1st Lieutenant Evander McNair Robeson Company K, 18th North Carolina Infantry, Lane’s Brigade, Wilcox’s Division, Third Corps Resident: Bladen County, North Carolina Enlisted: April 1861 A comrade of Robeson’s wrote about the battle on April 2, . . . — — Map (db m15325) HM
1st Lieutenant Octavius Augustus Wiggins Company E, 37th North Carolina Infantry, Lane’s Brigade, Wilcox’s Division, Third Corps Resident: Halifax County, North Carolina Enlisted: June 1862 Wiggins was wounded near here during the Breakthrough . . . — — Map (db m15326) HM
A Unique History
A local historian once wrote that "during its siege Petersburg endured an ordeal of shelling which was extraordinary in the history of the world." It was estimated that more than 800 buildings were struck during the . . . — — Map (db m149588) HM
The Petersburg area has an extraordinarily rich African-American heritage. In 1625, most of the Africans in Virginia were servants at Flowerdew Hundred, nearby in Prince George County. In the 18th century, tens of thousands of newly enslaved . . . — — Map (db m57366) HM
Following their breakthrough near the Boisseau and Hart Farms, Federal soldiers of Major General Horatio G. Wright’s Sixth Corps poured over the earthworks southwest of Petersburg and into the Confederate rear. Some Federals penetrated as far as a . . . — — Map (db m15428) HM
On 26 Feb. 1921, Delta Omega became the first graduate chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. chartered on the East Coast, the fourth graduate chapter in the U.S., and the first Greek-letter organization at Virginia Normal and Industrial . . . — — Map (db m224396) HM
To the memory of A.P. Hill, Lt - Gen CSA
He was killed about 600 yards northwardly from this marker, being shot by a small band of stragglers from the Federal lines on the morning of April 2nd, 1865.
Erected by A.P. Hill Camp Sons of Confederate . . . — — Map (db m3595) HM
Trail Sites
1. Pocahontas: In 1784, four small towns at the convergence of three counties (Pocahontas in Chesterfield, Blandford in Prince George, and Petersburg and Ravenscroft in Dinwiddie) were combined and incorporated as . . . — — Map (db m66952) HM
Petersburg’s architectural heritage has a long and rich history, reflecting centuries of occupation by Native Americans and over 300 years of European settlement. Beginning as a frontier trading post with the Virginia Indians, Fort Henry was . . . — — Map (db m175053) HM
"The campaign became quite scientific, so that after the first few weeks, we learned to tell by the sound the nature of every missile that passed over us, and knew which ones to dodge. The mortar shells had the most terror for us. The ordinary . . . — — Map (db m290632) HM
Artillery was a constant threat along the lines of Petersburg. The daily shelling shaped the landscape and was central to the siege experience.
For soldiers, surviving the shelling meant vigilance, living in bomb proofs, and dealing with the . . . — — Map (db m290633) HM
Petersburg is in the midst of a downtown renaissance, fueled by the arts and driven by the creative spirit of the community. Historically a center of culture and trade for the region, Petersburg’s abundant natural resources and rich history are . . . — — Map (db m57369) 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 m285476) 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
Battersea was the home of Colonel John Banister, a member of the House of Burgesses, the Revolutionary conventions, and the Continental Congress, as well as a framer of the Articles of Confederation and the first mayor of Petersburg. The elegant but . . . — — Map (db m17624) HM
Part of the original Confederate defense line constructed in 1862 – 1863. On April 2, 1865, the battery located in this position took part in stopping a heavy Union attack at Fort Mahone, one third of a mile east. Severe fighting continued . . . — — Map (db m17504) HM
In 1862 – two years before the first Federals appeared at the city’s gates – Confederate Captain Charles Dimmock oversaw the construction of a ten-mile line of defensive works ringing Petersburg. In front of you is Battery 5 one of the largest of . . . — — Map (db m180822) HM
Beginning in August 1862, Confederate Captain Charles Dimmock oversaw the construction of a ten-mile line of defensive fortifications around Petersburg. Free and enslaved Black laborers performed most of the work. In late spring 1864, work stopped . . . — — Map (db m259089) HM
On the ground before you the first major attacks against Petersburg occurred. This bloodletting marked the beginning of nine months of siege. This 0.6-mile trail will take you through Battery 5 of the Confederate Dimmock Line, captured by . . . — — Map (db m290694) HM
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 . . . — — Map (db m290693) HM
On June 15, 1864, after seizing Battery 5, Union troops swept southward along the Dimmock Line. Men of the 1st and 22nd Colored Troops captured Battery 8, overcoming heavy resistance from part of Brig. Gen. Henry A. Wise’s Virginia brigade. By the . . . — — Map (db m7029) HM
25 April 1781
In the late afternoon and evening of 24 April 1781, Virginia militia regiments of Brigadier General Peter Muhlenberg’s Corps of about 1,000 men marched into Petersburg in order to counter an expected attack by the invading . . . — — Map (db m266084) 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
