and Lee's supply line. Now that this sector was stable, pressure began to rise to transfer troops from Beauregard's front to Lee's. Beauregard did send a division (Maj. Gen. [[Robert Hoke]]'s) to Lee for the [[Battle of Cold Harbor]], but Lee urgently wanted more and took the step of offering Beauregard command of the right wing of the [[Army of Northern Virginia]] for his cooperation. Beauregard replied in a [[Passive–aggressive behavior|passive–aggressive]] manner, "I am willing to do anything for our success, but cannot leave my Department without orders of War Department."<ref>Williams, pp. 208–225; Kennedy, p. 278.</ref>

[[File:Petersburg June15-16.png|thumb|Beauregard's defense of Petersburg, Federal assaults of June 15–18]]

After Cold Harbor, Lee and the Confederate high command were unable to anticipate Grant's next move, but Beauregard's strategic sense allowed him to make a prophetic prediction: Grant crossed the James River and attempted to seize Petersburg, which was lightly defended, but contained critical rail junctions supporting Richmond and Lee. Despite persistent pleas to reinforce this sector, Beauregard could not convince his colleagues of the danger. On June 15, his weak 5,400-man force—including boys, old men, and patients from military hospitals—resisted an assault by 16,000 Federals, known as the [[Second Battle of Petersburg]]. He gambled by withdrawing his Bermuda Hundred defenses to reinforce the city, assuming correctly that Butler would not capitalize on the opening. His gamble succeeded, and he held Petersburg long enough for Lee's army to arrive. It was arguably his finest combat performance of the war.<ref>Williams, pp. 225–235; Gallagher, p. 90; Kennedy, pp. 352–353.</ref>

Beauregard continued commanding the defenses of Petersburg in the early days of the [[Siege of Petersburg|siege]], but with the loss of the Weldon Railroad in the [[Battle of Globe Tavern]] (August 18–21), he was criticized for not attacking more forcefully and he became dissatisfied with the command arrangements under Lee. He hoped for an independent command, but his desires were thwarted in two instances: Lee chose Lt. Gen. [[Jubal Early]] to lead an expedition north through the Shenandoah Valley and threaten Washington, and Davis chose Lt. Gen. [[John Bell Hood]] to replace the faltering Joseph E. Johnston in the [[Atlanta campaign]].<ref>Williams, pp. 236–238; Gallagher, p. 90.</ref>