Near Petersburg in Prince George County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Battery 5 Trail
Petersburg National Battlefield
| | National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior | |
Photographed by Evan Dwyer, February 1, 2025
1. Battery 5 Trail Marker
On the ground before you the first major attacks against Petersburg occurred. This bloodletting marked the beginning of nine and one-half months of siege warfare.
This trail takes you into Battery 5 of the Confederate Dimmock Line, captured by the Federals on June 15, 1864. The trail also goes down and around the battery from where Union troops attacked the battery and to the position of the "Dictator."
For also the months in 1964 the "Dictator (shown here) Confederate positions at the Appomattox River.
The walk includes 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 date for this entry is June 15, 1864.
Location. 37° 14.632′ N, 77° 21.397′ W. Marker is near Petersburg, Virginia, in Prince George County. It is on Siege Road, on the right when traveling south. Marker is on the sidewalk east of the Visitor Center and northwest of the parking lot's western loop half. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 5001 Siege Road, Prince George VA 23875, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Coastal Virginia. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Upper South, and in the Tidewater. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, 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
this page online
Other markers no longer nearby. Battery 5 Trail (was a few steps from this marker but has been replaced with another marker now near it); 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).
Related marker. Click here for another marker that is related to this marker. This marker has replaced the linked marker.
Photographed by Evan Dwyer, February 1, 2025
2. Battery 5 Trail Marker
Marker is visible at back left, next to the tall, vertical First Offensive marker.
Photographed by Evan Dwyer, February 1, 2025
3. Battery 5
The trail's right branch, recommended on the marker for mobility-impaired access to the Dictator mortar position, bend to the right of the frame at the marker (HMDB # 259089) in the distance.
Photographed by Evan Dwyer, February 1, 2025
4. Battery 5 Trail
View of right branch of the trail, just before reaching the Dictator position. This angle looks back up the slope towards the trailhead. Visitors must traverse down this slope to reach the mortar position.
Photographed by Evan Dwyer, February 1, 2025
5. Battery 5 Trail - "The Dictator"
This Model 1861 13-Inch Siege Mortar, moved from Fort Sumter to Petersburg's National Park in the 1970s, is the same type of weapon "The Dictator" was. The position itself is given by photographer Alexander Gardner as being by Battery 5 near the Jordan House, accessed by a curved railroad spur that, presumably, the Battery 5 Trail partially follows the railbed of. Other accounts from Federal soldiers give the mortar's location as being by Battery 3, which no longer survives, on the opposite side of the main railroad track to City Point (which runs along the Battery 5 Trail after descending past the mortar) via a different railspur.
Credits. This page was last revised on December 26, 2025. It was originally submitted on December 26, 2025, by Evan Dwyer of Richmond, Virginia. This page has been viewed 79 times since then and 40 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on December 26, 2025, by Evan Dwyer of Richmond, Virginia. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
