Five Forks Battlefield is a battlefield of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

, the location of the

Battle of Five Forks The Battle of Five Forks was fought on April 1, 1865, southwest of Petersburg, Virginia, around the road junction of Five Forks, Dinwiddie County, at the end of the Siege of Petersburg, near the conclusion of the American Civil War. The Union ...

(April 1, 1865), in which

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union of the collective states. It proved essential to th ...

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 eight days later. Part of the battlefield site is a unit of

Petersburg National Battlefield Petersburg National Battlefield is a National Park Service unit preserving sites related to the American Civil War Siege of Petersburg (1864–65). The Battlefield is centered on the city of Petersburg, Virginia, and also includes outlying compon ...

, with public access that includes access trails to points of interest in the area. An area of more than around Five Forks was declared a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...

in 1960. and The

Civil War Trust The American Battlefield Trust is a charitable organization (501(c)(3)) whose primary focus is in the preservation of battlefields of the American Civil War, the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812 through acquisition of battlefield land. T ...

(a division of the American Battlefield Trust) and its partners have acquired and preserved of the battlefield.

Battle

General Robert E. Lee had ordered

George Pickett George Edward Pickett (January 16,Military records cited by Eicher, p. 428, and Warner, p. 239, list January 28. The memorial that marks his gravesite in Hollywood Cemetery lists his birthday as January 25. Thclaims to have accessed the baptism ...

's infantry and several units of cavalry to hold Five Forks at all costs. In the battle on April 1, 1865, Union troops under

Gouverneur K. Warren Gouverneur Kemble Warren (January 8, 1830 – August 8, 1882) was an American civil engineer and Union Army general during the American Civil War. He is best remembered for arranging the last-minute defense of Little Round Top during the Battle ...

broke through Pickett's lines, while Philip H. Sheridan personally led the cavalry charge, all of which overwhelmed the Confederate forces. The battlefield area covers 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

{{National Register of Historic Places National Historic Landmarks in Virginia Geography of Dinwiddie County, Virginia Battlefields of the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War National Register of Historic Places in Dinwiddie County, Virginia Dinwiddie County in the American Civil War

Battle

See also

References