Near Petersburg in Prince George County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Battery 5 Trail
Photographed by Craig Swain, November 22, 2008
1. Battery 5 Trail Marker
On the ground before you the first major attacks against Petersburg occurred. This bloodletting marked the beginning of nine months of siege.
This 0.6-mile trail will take you through Battery 5 of the Confederate Dimmock Line, captured by the Federals on June 15, 1864. Along the way you will also see the position of the famous Union mortar, the "Dictator."
The walk includes a set of stairs and a moderate (10% slope). Mobility-impaired visitors can reach the position of the "Dictator" by taking the right fork of the trail.
Erected by National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, US Civil. A significant historical month for this entry is June 1864.
Location. This marker has been replaced by another marker nearby. It was located near 37° 14.635′ N, 77° 21.401′ W. Marker was near Petersburg, Virginia, in Prince George County. It was on Petersburg Tour Road, on the left when traveling north. Located at the trailhead for the Battery 5 walking tour, in Petersburg National Battlefield Park. Touch for map. Marker was at or near this postal address: 5001 Siege Rd, Prince George VA 23875, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker was in Coastal Virginia. It was also in the American South, specifically in the Upper South, and in the Tidewater. Globally, it was in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it found itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the original Thirteen Colonies, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this location:
this page online
Other markers no longer nearby. The Siege of Petersburg (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been replaced with another marker now near it); a different marker also named Uprooted by War (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been replaced with another marker now near it).
More about this marker. The background of the marker is a wartime photo of the "Dictator." For almost three months in 1864, the "Dictator" (shown here), a 13-inch seacoast mortar, fired into the city of Petersburg. In the upper right is a map of the trail indicating interpretive waysides along the path.
Related marker.
Photographed by Craig Swain, November 22, 2008
2. Start of the Battery 5 Trail
Also see . . . Battle and Siege of Petersburg. National Park Service site. (Submitted on December 22, 2008, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia.)
Photographed by Craig Swain, November 22, 2008
3. Battery 5
To the left, along the trail's sidewalk, is an artillery display.
Photographed by Craig Swain, November 22, 2008
4. Missing Earthworks
A few feet from the Artillery Display along the walking trail is this sign which reads:
The unmown strip of tall grass has been left to indicate the outline of connecting earthworks between Confederate Battery 5, to your left and Battery 6, 250 yards to your right.
The unmown strip of tall grass has been left to indicate the outline of connecting earthworks between Confederate Battery 5, to your left and Battery 6, 250 yards to your right.
Photographed by Craig Swain, November 22, 2008
5. Ground Between Batteries 5 and 6 of the Dimmock Line
Photographed by Bradley Owen, October 20, 2021
6. Battery 5
Credits. This page was last revised on December 26, 2025. It was originally submitted on December 22, 2008, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. This page has been viewed 2,003 times since then and 39 times this year. Last updated on December 26, 2025, by Evan Dwyer of Richmond, Virginia. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on December 22, 2008, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. 6. submitted on November 11, 2021, by Bradley Owen of Morgantown, West Virginia. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
