Petersburg National Battlefield is a

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational propertie ...

unit preserving sites related to 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 th ...

Siege of Petersburg The Richmond–Petersburg campaign was a series of battles around Petersburg, Virginia, fought from June 9, 1864, to March 25, 1865, during the American Civil War. Although it is more popularly known as the Siege of Petersburg, it was not a cla ...

(1864–65). The Battlefield is centered on the city of

Petersburg, Virginia Petersburg is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 33,458. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines Petersburg (along with the city of Colonial Heights) with Din ...

, and also includes outlying components in Hopewell,

Prince George County Prince George County is a county (United States), county located in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 43,010. Its county seat is Prince George, Virginia ...

, and Dinwiddie County. Over 140,000 people visit the park annually.

Park Units

Petersburg National Battlefield is composed of three major units and an additional managed component.

Eastern Front Visitor Center and Park Tour Road

Located off Virginia Route 36 east of Petersburg, the Eastern Front Visitor Center is the main visitor contact station for the Battlefield. Here, visitors can view exhibits and movies about the

as well as view Battery #5, an important early site in the Siege. There is no park entrance fee. After leaving the Visitor Center, one can begin their park tour. A motor tour route runs from Virginia Route 36 to US Route 301. Along the way, visitors can view sites such as

Fort Stedman The Battle of Fort Stedman, also known as the Battle of Hare's Hill, was fought on March 25, 1865, during the final weeks of the American Civil War. The Union Army fortification in the siege lines around Petersburg, Virginia, was attacked in a pr ...

and The Crater.

Five Forks Battlefield

Located in Dinwiddie County about southwest of downtown Petersburg, this unit contains the site 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 Ar ...

, which destroyed a sizable portion of the remaining Confederate

Army of Northern Virginia The Army of Northern Virginia was the primary military force of the Confederate States of America in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. It was also the primary command structure of the Department of Northern Virginia. It was most oft ...

. Sometimes called the " Waterloo of the Confederacy," Five Forks helped set in motion a series of events that led to Robert E. Lee's subsequent surrender at Appomattox Court House.

City Point Unit

Sited next to the

James River The James River is a river in the U.S. state of Virginia that begins in the Appalachian Mountains and flows U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed April 1, 2011 to Chesapea ...

in Hopewell, City Point served as a major command and logistics hub for the

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 (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...

during the

. It is located in the

City Point Historic District City Point Historic District is a national historic district located at Hopewell, Virginia. The district encompasses 85 contributing buildings and 3 contributing sites at the tip of a peninsula at the confluence of the Appomattox River and Ja ...

Poplar Grove National Cemetery

The

Poplar Grove National Cemetery Poplar Grove National Cemetery is near Petersburg, Virginia, and is managed as part of Petersburg National Battlefield. A Nation's Need In July 1862, Congress passed legislation giving the President of the United States the authority to purchas ...

is administered by Petersburg National Battlefield.

History

* Established as ''Petersburg National Military Park'' on 1926-07-03. * Transferred from the

War Department War Department may refer to: * War Department (United Kingdom) * United States Department of War (1789–1947) See also * War Office, a former department of the British Government * Ministry of defence * Ministry of War * Ministry of Defence * Dep ...

on 1933-08-10. * Redesignated as ''Petersburg National Battlefield'' on 1962-08-24. * Added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

on 1966-10-15.

References

* ''The National Parks: Index 2001-2003''. Washington:

U.S. Department of the Interior The United States Department of the Interior (DOI) is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government headquartered at the Main Interior Building, located at 1849 C Street NW in Washington, D.C. It is responsible for the mana ...

External links

* Official NPS website
Petersburg National Battlefield
{{Authority control Battlefields of the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War Parks in Dinwiddie County, Virginia National Battlefields and Military Parks of the United States Parks in Prince George County, Virginia National Register of Historic Places in Dinwiddie County, Virginia Protected areas of Virginia Museums in Dinwiddie County, Virginia Hopewell, Virginia Petersburg, Virginia Protected areas established in 1926 American Civil War museums in Virginia Museums in Petersburg, Virginia Conflict sites on the National Register of Historic Places in Virginia American Civil War on the National Register of Historic Places