After leaving the main battlefield park, the visitor has several options, including a drive through city streets to see more fortifications, City Point (the site of Grant's headquarters and a massive supply depot), the Petersburg National Cemetery, and the White Oak Road and Five Forks battlefields (both up to a half hour drive outside town). Pamplin Park is also well worth a visit for its well preserved entrenchments, demonstrations, and large museum. Pamplin is probably the most worthwhile of all these stops, but visits to all the above will give you a sense of the seige as a whole. |
Petersburg |
Abraham Lincoln gave Ulysses Grant command of the entire Union army in 1864 because he knew Grant was a fighter and man of action, unlike the procession of cautious leaders previously overseeing the Army of the Potomac. He thought if anyone could whup Bobby Lee and stop the country's bleeding, Grant was the man. In the spring of 1864, the two armies fought desperately at The Wilderness, pounded one another into the mud of Spotsylvania, and wound up at a little crossroads near Richmond by the name of Cold Harbor. Here, the Union forces ran up against an elaborate system of Confederate earthworks and suffered a horrendously quick and deadly repulse. The spring campaign had cost the Union more than 50,000 casualties, but Grant was not a man to turn back. His army extracted itself from Cold Harbor and crossed the James River - the new objective, Petersburg. If the Army of the Potomac could take this important rail junction, Richmond would be in serious trouble. |
Petersburg - The Siege |
On June 15, "Baldy" Smith's corps attacked the lightly manned Petersburg trenches. The Confederates were well-protected by the "Dimmock Line" (the name for the trench system), but they were heavily outnumbered. The Yankees captured a good chunk of the fortifications, but Smith acted cautiously and did not try to go all the way into Petersburg. Sporadic and often heavy fighting continued for three more days. Gray reinforcements arrived, the armies settled in, and they faced one another for the next 9 ½ months across a treeless no-man's land. Every now and then, the Yankees would try to affect a breakthrough by either punching a hole in the line or making an end sweep at the southern rail lines. They succeeded in lengthening the lines and destroyed some track, but the face off went on and on. In late March of 1865, Lee launched a major assault to ease the pressure on his own lines, but he was thrown back. The tide turned on the first day of April 1865, when a combined cavalry and infantry force under the leadership of fiery horseman Philip Sheridan swept up George Pickett's boys at Five Forks. This battle to the southwest of Petersburg resulted in a third of the opposing Rebels being either killed, wounded, or captured, and it opened the way to the Southside Railroad. Lee lost a major supply route and was now cut off from Joe Johnston down in North Carolina with little chance of joining forces with him to keep the Southern cause alive. Grant ordered a full-scale assault for the following day, when the guys in blue shoved the guys in gray out of the trenches and away from Petersburg. Richmond fell, and the race to Appomattox was on. The Petersburg campaign is said to have consisted of 6 major battles, 11 engagements, 44 skirmishes, 6 assaults, 9 actions, 3 expeditions, and 1 affair. More importantly, it ended with a combined total of 70,000 casualties and all but put the nail in the Confederate coffin. |
It only took me about half an hour to drive from the Museum of the Confederacy in Richmong to the Petersburg National Battlefield visitor center; I ate lunch in the car. According to the National Park Service, I couldn't do both in one day "without a helicopter," but I managed with only a Ford Mustang and a lot of stamina and planning. The park entrance is off of East Washington Street (or Highway 36). From I-95, I took the Wythe Street exit. Wythe Street eventually turned into Washington as I headed east toward the battlefield. |
I sat through the map presentation, which lasted approximately 10 minutes (located in a tiny round auditorium type room right in the center of the museum area). Unless you are highly familiar with a particular battle, I think these map shows are generally a good idea. The museum was very small and only took about 15 minutes to see. It did contain many items specific to the Petersburg campaign, including a rare bucket used to haul dirt from the Union mine. The bookstore was quite small as well. I picked up a copy of the driving tour tape and headed out for my visit. |
First, I pulled out the camera and went for a walk. About a three minute walk from the parking lot is Battery 5, which consists of cannon within earthworks. Union forces took this and other fortifications during the first days of the Petersburg campaign. Along the way, I passed a display of cannon barrels. I found this area pretty good for photography. There really were very few people around too, which surprised me a little given the time of year. Just past the battery, I walked down a wooded trail and in about three more minutes reached "The Dictator." "The Dictator" is a massive, 13", 17,000-lb. Union mortar brought up on rails and placed in this vicinity to bombard the Rebel fortifications. Apparently, the populace enjoyed watching the fiery trails of the mortar shells as they arced across the sky at night. This is not the original artillery piece but another one of the same make. The trail took be back to my car in just a few more minutes. |
