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

"We had moved up to the edge of the timber..."

Photographed by Evan Dwyer, November 28, 2025

1. "We had moved up to the edge of the timber..." Marker

Inscription. "We moved up to the edge of the timber, and after staying there a short time, practicing with our carbines on the heads that would occasionally come above the breastworks."
William J. Smith, Company M, 2nd Ohio Cavalry

"The rebels had put two large brass pieces... & to these "infernos" did we owe the most of the killed and wounded."
Roger Hannaford, Company M, 2nd Ohio Cavalry

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 April 1, 1865.

Location. 37° 8.309′ N, 77° 37.394′ W. Marker is near Dinwiddie, Virginia, in Dinwiddie County. It can be reached from Courthouse Road (Virginia Route 627) half a mile south of White Oak Road ( Route 613), on the left when traveling north. Marker is in the Five Forks Unit of the Petersburg National Battlefield, on the Devin Trail between the visitor center and the Five Forks Intersection. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 9840 Courthouse Road, Dinwiddie VA 23841, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally,

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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: Battle of Five Forks (within shouting distance of this marker); Five Forks Battlefield (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Death of Pegram (about 400 feet away); "Hold Five Forks at all hazards…" (about 400 feet away); a different marker also named The Battle of Five Forks (about 400 feet away); "While dashing forward..." (about 500 feet away); "The woods were quite heavy..." (approx. ¼ mile away); "Advanced…repulsed…charged again…" (approx. ¼ mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Dinwiddie.

Another marker is no longer nearby. Digging In

Photographed by Evan Dwyer, November 28, 2025

2. "We had moved up to the edge of the timber..." Marker

View from the park's Devin Trail, facing southeast, the opposite direction of the action's advancement. This marker is near the edge of the woods right before they clear into the Five Forks intersection, the core objective of the battle.

(was about 300 feet away but has been replaced with another marker now near it).

Credits. This page was last revised on January 12, 2026. It was originally submitted on January 9, 2026, by Evan Dwyer of Richmond, Virginia. This page has been viewed 61 times since then. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on January 9, 2026, by Evan Dwyer of Richmond, Virginia. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.