Petersburg Battlefields

Early on the morning of April 2, 1865, about 14,000 Union soldiers crossed eight hundred yards of open ground and attacked about 2,800 Confederates manning earthworks that protected access to Petersburg, in one of the most decisive attacks of the Civil War. The Federal victory broke Gen. Robert E. Lee’s previously impenetrable defenses and, together with other Union gains, prompted him to order the evacuation of Petersburg and Richmond. The breakthrough followed months of effort: in September and October 1864, Federal forces made key terrain gains at the Battle of Peebles’ Farm; for the next six months, Union and Confederate troops faced each other on opposing picket lines, exchanging shots, coffee, and tobacco; and on March 25, 1865, the Battle of Jones Farm set the stage for ultimate Union success. Gen. Horatio G. Wright commanded the Union Sixth Corps, whose troops made the attacks here on March 25 and April 2, 1865, while Confederate Gen. Ambrose Powell Hill commanded the Third Corps of the Army of Northern Virginia, responsible for the defenses immediately southwest of Petersburg.

Petersburg, Virginia · United States