I drove back out the way I came and kept to the right on the park road to see the rest of the battlefield. The road is one way, but if you have a need to exit without seeing the sights, it should only take 10 to 15 minutes of driving. The Petersburg battlefield is now very wooded and very attractive even without the history. During the seize, it would have looked more like the surface of the moon, as the troops had cut down most trees to clear fields of fire and to use the wood for their fortifications and campfires. At that time, the town of Petersburg would have been quite visible from the tour road area. I found it hard to keep my perspective at times because of the wooded terrain. I would suggest taking along a compass so that you can get a better picture of just whose was where when. |
Just up the road a bit on the right, I stopped at Fort Friend, now a small earthwork containing a lone cannon. This was a quick stop, just enough to read the marker and take a couple of photos. A little farther up, I pulled over to use the porta-potties located just off the road. Another short drive brought me to a demonstration area, on the left. This is an education center containing a bombproof, reconstructed trenches, a suttler's store, a winter hut, and a cannon. Two trails led to the site of Meade's station, a major unloading point on the military railway. At the trailhead, I stopped to read the marker in honor of the African-American troops who served in fairly sizeable numbers at Petersburg. The trails were fairly peaceful but quite wet from the rain. I never did see much down the trail other than attractive woods and eventually turned around and headed back. These trails are popular with joggers. |
I passed a picnic area, on the right just past the trails, and stopped for about half an hour or more at Fort Stedman. This stop merits quite a bit of your time. I found it the best place on the field for photography, and it was the site of two important engagements during the campaign. |
On June 8, 1864, the Maine Heavy Artillery, an extra-large, new infantry regiment consisting of former garrison troops, assaulted the Confederate lines about two hundred yards in front of the parking lot (just across the broad field). The troops preceding them into combat had lain upon the ground for cover and urged the Heavies to do the same. Instead, the Maine boys pushed forward into a murderous fire. By the time the fight had ended, the regiment lost over 600 of its 900+ men, the most of any Civil War unit in a single engagement. The trail to the right will take you past the monument placed in their honor. Take a look at the names. It sent chills up my spine to see the toll of their valiant charge. I followed the trail on to the trees opposite Fort Stedman. You can still clearly see the Rebels' eroded trenches (behind the cannon) at Colquitt's Salient. Imagine being this close to the enemy for month after month after month. The Confederates tried to use this proximity to break the Union siege. In the pre-dawn hours of March 25, 1865, gray troops stormed the Yankee emplacements and briefly took Fort Stedman, gave out of steam, and then came fleeing back before by a Union counterattack. Fort Stedman contains four cannon, and I enjoyed photographing them against the surrounding trees and fields. The slight incline of the trail to the right provides perhaps the best overall view of the fort. |
Back in the car, I was stopping again about 20 seconds later at Fort Haskell. This smaller earthwork contains a few cannon and looks out over the field toward Fort Stedman. It is in a fairly wooded location now and certainly looks little like it did during the battle. If the sun is not out, you might want 400 speed film here. During the 1865 Rebel attack, the enemy pushed on past Fort Stedman and tried to take Fort Haskell as well. The fortifications defenders, reinforced heavily by former occupants of overrun Fort Stedman held off the assault. |
The next major stop was the Taylor farm. Only a chimney and partial foundation remain of the Civil War-era property. The site overlooks the location of the Battle of the Crater, a few hundred yards distant. A couple of cannon are placed on the hill by the farm. From this point, Union artillery shelled the Confederate position during the Crater assault. |
The One-eyed Traveler |
After leaving the main battlefield park, the visitor has several options, including a drive through city streets to see more fortifications, City Point (the site of Grant's headquarters and a massive supply depot), the Petersburg National Cemetery, and the White Oak Road and Five Forks battlefields (both up to a half hour drive outside town). Pamplin Park is also well worth a visit for its well preserved entrenchments, demonstrations, and large museum. Pamplin is probably the most worthwhile of all these stops, but visits to all the above will give you a sense of the seige as a whole. |
This page was last updated on: April 1, 2005
Text and photos copyright 1984-2002 Dan Woodlief |
Petersburg - The Visit |
