• Poplar Grove National Cemetery Luminary Event (photo courtesy of Joanne Williams)

    Petersburg

    National Battlefield Virginia

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The Siege of Petersburg: The Longest Military Event of the Civil War

Nine and a half months, 70,000 casualties, the suffering of civilians, thousands of U. S. Colored Troops fighting for the freedom of their race, and the decline of Gen. Robert E. Lee's Army of No. Virginia all describe the Siege of Petersburg. It was here Gen. Ulysses S. Grant cut off all of Petersburg's supply lines ensuring the fall of Richmond on April 3, 1865. Six days later, Lee surrendered.

Did You Know?

Red Fox

Petersburg National Battlefield is home to 23 species of mammals, 22 species of fish, 48 species of amphibians and reptiles, and 129 species of birds including 18 species of birds that are listed as species of Special Concern in Virginia.