"We have set what we call Johnny catchers ... long poles set into the ground with the upper end about as high as a man's head and they are so thick that a rabbit could not crawl through."—Corp. Andrew W. Burwell, 5th Wisconsin . . . — — Map (db m155596) HM
“The charge of Major-Gen. Wright’s veterans under cover of the darkness and mist … will forever live in history as one of the grandest and most sublime actions of the war.”—Sgt. Newton J. Terrill, 14th New Jersey Infantry, USA . . . — — Map (db m184488) HM
“The charge of Major-Gen. Wright’s veterans under cover of the darkness and mist … will forever live in history as one of the grandest and most sublime actions of the war.”—Sgt. Newton J. Terrill, 14th New Jersey Infantry, USA
“The . . . — — Map (db m184489) HM
"There is every indication that a heavy force is being massed in our front, and if a charge is made, this line cannot possibly be held by these few men."
—Unidentified North Carolina picket, CSA
"Nothing could be seen, nothing . . . — — Map (db m184517) HM
As the enemy must have massed on the right of our line, they must have left their own line weak. How would it do for us to attack along the whole length of our line?"
—Gen. Horatio G. Wright, USA
"The enemy swarmed up to the . . . — — Map (db m184530) HM
"Gentlemen we are going to have a h—l of a fight at early daylight ... if any of you have anything to say to your folks, wives, or sweethearts make your story short and get what sleep you can."—Col. James Hubbard, 2nd Connecticut Heavy . . . — — Map (db m184633) HM
"No doubt a few more days will settle the fate of Petersburg. I shall be glad to welcome the dawn of peace, for I am tired of bloodshed."
—Col. Elisha Hunt Rhodes, 2nd Rhode Island Infantry, USA
"A very small effort on the part . . . — — Map (db m184650) HM
Has been designated a National Historic Landmark This site possesses national significance in commemorating the history of the United States of America. In the predawn darkness of April 2, 1865, the Union Sixth Corps successfully breached the . . . — — Map (db m6253) HM
In 1938 the Virginia Assembly chartered a residential care facility for mentally retarded African-American males between 8 and 21 years of age. The Petersburg State Colony for the Negro Insane, as it was named, was located on the present site . . . — — Map (db m23455) HM
Racing the pursuing Confederate cavalry for the safety of the Union lines at Petersburg after accomplishing most of its mission, Gen. James H. Wilson's command reached Ream's Station about 7 a.m. June 29. Two brigades of Gen. William Mahone's . . . — — Map (db m13774) HM
In June 1864, to deny Gen. Robert E. Lee the use of the South Side R.R. and the Richmond and Danville R.R., Gen. Ulysses S. Grant sent Gen. James H. Wilson and Gen. August V. Kautz south of Petersburg on a cavalry raid to destroy track and rolling . . . — — Map (db m13776) HM
"In the battle of Ream's (sic) Station our corps was desperately engaged against superior forces of the enemy..." —Gen. Nelson Miles, USA
The Petersburg (Weldon) Railroad brought much needed supplies to Petersburg and Richmond from the . . . — — Map (db m243286) HM
"We sat with our guns... (The Confederates) had to advance 200 yards over a nice level sod, and when they got close enough they screamed that womanlike scream and with fixed bayonets...our batteries opened with us and we moved them with grape and . . . — — Map (db m243287) HM
"(Gen.) Hill opened with deafening roar, and above the din were heard the shouts of his gallant soldiers, and the whole line now moved forward."
