Near Dinwiddie in Dinwiddie County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

Siege of Petersburg — The Linchpin is Pulled

March 29 - April 1, 1865 Five Forks Campaign

— Petersburg National Battlefield —

Siege of Petersburg — The Linchpin is Pulled Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), August 21, 2021

1. Siege of Petersburg — The Linchpin is Pulled Marker

Inscription.
By April 1, 1865, Five Forks, just north of where you're standing, had become a linchpin—key to the Confederate capital at Richmond. To control the Five Forks intersection was to control the South Side Railroad and Richmond's last connection to the rest of the Confederacy.

Loss of Five Forks would force Confederate Robert E. Lee to abandon Petersburg and Richmond leading to the fall of the Confederate capital.

[Captions:]
March 29-31, 1865—In a series of battles Grant severs the Boydton Plank Road and isolates Confederate General George Pickett's forces at Five Forks.

April 1, 1865—Union forces sweep the Confederates off the intersection and by nightfall Grant plans his final assault on Lee's position the next day.

Erected by National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, US Civil. In addition, it is included in the Former U.S. Presidents: #18 Ulysses S. Grant series list. A significant historical date for this entry is March 29, 1865.

Location. 37° 8.109′ N, 77° 37.179′ W. Marker is near Dinwiddie, Virginia, in Dinwiddie County.

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It can be reached from Courthouse Road 0.6 miles south of White Oak Road (Virginia Route 613), on the right when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 9840 Courthouse Rd, Dinwiddie VA 23841, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Virginia’s Piedmont,

in Southside Virginia,

and specifically in Central Virginia.

It is also in the American South

and specifically in the Upper South.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds 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 marker: The Siege of Petersburg (here, next to this marker); "Advanced…repulsed…charged again…" (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); "The woods were quite heavy..." (about 500 feet away); "I was exceeding anxious to attack at once…" (approx. 0.2 miles away); "While dashing forward..."

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), August 21, 2021

2. Siege of Petersburg — The Linchpin is Pulled Marker

(approx. ¼ mile away); "We had moved up to the edge of the timber..." (approx. 0.3 miles away); Five Forks Battlefield (approx. 0.3 miles away); Battle of Five Forks (approx. 0.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Dinwiddie.

Another marker is no longer nearby. The Union Cavalry Attacks (was approx. 0.2 miles away but has been replaced with another marker now near it).

Credits. This page was last revised on August 22, 2021. It was originally submitted on August 22, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 423 times since then and 20 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on August 22, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.