News Release

158th Anniversaries of the Battle of Fort Stedman and the Battle of Five Forks

Fort Stedman

NPS

News Release Date: March 11, 2023

Contact: Ann Blumenschine, 804-732-3531, ext. 203

PETERSBURG, Va - On Saturday, March 25, Petersburg National Battlefield will offer a free ranger guided tour focusing General Robert E. Lee’s last offensive of the Civil War, the Battle of Fort Stedman. The 30–45 minute program, taking place on the 158^th Anniversary of the Confederate attack on U.S. Fort Stedman, will begin at 3:00 pm from tour stop 5 of the Eastern Front Tour Road. The address for the Eastern Front Unit of Petersburg National Battlefield is 5001 Siege Road, Petersburg, Virginia.

One week later, on April 1, the park will commemorate the last major battle of the siege of Petersburg; The Battle of Five Forks. A 3:00 pm free ranger guided tour will begin from the Five Forks Contact Station located at 9840 Courthouse Road, Dinwiddie, Virginia. This 30–45 minute walking tour will focus on the U.S. Army’s attempt to capture the last Confederate supply line into Petersburg, the South Side Railroad. The result of this April 1, 1865, battle would seal the fate of Petersburg prompting Confederate Brigadier General to refer to the Battle of Five Forks as the “Waterloo of the Confederacy”.

Prior to the 3:00 pm program at Five Forks, join our friends at Petersburg Battlefields Foundation (PBF), for a 4-hour tour focusing on “West Virginia Troops I the Fall of Hatcher’s Run Line: A Case Study of Captain John Valley Young, Company G, 11^th West Virginia Volunteer Infantry”. The tour begins at 9:00 am and concludes at 1:00 pm. Learn more about this program by visiting the PBF website at www.petebattlefields.org.

If You Go
The Eastern Front Unit: The Eastern Front Unit of Petersburg National Battlefield is the location where U.S. troops made their first major attacks on the City of Petersburg in mid-June 1864. Today, visitors can learn more about the history of the site by touring the museum, viewing the 19-minute video, or travelling the Unit’s four mile, 8 stop tour road. There are also ten miles of nature trails suitable for hiking, bicycling and horseback riding. The Eastern Front Unit of Petersburg National Battlefield is located at 5001 Siege Road in Petersburg.