—Capt. William N. McDonald, Laurel Brigade, CSA
You are now standing in a section of the . . . — — Map (db m243288) HM
Sergeant John E. Buffington 6th Maryland Infantry, 2nd Brigade, 3rd Division (Seymour), Sixth Corps Resident: Carroll County, Maryland Enlisted: August 1862 Sergeant John Ezra Buffington, with five other men of his regiment, stormed the . . . — — Map (db m15379) HM
With the Confederate defeat at Five Forks on April 1, 1865, Confederate general Robert E. Lee's defense of Petersburg and Richmond had been lost. On April 2, Union General Ulysses S. Grant ordered a general assault against the Petersburg lines and . . . — — Map (db m78094) HM
Throughout the summer of 1864 Union General Ulysses S. Grant made several unsuccessful assaults against the Confederate defenses around Richmond and Petersburg. Then, in the fall of 1864, the Union won decisive victories on other fronts of the war. . . . — — Map (db m78095) HM
The Sixth Maryland Infantry attacked over this ground in the pre-dawn hours of April 2, 1865. A portion of the regiment, led by Major Clifton K. Prentiss, poured over the Confederate works here, suffering numerous casualties in the process, . . . — — Map (db m180610) HM
In 1938 the Virginia General assembly chartered a residential care facility of African American males aged 8-21, with mental disabilities. The Petersburg State Colony for the Negro Insane, as it was named was located on the present site of . . . — — Map (db m180086) HM
Major General Horatio G. Wright deployed the 14,000 attackers of his Sixth Corps in a wedge-shaped formation. Although the entire battle front extended for nearly a mile, the point of the wedge was here, manned by the Vermont Brigade commanded by . . . — — Map (db m15307) HM
Welcome to the Banks House. This 18th-century home was typical of other upper-middle class farms in Dinwiddie County, except for 24 hours on April 2-3, 1865 when it became military headquarters for Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant. From here, . . . — — Map (db m11944) HM
This battery, also known as Fort Baldwin, Alexander or Anderson was garrisoned by the 19th & 48th Mississippi Infantry of Brig. Genl. Nathaniel Harris’s brigade. They were initially supported by guns of Louisiana’s Washington Artillery but these . . . — — Map (db m180085) HM
On the final day of the Battle of Peebles’ Farm, October 2, 1864, Union troops of Brigadier General Gershom Mott’s Third Division, Second Army Corps, moved against the Confederate breastworks at the Hart Farm. Mott had orders to determine if the . . . — — Map (db m15397) HM
While Robert E. Lee won the Battle of Reams Station, preventing the Federals from destroying more of the Petersburg (& Weldon) Railroad, and keeping much of his supply line intact, the Confederate victory was one in a series of tactical Southern . . . — — Map (db m13791) HM
In front of you is second location where the original church building stood after the Civil War. The first location was east of here and across the Civil War-era Halifax Road (now Acorn Drive). It was built around 1820 and first known as Hubbard's . . . — — Map (db m13793) HM
As early as September 1829, business interests in Petersburg wanted to build a railroad between Petersburg, Virginia and Weldon, North Carolina. The railroad would connect the Appomattox and Roanoke river and attract trade away from Norfolk, . . . — — Map (db m13795) HM
The first field fortifications were built at Reams Station on July 1, 1864 by soldiers of the Union Sixth Corps while tearing up the railroad following the return of the ill-fated Wilson-Kautz cavalry raid. Hastily thrown up, the works were "L" . . . — — Map (db m164221) HM
Early on the morning of March 31, 1865, Confederate General Robert E. Lee sent most of a division forward to attack the Federals from this location at White Oak Road. Fighting through the morning, the Confederate brigades enveloped and put to flight . . . — — Map (db m14811) HM
As the fight progressed, the Confederates met stiffening resistance. Lee and his subordinates realized they had too few troops to hold their advanced position. They determined to withdraw to the slight earthworks constructed by the Federal soldiers . . . — — Map (db m14813) HM
The Battle of White Oak Road left the Federals in position to block Confederate reinforcements from reaching their comrades further west. Both the Battle of White Oak Road and the Battle of Dinwiddie Court House were preludes to the climactic April . . . — — Map (db m14816) HM
