Near Petersburg in Dinwiddie County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Confederate Fort Gregg
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, April 23, 2007
1. Confederate Fort Gregg Marker
“Men, the salvation of Lee’s army is in your keeping.”
– Maj. Gen. Cadmus Wilcox to the defenders of Fort Gregg, April 2, 1865
On the afternoon of April 2, 1865, after a morning of bludgeoning attacks all along the Petersburg lines, 5,000 Federals swept forward to attack Fort Gregg. The 300 Confederates here twice drove the Federals back, but finally the attackers reached the fort’s parapet. For twenty minutes a vicious hand-to-hand battle raged.
At fight’s end, the fort belonged to the Federals. Only 44 Confederates survived the battle unscathed. With the fall of Fort Gregg and nearby Fort Whitworth, the Confederates pulled back to their last, innermost line. The two hours gained by Fort Gregg’s defenders allowed Lee to evacuate Petersburg safely that night.
Erected by National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Forts and Castles • War, US Civil. A significant historical date for this entry is April 2, 1724.
Location. 37° 11.883′ N, 77° 27.015′ W. Marker is near Petersburg, Virginia, in Dinwiddie County. Marker is on Seventh Avenue, on the right when traveling north. Marker is in the middle of the field, east of the parking area.
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Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Fort Gregg (within shouting distance of this marker); Siege of Petersburg—Grant's Eighth Offensive (approx. 0.2 miles away); Central State Hospital Cemetery (approx. 0.3 miles away); The Battle of Fort Whitworth (approx. 0.4 miles away); Rohoic Dam (approx. 0.4 miles away); Confederate Fort Whitworth (approx. 0.7 miles away); Battery 45 (approx. 0.8 miles away); Southside Virginia Training Center (approx. 0.9 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Petersburg.
More about this marker. The marker is dominated by a painting of the Federals storming Fort Gregg. It has a caption of At the climax of the fight, about a dozen Federals leveled their guns at Confederate cannoneer Pvt. Lawrence Berry ‘Drop the lanyard or we’ll shoot,’ they yelled. ‘Shoot and be dammed,’ Berry yelled back as he fired the cannon. He in turn fell in a blast of Union gunfire. Berry is shown in the center of this painting.
Also see . . . Petersburg National Battlefield. National Park Service. (Submitted on May 16, 2008, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey.)
Additional commentary.
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, April 23, 2007
2. Marker in Petersburg National Battlefield
Marker is on the Seige Line Tour of Petersburg National Battlefield.
1. 19 Mississippi Infantry
My great-grandfather, Captain Chesley Shelton Coffey, was commander of company D, 19th Mississippi. I visited Fort Gregg and Battery Whitworth several years ago. Surveying the surrounding area, I found it difficult to believe the intense fighting that took place there in 1865. I came away in awe and almost disbelief. For those who have ancestors who fought with Brig. General Harris' Mississippi Brigade, it is well worth the visit.
— Submitted December 1, 2008, by Rick Coffey of Woodinville, Washington.
2. My Great Grandfather Thomas Mulcaha
My grea-grandfather, Thomas Mulcaha, was one of the 300 at Fort Gregg. He was wounded, captured and sent to a prison for several months after the war ended and remained in Petersburg to his death. In his obituary in the Richmond Herald Dispatch it was noted that some 30 years after the battle, a minie ball worked its way out of his leg and he had a jeweler adorn it with some gold and it became his watch fob. He was born in Yazoo City, MS in 1824 and joined the Mississippi 7th Sartaria Rifles at the war's onset. His outfit fought all across the South ending up in the Siege of Petersburg.
— Submitted March 20, 2023, by John 
William Mulcaha of Pawleys Island, South Carolina.
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, April 23, 2008
3. Fort Gregg
The remains of Confederate Fort Gregg are still evident today.
Credits. This page was last revised on March 26, 2023. It was originally submitted on May 16, 2008, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. This page has been viewed 7,984 times since then and 174 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on May 16, 2008, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. • Craig Swain was the editor who published this page.