By early 1865 the Federal army’s two remaining objectives along the Petersburg front were the Boydton Plank Road, an intermediate wagon supply route into the city, and the South Side Railroad, a major transportation artery from Lynchburg and the . . . — — Map (db m291454) HM
As the gap between the two Union corps widened, General Robert E. Lee, commander of the Army of Northern Virginia, gave his approval to strike. While General Cadmus Wilcox's division of A.P. Hill's Corps confronted the slow moving Union VI Corps, . . . — — Map (db m184613) HM
After failed opening assaults to capture the City of Petersburg during June 15-18, 1864, Lt. General Ulysses Grant, overall Union Army commander, wanted to make one more attempt at the city and its supply lines while he still held the initiative. . . . — — Map (db m184686) 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 m266512) HM
Here was fought the Battle of Petersburg, April 25, 1781. The Southside Militia, 1000 strong and commanded by Baron Steuben and General Muhlenberg, made a brave resistance to 2500 British Regulars under Phillips and Arnold. — — Map (db m6540) HM
From Blandford Heights
to Pocahontas Bridge
April 25, 1781
Here was fought the opening engagement of the decisive campaign of the revolution. 1000 American militia under Steuben, Muhlenberg, Dick and House opposed 2500 British under . . . — — Map (db m267219) HM
On 25 Apr. 1781, Maj. Gen. Friedrich von Steuben’s 1,000 Virginia militiamen, driven from the eastern edge of Blandford, established a strong defensive line along the western summit (now Madison Street) above Lieutenant Run valley. Maj. Gen. William . . . — — Map (db m14546) HM
To the west stood East Hill (Bollingbrook), home of the widow Mary Marshall Tabb Bolling. After the 25 Apr. 1781 Battle of Petersburg, British Maj. Gen. William Phillips and Brig. Gen. Benedict Arnold located their headquarters at the house. The . . . — — Map (db m17633) HM
On 25 Apr. 1781, American Brig. Gen. Peter Muhlenberg formed his first line of 500 Virginia militia here to meet the British. The line extended along East Street from the Appomattox River to present-day Washington Street and consisted of two . . . — — Map (db m17634) HM
On 25 Apr. 1781, American Brig. Gen. Peter Muhlenberg’s Virginia militia fell back west from Blandford, under heavy British fire, to a prepared line of defense here along the crest of this hill. This second line of Virginia militia, consisting of . . . — — Map (db m17635) HM
On 24 Apr. 1781, Maj. Gen. William Phillips’s force of 2,500 British regulars landed at City Point, 12 miles to the east on the James River, as part of a major campaign to disrupt the American force’s main line of communication through Virginia. The . . . — — Map (db m262623) HM
About midday on 25 April 1781, Maj. Gen. William Phillips discovered that the right flank of the American militia, on the edge of Blandford was vulnerable to attack from the south and rear. He ordered Lt. Col. John Simcoe’s Queen’s Rangers and a . . . — — Map (db m14558) 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
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
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
At this place located by participants in the Battle of the Crater, this road, known as the Jerusalem Plank Road, was crossed by a covered way leading eastwardly to the ravine in rear of the Confederate breastworks which run northwardly from . . . — — Map (db m180611) 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
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
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
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
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
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
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
This bridge spans a small branch of Arthur’s Swamp. The ravine created by this streamlet had important consequences for both the defending Confederates and the attacking Union troops. The earthen mounds immediately in front of you are the remains . . . — — Map (db m15418) HM
"About 3 p.m. I rode to the front through the woods, to discover that the two divisions on my left … had been attacked and forced back through the timber uncovering the left of my division." — Gen. John Gibbon, USA
"At 4:15 p.m. … a strong column broke through the skirmish line connecting our right with the Jerusalem plank road and ... swept steadily down through the woods toward our left until it reached within 200 yards of the railroad." . . . — — Map (db m275790) 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
The Bishop Payne Divinity School began here in 1878 at the St. Stephen's Episcopal Church Normal and Industrial School. For 71 years it prepared black men for the ministry in the church. Giles B. Cooke (1838-1937) headed the vocational school and . . . — — Map (db m196938) HM
Founded in 1878 as the first seminary for the theological education of African Americans, this school was associated with St. Stephen's Normal and Industrial School in Petersburg, which was overseen by the Rev. Thomas Spencer. In 1884, the . . . — — Map (db m180090) HM
