By April 1, 1865, Five Forks, just north of this location, had become the key to the Confederate capital at Richmond. Control of the Five Forks intersection meant control of the South Side Railroad and Richmond's last connection to the rest of the Confederacy. The loss of Five Forks would force Confederate Robert E. Lee to abandon Petersburg and Richmond, leading to the fall of the Confederate capital. From March 29 to 31, 1865, in a series of battles, Grant severed the Boydton Plank Road and isolated Confederate General George Pickett's forces at Five Forks. On April 1, 1865, Union forces swept the Confederates off the intersection, and by nightfall Grant planned his final assault on Lee's position for the next day.