[center][b][u]The Virginia Campaign 1863[/u][/b][/center]

Grant and Thomas continued to chase each other in Virginia. Thomas, with a head start, continued to march deeper into Virginia and closer to Maryland, threatening Washington. Grant, desperate to prevent Thomas from reaching the border, pushed his men hard to cut him off. The two forces, the Army of Northern Virginia and the Army of the Potomac, faced each other near the town of Charlottesville. Grant, with the larger army, moved to attack Thomas' lines. The Confederate soldiers , now well experienced at building defenses, dug themselves in. Grant knew he needed to force Thomas back no matter the cost, and sent wave after wave of Union men at the Confederate line. The Confederates fought back fiercely, unwavering, and trying their best to defend their position. As the day wore on, the bodies piled up, most of them in a blue uniform. However, eventually Grant's reckless strategy paid off and the Confederate lines began to be forced inwards. Thomas, seeing the danger, ordered a withdrawal south. He wouldn't reach Washington, not this season, but he wasn't done yet.
(-1,000 regulars, -11,800 conscripts to the USA, -400 regulars, -3,900 conscripts to the CSA)

Thomas began a strategic withdrawal south. He wasn't under any pressure at the moment, but he soon would be. Grant stayed only to wait for reinforcements to arrive. The army of the Potomac, bolstered by men previously in the Army of the Roanoke, numbered more than 110 000. Thomas, unwilling to face Grant with an army half his size, sent word to Charleston of his situation. Jackson quickly moved north to his position, bringing the size of the Army of Northern Virginia to around 70 000 strong. The next engagement took place in Danville, located just north of the North Carolinan border. Thomas executed a typical anvil strategy, forcing the Union soldiers to hit a strong defended line, before sending Jackson to hit the Union lines. Grant withdrew and the Confederates claimed the victory, but it did not last long. Instead of withdrawing to the north as expected, Grant attempted to relocate his men to the southeast, hoping to cut Thomas off. Thomas was forced to give ground in order to keep between Grant and Charleston. The two armies attacked each other north of Raleigh, and again Thomas managed to get the better of Grant. Grant did not attempt to push south again, instead taking the time to give his men some rest. He did not withdraw back north, however, despite having taken far greater losses than Thomas and Jackson.
(-2,500 regulars, -13,100 conscripts to the USA, -1,100 regulars, -5,100 conscripts to the CSA)

[center][img]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/21/Battle_of_Atlanta.png/800px-Battle_of_Atlanta.png[/img]
[i]Battle of Danville, 1863[/i][/center]

Further west, Sherman once again attempted to take Atlanta. With an army of 123,000, they drove hard at Lee, hoping to force him back. Lee chose his battlefield well, as he always did, and the battle went badly for the Union forces. However, Sherman in a similar fashion to Grant showed little regard for the fate of his men and continued to push hard, and Lee eventually gave way. Confederate cavalry caused havok for Union supply lines as they retreat, but it was not enough to save Lee, who eventually dug in Marietta, just north of Atlanta. Here they held their ground, and Sherman was forced to give up his chase. However, he had reversed the situation of earlier in the year; he had been bottled up by Lee in Chattanooga, and now he was bottling up Lee in Atlanta. He had not yet managed to capture the city, but Sherman hoped a brief siege would be enough to take it.
(-1,200 regulars, -22,300 conscripts for the USA, -900 regulars, -9,800 conscripts to the CSA)