Near Petersburg in Dinwiddie County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Confederate Fort Whitworth
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, April 23, 2007
1. Confederate Fort Whitworth Marker
Inscription.
Confederate Fort Whitworth. . Named for the Whitworth family of Mayfield, the farm on which it was built, this outpost (a quarter-mile east) and Fort Gregg, 400 yards to the south, were constructed to protect the western approaches to Petersburg during the 1864-1865 siege. On 2 April 1865, when Gen. U.S. Grant’s army attacked the city after turning Gen. R.E. Lee’s flank at Five Forks the day before, the forts were the scene of intense fighting. The Union XXIV Corps captured the two positions, suffering 714 casualties. The Confederates lost about 300 men in a stubborn defense that delayed the Union advance for two hours, enabling Lee to withdraw his army safely that night and begin the westward march that ended a week later at Appomattox Court House.
Named for the Whitworth family of Mayfield, the farm on which it was built, this outpost (a quarter-mile east) and Fort Gregg, 400 yards to the south, were constructed to protect the western approaches to Petersburg during the 1864-1865 siege. On 2 April 1865, when Gen. U.S. Grant’s army attacked the city after turning Gen. R.E. Lee’s flank at Five Forks the day before, the forts were the scene of intense fighting. The Union XXIV Corps captured the two positions, suffering 714 casualties. The Confederates lost about 300 men in a stubborn defense that delayed the Union advance for two hours, enabling Lee to withdraw his army safely that night and begin the westward march that ended a week later at Appomattox Court House.
Erected 1994 by Department of Historic Resources. (Marker Number S-82.)
Location. 37° 12.309′ N, 77° 27.596′ W. Marker is near Petersburg, Virginia, in Dinwiddie County. Marker is at the intersection of Boydton Plank Road (U.S. 1) and Albemarle
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Street, on the right when traveling north on Boydton Plank Road. Marker is located on the northeast corner of the intersection of Boydton Plank Road and Albemarle Street. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Petersburg VA 23803, United States of America. Touch for directions.
These are the remains of Confederate Fort Gregg, which was attacked along with Fort Whitworth on April 2, 1865 by Union forces. They are located about 400 yards to the south of the marker. The site of Fort Whitworth has since been developed.
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, April 23, 2007
3. Battle Maps of Forts Whitworth and Gregg
This map, from another nearby Fort Whitworth marker, shows Union troop movements during the April 2, 1865 attack.
Credits. This page was last revised on February 2, 2023. It was originally submitted on December 30, 2008, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. This page has been viewed 3,067 times since then and 81 times this year. Last updated on September 1, 2021, by Bradley Owen of Morgantown, West Virginia. Photos:1, 2, 3. submitted on December 30, 2008, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.