Welcome to the Civil War Preservation Trust’s White Oak Road Battlefield! The battlefield walking trail is a two-thirds-of-a-mile path that takes you past six wayside signs interpreting the 1865 battle, the remains of the Confederate earthworks, and . . . — — Map (db m184282) HM
It was March 1865. The Civil War had raged across battlefields from New Mexico to Pennsylvania for four desperate years. More than three million men had fought and more than 600,000 men had died but, finally, the war was winding to a close. The . . . — — Map (db m184284) HM
General Grant wanted to force his way around the Confederate right flank and cut the last remaining supply lines into Petersburg. The offensive began on March 29, 1865. Union Major General Philip H. Sheridan’s cavalry moved towards Dinwiddie Court . . . — — Map (db m184285) HM
With their success at Lewis Farm, Union troops gained a foothold on one of Lee’s supply routes, the Boydton Plank Road. It was strategically necessary for the Federals to control this road because it was a major route Confederate General Robert E. . . . — — Map (db m184287) HM
This landscape re-creates elements of a typical Southside Virginia plantation during the mid-nineteenth century. Tudor Hall, an original nineteenth-century building, was at the center of a farm that supported the owner, his family, and their slaves. . . . — — Map (db m15438) HM
Many nineteenth-century Virginians buried deceased family members near their homes rather than in distant church yards. While we do not know when this cemetery was established, the only grave marker on this property belonged to Martha Eliza T. . . . — — Map (db m15450) HM
On the evening of April 1, 1865, Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant issued orders for a massive attack against the Confederate lines defending Petersburg. Grant scheduled the assault for the following morning. In the pre-dawn darkness of April 2, . . . — — Map (db m15376) HM
Colonel Olcott and his regiment crossed the entrenchments about 350 yards to the northeast of this position (to your right) during their attack on April 2, 1865. His experience was similar to that of the Vermont troops who fought
on this ground: . . . — — Map (db m89712) HM
“… after going through a leaden and war hail storm, thanks to the God of Battles, I am alive and happy. Our Corps charged the enemy’s lines last night, broke their line and drove them out of sight … I never felt more like fighting than I have . . . — — Map (db m185750) HM
A walk along the Breakthrough Trail is a journey into history! On April 2, 1865, thousands of Union and Confederate soldiers clashed here to determine the fate of Petersburg and Richmond. The Breakthrough Trail leads past many original features of . . . — — Map (db m15393) HM
“Christmas has come and gone. I spent it at Mrs. Banks’ where I had quite a sumptuous repast, finishing up with eggnog, cake, etc. I ate so much sponge cake that whenever you would touch me, it would be just like squeezing an India rubber . . . — — Map (db m11949) HM
Once the sixth Corps completed its Breakthrough, corps commander Horatio wright ordered seven of his eight brigades to pivot southwest and move against the remaining Confederate defenses north of Hatcher’s Run. Wright assigned just one brigade, . . . — — Map (db m89713) HM
The earthen wall in front of you is a part of the main Confederate defense line begun in 1864 and defended until April 2, 1865. You are standing behind the line facing southeast towards the Union positions about one mile away. When Lieutenant . . . — — Map (db m15415) HM
This extension of The Breakthrough Trail leads to the historic Hart House, a ten minute walk from here. The trail parallels the Confederate earthworks that extended across the Boisseau farm (Tudor Hall) to the neighboring Hart farm to the southwest. . . . — — Map (db m175183) HM
Charles H. Carr, a native of New York, purchased twenty acres from the Boisseaus of Tudor Hall in March 1859. He began construction of the house in front of you shortly afterwards. Carr died in July 1862 while enlisted in the Confederate army. In . . . — — Map (db m185751) HM
The building before you is a rare example of an original slave quarter. Milled lumber and the exclusive use of cut nails suggests that it was built around 1840 to provide two slave families with a workroom and an overhead loft for storage or . . . — — Map (db m11956) HM
Fort Fisher was the largest of the more than 30 forts that studded the Union siege lines. It included nearly 2,000 feet of parapet and could mount 19 guns. The boom of a single gun in this fort on the morning of April 2, 1865, portended the fall of . . . — — Map (db m155597) HM
Did you know the end of the American Civil War started here?
