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About

Petersburg National Battlefield (PETE) was established on July 3, 1926 as a National Military Park under jurisdiction of the War Department, and then transferred to the National Park Service (NPS) on August 10, 1933. The land tracts that comprise the three Eastern Front were acquired beginning in the late 1920s through 1949. The park was redesignated as a National Battlefield on August 24, 1962.

Purpose: Petersburg National Battlefield preserves the historic sites, structures, and landscapes where the Civil War campaign, siege, and defense of Petersburg took place, and fosters an understanding of these events, their causes, impacts, and legacy to individuals, the community, and the nation.

 

Grant's Cabin at City Point - Spring 2022

NPS

City Point.

The land between the Appomattox River and the James River was the family home and plantation of the Eppes family since colonial times. City Point was part of a vast 2,300-acre plantation that relied on the labor of more than 130 enslaved people. With the arrival of United States forces, City Point became a base of operations for the U.S. Quartermaster. General Grant arrived at City Point on June 15, 1864. His headquarters was in a tent on the east lawn of the Eppes' family plantation. The cabin was built in November 1864 and is the only remaining structure from a series of 22 log cabins erected for Grant and his staff. Grant's wife and son Jesse stayed with him during the last three months of the siege. City Point also hosted President Lincoln during his visits to the front, first in June 1864 and again in March–April 1865. Today, City Point includes lands overlooking the Appomattox and James Rivers, the Appomattox Plantation House, the Kitchen/Laundry, Smoke Houses, and Dairy. A partial reconstruction of the cabin that served as Grant's headquarters is on the site.

 

Eastern Front Visitor Center Spring 2022

NPS

The Eastern Front

The Eastern Front is the largest of the park units. It is located east of downtown Petersburg. The Eastern Front encompasses extensive systems of preserved earthworks associated with the Petersburg Campaign. Several important battles took place on the Eastern Front, including:

• The initial assaults on Petersburg on June 15-17, 1864
• The fighting at Hare House Hill (Fort Stedman) on June 18, 1864
• Attack on Fort Stedman and March 25, 1865
• The Battle of the Crater on July 30, 1864

Each battlefield also includes commemorative features in the form of monuments and plaques.

 

Poplar Grove National Cemetery

NPS

Poplar Grove National Cemetery

Poplar Grove National Cemetery was established in 1866. It is part of the national cemetery system created by the U.S. War Department to honor the Union soldiers who died during the Civil War. The cemetery was designated to receive burials of U.S. soldiers from the Petersburg Campaign and the surrounding area. The cemetery contains the remains of more than 6,100 soldiers, and it is not segregated. Instead, the soldiers were buried with others from the location where they were originally interred.

On August 10, 1933, the cemetery's administration transferred from the U.S. War Department to the National Park Service. The last interments of Civil War soldiers occurred in 2003. The remains of three Civil War soldiers were found at Reams Station and Peebles' Farm. Today, the cemetery is closed to burials and underwent significant rehabilitation in 2016.

 

Fort Wadsworth

NPS

Western Front

The U.S. army failed to capture Petersburg by direct assault. General Grant decided to swing west and cut off all the roads and rail lines into the city throughout the summer and fall of 1864. Grant used his greater troop strength to attack Petersburg and Richmond. This forced General Lee to defend both cities and diminished the Confederate response. The fighting to control these roads and railroads created over 42,000 US and 28,000 Confederate casualties (killed, wounded, captured, and by disease).

The Western Front Highlights Include:

Fort Wadsworth - occupies the site of the battle of Weldon railroad August 18 – 21, 1864. From here, in September 1864, the Federals launched their fifth offensive. The Battle of Peebles’s Farm was from September 30 – October 2, 1864.

Fort Fisher is the largest fortification on the Petersburg front. On April 2, 1865, U.S. troops assaulted Confederate defenses to the west from Fort Fisher to Fort Welsh, breaking through the Confederate lines.

Fort Gregg - on April 2, 1865, during the final assault on the Confederate lines, 600 Confederate soldiers defended Fort Gregg. They held off nearly 5,000 U.S. troops for two hours, enabling General Lee to withdraw from the city that night safely.

Poplar Grove National Cemetery - established in 1866 for U.S. soldiers who died during the Petersburg and Appomattox campaigns.

 

Five Forks Intersection

NPS

Five Forks Battlefield

The Battle of Five Forks came ten months after the initial assault (June 1864) on Petersburg. It was named for the distinctive spoke-like intersection of three road corridors. United States forces led by Major General Phillip Sheridan defeated a Confederate force led by Major General George Pickett. Due to a series of logistical and tactical failures by Confederate soldiers, the U.S. force was able to inflict over 1,000 casualties. They also took close to 4,000 soldiers prisoners. The U.S. gained control of the South Side Railroad by seizing Five Forks. It was the last vital supply line and evacuation route serving Petersburg and the capital at Richmond. U.S. victory leads to both strongholds falling shortly after the battle. The Battle of Five Forks was one of the final battles of the Civil War. General Lee surrendered at Appomattox Court House eight days after the battle. Five Forks Battlefield covers 1,115 acres, encompassing nearly all the area involved in the April 1 fighting.
In 1960 Congress authorized the addition of the battlefield, but acquisition of the property did not occur until 1990 and 1991

 

By the Numbers

Acreage (Rounded):

• City Point: 22
• Eastern Front: 1422
• Western Front (excluding Poplar Grove): 92
• Poplar Grove: 8
• Five Forks: 1115

Mowed Areas: 335 Acres.

Trails:

• City Point: 1.37 Miles, 7252 Feet
• Eastern Front: 14.3 Miles, 75718 Feet
• Western Front (access trail for maintenance): .92 Miles, 4873 Feet
• Five Forks: 3.9 Miles, 20646 Feet.

Total: 20.5 Miles, 108490 Feet.


Earthworks: 43 Acres, 1.9 Million Sq. Feet.
Paved Roadways: 10.5 Miles
Cannon: 40

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