Neha Patil (Editor)

Five Forks Battlefield

Updated on
Edit
Like
Comment
Share on FacebookTweet on TwitterShare on LinkedInShare on Reddit
Nearest city
  
Petersburg, Virginia

Designated NHL
  
December 19, 1960

Area
  
4.917 kmĀ²

NRHP Reference #
  
66000830

Address
  
Church Rd, VA 23833, USA

Added to NRHP
  
15 October 1966

Five Forks Battlefield

Location
  
Five Forks, Dinwiddie County, Virginia, USA

Similar
  
Dinwiddie County Court Ho, Poplar Grove National, Grant's Headquarters at City Po, City Point National Cemetery, Pamplin Historical Park

Five Forks Battlefield is a battlefield of the American Civil War, located in an around the hamlet of Five Forks, Dinwiddie County, Virginia. It is the location of the Battle of Five Forks (April 1, 1865), in which Union Army forces broke through Confederate Army lines, opening the way to gain control of the last rail line to besieged Petersburg. The Confederate loss caused them to abandon that city, which undermined the defense of Richmond, the Confederate capital. Final surrender of the Confederate forces would occur at Appomattox Courthouse two weeks later.

Part of the battlefield site is a unit of Petersburg National Battlefield, with public access that includes access trails to points of interest in the area. An area of more than 1,200 acres (490 ha) around Five Forks was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1960.

Battle

General Robert E. Lee had ordered George Pickett's infantry and several division of cavalry to hold Five Forks at all costs. In the battle on April 1, 1865, Union troops under Gouverneur K. Warren broke through Pickett's lines, while Philip H. Sheridan personally led the cavalry charge, all of which overwhelmed the Confederate forces.

The battlefield area nearly all the area of fighting, and it includes a home named "Burnt Quarter". It includes the location of a shad bake (a fish feast), where General Pickett, unaware of the battle going on, was entertained. It is reported that unusual cloud conditions prevented the sound of artillery from carrying as far as it usually would.

References

Five Forks Battlefield Wikipedia


Similar Topics