On the morning of April 2, 1865 you would have been standing near the center of the battle that decided the nine-month campaign for Petersburg and Richmond. In the pre-dawn . . . — — Map (db m69934) HM
The Petersburg Railroad, sometimes called the Weldon Railroad, united Petersburg with Weldon, North Carolina. It was one of the first railroads in America, beginning operations in 1833. It carried vast amounts of cargo and passengers to and from . . . — — Map (db m209208) HM
Life was a lot simpler back then…or was it? You are standing near the center of a once successful and productive mid-19th century farm. To your right is the main house, Tudor Hall, built in two stages before the Civil War. When the armies arrived . . . — — Map (db m69928) HM
Nineteenth-century farmers cut tobacco plants and placed them on sticks to be cured in tobacco barns like this one. Curing, a four-week process, preserves plants by removing moisture, and brings out the aroma and flavor. Farmers in Dinwiddie County . . . — — Map (db m15449) HM
William Boisseau, a tobacco farmer, constructed Tudor Hall around 1812. Originally two rooms wide and one room deep, this style of house was popular in Dinwiddie County during the late 1700s and early 1800s. In the 1850s Joseph G. Boisseau, . . . — — Map (db m15441) HM
This building is a reproduction of a nineteenth-century barn located in Isle of Wright County, Virginia. Tidewater and Piedmont farmers constructed numerous small, inexpensive barns to support their work. Virginia’s mild climate made it unnecessary . . . — — Map (db m15442) HM
The environment in front of you recreates elements of a plantation Field Quarter of the 1800s. The slaves who provided agricultural labor on farms like Tudor Hall lived in areas like this in the years before the Civil War. The first slave dwelling . . . — — Map (db m15456) HM
In the field a short distance north of this road, the confederate General A.P. Hill was killed, April 2, 1865. Hill, not knowing that Lee's lines had been broken, rode into a party of Union soldiers advancing on Petersburg. — — Map (db m3594) HM
The extreme right of Lee’s line rested on this road, which was entrenched. General Warren, advancing against Lee’s works here, March 31, 1865, was driven back. Reinforced, Warren advanced again, forcing the Confederates to retire to the road. On . . . — — Map (db m180607) HM
Union forces belonging to the V Corps, under Maj. Gen. Gouverneur K. Warren, sought to seize the White Oak Road and sever the Confederate line of communication with Maj. Gen. George E. Pickett’s detachment near Five Forks, four miles west. From here . . . — — Map (db m14792) HM
At Sutherland Station, on 2 Apr. 1865, the Confederates made a last attempt to maintain control of the South Side Railroad. Confederate Maj. Gen. Henry Heth organized the defense before returning to the main line in Petersburg. Brig. Gen. John R. . . . — — Map (db m6155) HM
John Banister, Revolutionary leader, is buried one mile to the south. A tobacco planter and entrepreneur, Banister operated sawmills and flour mills near Petersburg. He lived at Battersea, an architecturally distinguished house about 10 miles east . . . — — Map (db m180072) HM
One mile to the south is the site of Hatcher's Run Plantation and the grave site of Col. John Banister (D. 1787), first mayor of Petersburg and prosperous entrepreneur. Banister represented Dinwiddie County in the House of Burgesses (1765-1775) and . . . — — Map (db m19007) HM
On the morning of 2 Apr. 1865, Union forces arrived here by way of Clairborne Road and found Maj. Gen. Henry Heth’s Confederate division entrenched on Cox Road. During the day, Maj. Gen. Nelson A. Miles’s division made three distinct assaults . . . — — Map (db m15547) HM
Built in 1803 by Fendall Chiles Sutherland (1770-1833) and Elizabeth Traylor Sutherland (1785-1864), the Sutherland homestead also served as a stagecoach stop, inn, and tavern. The first post office in southside Virginia was established here in . . . — — Map (db m15550) HM
In 1911 a group of Dinwiddie County’s African-American residents established the Rocky Branch School in Sutherland. The school was a typical two-room schoolhouse. It had been moved from original location across from Ocran Methodist Church on . . . — — Map (db m26833) HM
In 1911 a group of Dinwiddie County's African American residents established the Rocky Branch School in Sutherland. The school was a typical two-room schoolhouse. It had been moved from its original location across the Ocran Methodist Church . . . — — Map (db m180077) HM
Confederate troops formed a battle line along Cox Road to protect the South Side Railroad, but were overwhelmed after three attacks. This engagement enabled Grant’s forces to sever Lee’s last supply line, causing him to abandon Petersburg that . . . — — Map (db m6074) HM
The Union attack that broke the back of the Confederate defense of Petersburg and forced Gen. Robert E. Lee to evacuate the Army of Northern Virginia from the city happened here April 2, 1865. You are standing at the end of the Confederate right . . . — — Map (db m155211) HM
Dedicated in sacred memory to those valiant Confederates who remained steadfast to the end, and who gave their last full measure of devotion in defense of their homeland. Here the Confederates, under the Generals Wilcox and Heth, made a gallant . . . — — Map (db m180078) HM WM
Between Ford and Wilsons stations was 22 year old White Oak Methodist Church. The grounds were used as a wayside hospital for Confederate wounded until burned to the ground on June 23, 1864 by Union cavalry. Built in 1862, the hospital contained . . . — — Map (db m83639) HM WM
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