Battery 5 of the Dimmock Line

In 1862, two years before the first Federals appeared at Petersburg’s gates, Confederate Captain Charles Dimmock oversaw construction of a ten-mile line of defensive works ringing Petersburg. Battery 5 was one of the largest of the fifty-five artillery positions in the Dimmock Line. Most of the works at Battery 5 were built by slaves. The parapet to the left, shown in blue on the diagram to the right, was added by the Federals after the battle there on June 15, 1864. On June 15, 1864, more than 30,000 Union troops marched from the east toward the Dimmock Line, and only 2,300 Confederates stood between the Federals and Petersburg.

Virginia · United States