Blandford Church and Cemetery are somber reminders of the carnage inflicted during the Siege of Petersburg and Richmond between June 1864 and early April 1865. You are standing about where Timothy O'Sullivan stood soon after the siege ended, when . . . — — Map (db m292543) HM
This church, built circa 1737, was in ruins at the time of the Civil War. Nonetheless, located behind Gracie’s, Colquitt’s and Elliott’s Salients in the Confederate defense lines, the structure served as a temporary field hospital during the . . . — — Map (db m295968) HM
The brick church on Well’s Hill, now known as Old Blandford Church, was built between 1734 and 1737, the British General Phillips was buried in the churchyard in 1781. In the cemetery is a monument to Captain McRae and the Petersburg Volunteers, who . . . — — Map (db m6538) HM
Blanford Church opened in 1737 as the primary church of Bristol Parish, and its north wing was added in 1753. Largely abandoned by 1806, the sanctuary fell into ruin. In 1819 the town of Petersburg acquired the property and adjacent land for use as . . . — — Map (db m292542) 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
After a fire destroyed John Niblo's tavern in 1827, Niblo assembled a group of investors who constructed on this site in 1828 the three-story Bollingbrook Hotel, attributed to Otis Manson. The hotel became known as "one of the best taverns in the . . . — — Map (db m209207) 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
Sergeant John Ezra Buffington, with five other men of his regiment, stormed the ramparts of the Confederate works near this position during the attack on April 2, 1865. The commander of the brigade that included the 6th Maryland wrote after the . . . — — Map (db m285345) HM
Kennedy and his men passed this very spot during their attack on April 2, 1865. He described the action that occurred here: “About 5 a.m., at the signal from Fort Fisher, we commenced the charge; passing through the enemy’s pickets, and, taking . . . — — Map (db m285477) HM
The breaking of the lines at Petersburg sparked major events that followed in quick succession - the evacuation and capture of Richmond, the pursuit to Appomattox, the surrender of Lee's Army, and the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. This . . . — — Map (db m285353) 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 . . . — — Map (db m285344) 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
Near here, the 6th Maryland Infantry (Union) made their penetration of the Confederate fortifications. Major Clifton K. Prentiss, a 29-year-old from Baltimore, helped lead his unit in the Breakthrough only to fall wounded with a rifle ball in his . . . — — Map (db m15332) HM
An old mill stood here, with earthworks. On October 27, 1864, General Hancock, coming from the south, attempted to cross the run here and reach the Southside Railroad. He was supported on the east by Warren's (Fifth) Corps. The Confederates, . . . — — Map (db m180608) 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 m266513) HM
When General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia began its retreat from Petersburg and Richmond on the evening of April 2, 1865, part of the army crossed the Appomattox River at Campbell's Bridge here. Other columns crossed the river on three . . . — — Map (db m271544) HM
At various intervals along their lines, Confederate defenders constructed gun emplacements, called redans, such as the one in front of you. Each redan would hold as few as one or as many as six cannons. Virtually every square inch of ground in front . . . — — Map (db m192468) HM
Leaving from a point along the Confederate right flank on Boydon Plank Road on 14 Sept. 1864, Maj. Gen. Wade Hampton took about 3,000 Confederate cavalrymen and rode more than 100 miles around the rear of the Union army. Reaching Coggins’ Point on . . . — — Map (db m14775) HM
Established in 1869 in temporary quarters at Howard's Grove near Richmond. In 1870 it came under control of the State. In 1885 it was moved to the present location, the site of "Mayfield Plantation", which was purchased and donated to the State by . . . — — Map (db m19000) HM
Central State Hospital traces its origins to a mental health hospital for African Americans established ca. 1866 by the Freedmen's Bureau at Howard's Grove, near Richmond. The Commonwealth of Virginia assumed control of the facility in 1870. In 1882 . . . — — Map (db m180087) HM
This cemetery is the final resting place for thousands of patients treated at the nation's first stand-alone psychiatric hospital for African Americans, originally known as the Central Lunatic Asylum and later renamed Central State Hospital. The . . . — — Map (db m180083) HM
At 4:30 PM on June 18, 1864, roughly 900 soldiers of the 1st Maine Heavy Artillery charged toward Colquitt's Salient. Having guarded the forts outside of Washington since August 1862, this was just their second significant combat action. The veteran . . . — — Map (db m266869) HM
Charles Stewart, horseman, was born into slavery near Petersburg and spent part of his childhood on Pocahontas Island. At or about age 12 he was sold to William R. Johnson, one of the foremost figures in horse racing, the America’s most popular . . . — — Map (db m130190) HM
Petersburg.
