News Release
Alfred Waud (LOC)
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Contact: Ann Blumenschine
PETERSBURG, VA – Petersburg National Battlefield’s Sunset Tour Series concludes on August 20 with a program focusing on the deadly explosion at the Union Army’s supply base at City Point in August 1864. The 60-minute, ranger guided walking tour will begin at 6:00 pm at the General Grant’s Headquarters Unit located at 1001 Pecan Avenue in Hopewell, Virginia.About City Point in the Civil War
City Point, Virginia (present day Hopewell) served many purposes during the Civil War. Early in the war, it was where Civil War prisoner exchanges would occur. During the Siege of Petersburg (mid-June 1864-early April 1865) it would serve as the headquarters for General Ulysses S. Grant and his staff. More importantly to the common soldier, it was also the location of one of the largest supply bases in the nation. Soldiers and civilians, Blacks and Whites, worked together to provide Union soldiers surrounding Petersburg with all the food, clothing, guns and ammunition they would need to survive. City Point was considered a safe location until August of 1864 when a Confederate spy snuck through the Union lines protecting City Point and struck a terrifying and destructive blow to the James River wharf area.
If You Go
The General Grant’s Headquarters Unit of Petersburg National Battlefield includes a visitor contact station located inside what was the Eppes Family plantation home built in 1763. The contact station is open Friday-Sunday, during the summer months, from 10:00-4:00 pm. The grounds are open every day from sunrise to sunset. Visitors can tour the area around the Eppes home that include plantation outbuildings and numerous exhibits that focus on plantation life for free and enslaved people. The east lawn also includes the cabin where Ulysses S. Grant stayed from November 1864 until late March 1865. The James River waterfront area includes exhibits and a fishing pier.
Petersburg National Battlefield was created to commemorate the campaign and siege and defense of Petersburg, Virginia, in 1864 and 1865. Park staff is committed to preserving and protecting the historical, cultural, and natural resources within the park in a manner that will provide interpretation, education, and enjoyment for the visitors. For more information about events at Petersburg National Battlefield, please visit our website at www.nps.gov/pete, become a fan on our Facebook page or follow us on Twitter @PetersburgNPS.
Last updated: August 5, 2022