For the Confederate troops, supplies were already low, and when Grant cut off what remained of their supplies, their conditions only worsened. Petersburg, at the time, was the main hub for transporting goods in and out of Richmond, making it a prime target for Grant's troops. Grant knew that without Petersburg, Richmond would never be able to survive, and if Richmond was not able to survive, then neither would the Confederate Army (Stone Sentinels). Combine this with the nine-month fight, and the men fighting on the Confederate side definitely felt like they were in a siege. The only major assault attempted by Grant during these months of battle was the Battle of the Crater. Most of the battle was focused on outflanking Confederate troops 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 just a week later (Stone