Appamattuck Indian Fish Traps, Appomattox River near Old Town. Considered to be the largest and most intact fish dams in Virginia, these sturgeon dams are made of loose stones forming a series of v-shaped tunnels by . . . — — Map (db m57324) HM
Petersburg
Appamattock Indian Fish Traps
Appomattox River near Old Town. Considered to be the largest and most intact fish dams in Virginia, these sturgeon dams or weirs are made of loose stones forming a series of v-shaped tunnels . . . — — Map (db m310316) 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
Across the road the monument surmounted by a gold eagle honors Captain Richard McRae and his company of Petersburg Volunteers who won fame in The War of 1812 and caused this city to be known as "The Cockade city of the Union". The iron enclosure . . . — — Map (db m292544) HM
Erected by the surviving
Comrades, school children and
Citizens of Schuylkill County,
Pennsylvania, and dedicated to
The memory of the dead of
The 48th Regiment Pennsylvania
Volunteers.
Col. George W. Gowen,
Killed in action . . . — — Map (db m17528) HM
On June 18 1864 the Confederates on this hill repulsed the charge of the First Maine Regiment
On March 25 1865 from this salient General John B. Gordon led a body of picked men to surprise and capture Fort Steadman — — Map (db m37414) HM
On the moonlit night of June 17, 1864, Confederate infantrymen pulled back to this ridge and started digging. The next day, Union attacks against Colquitt's Salient ended in a bloody disaster for the Federals.
For the next nine months, the . . . — — Map (db m266870) HM
The Colquitt’s Salient Trail is paved with moderate slopes.
The Colquitt’s Salient loop trail will lead you over ground involved with two of the most dramatic events of the Siege of Petersburg.
On the walk to Colquitt’s . . . — — Map (db m184281) HM
This monument stone sits on a 10’ deep concrete bunker that was discovered during construction, together with portions of an abandoned railroad track. The bunker was used to store coal for the furnaces in the large buildings which once stood on the . . . — — Map (db m48485) HM
“I counted 21 Union flags flying from the Crater and these works. The sight gave me no hope of ever getting away alive.” - Capt. James E. Phillips, 12th Virginia Infantry Union disorganization gave the Confederates the time they needed to . . . — — Map (db m185018) 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
Suspecting a Union mine, the Confederates dug two listening galleries here. They narrowly missed striking the Union tunnel, which was deeper. The depressions you see were caused by the cave-in of these galleries. — — Map (db m184975) HM
Named for the Whitworth family of Mayfield, the farm on which it was built, this outpost (a quarter-mile east) and Fort Gregg, 400 yards to the south, were constructed to protect the western approaches to Petersburg during the 1864-1865 siege. On 2 . . . — — Map (db m180775) 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
"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 m266515) HM
The two mounds on the lawn in front of you mark the locations of winter huts built by soldiers of Brigadier General Samuel McGowan’s South Carolina brigade during the winter of 1864-65. McGowan’s troops established several camps in this area . . . — — Map (db m15410) HM
Brigadier General Samuel McGowan’s South Carolina Brigade spent the winter of 1864-1865 very close to the fortifications they defended. A temporary scarcity of building materials in the early winter compelled many of McGowan’s men to rely on their . . . — — Map (db m15424) HM
324 entries matched your criteria. The first 100 are listed above. Next 100 ⊳
