The Siege of Petersburg

The Siege of Petersburg. Petersburg National Battlefield Park.

"I would not believe before I came here that man was capable of enduring so much." , , Leverette Bradley, 1st Massachusetts Heavy Artillery

, If Petersburg fell, the Confederate capital at Richmond would fall too. Union General Grant knew it. Confederate General Lee knew it. For nine and a half months from 1864-1865 Union and Confederate armies waged a brutal campaign here that left the Confederacy on the verge of total defeat., At Petersburg, the war in Virginia transformed from a whirlwind succession of marches and battles into a methodological struggle of endurance and hardship., Touring the Battlefield , Petersburg National Battlefield includes four major historic areas. A driving tour links the Eastern Front and Western Front Units with the Five Forks Battlefield., Grant's Headquarters at City Point is located about eight miles northeast of Petersburg in the city of Hopewell. You can start your visit in the visitor center, where brochures and additional tour information are available., 🔵 The Eastern Front sites span the entire siege, including the opening assaults in June 1864, the spectacular blast at the "Crater" in July, and Lee's last offensive, at Fort Stedman, in March 1865., 🔴 The Western Front links fortifications and battle sites related to the Union's efforts to cut Petersburg's supply lines , efforts that ultimately stretched the Confederate defense lines to their breaking point. Poplar Grove National Cemetery is located here as well., 🟢 At Five Forks Battlefield, on April 1, 1865, the Union army defeated and captured nearly one-fifth of Lee's entire force. Petersburg and Richmond fell two days later., ⚫ During the siege, City Point was one of the busiest ports in America. From his headquarters there, Grant directed the movement of Union armies throughout the South., [Captions:] , Converging rail lines made Petersburg the southern gateway to Richmond., By the end of the siege more than 100 miles of earthworks scarred the landscape around Petersburg. , Petersburg Time Line , 9 months and 18 days. , June 1864: , Union attack on Dimmock Line , Federals sever Jerusalem Plank Road, July 1864: , Battle of the Crater, August 1864: , City Point wharf explosion , Federals sever the Weldon Railroad, September 1864: , Battle of Peebles's Farm, October 1864: , Battle of Boydton Plank Road, February 1865: , Battle of Hatcher's Run, March 1865: , Confederate attack on Fort Stedman fails, April 1865: , Battle of Five Forks , Confederates evacuate Petersburg