Petersburg National Battlefield

Petersburg National Battlefield
IUCN category V (protected landscape/seascape)
Restored entrance to the mine destroyed in the Battle of the Crater
Location	Southeast Virginia, USA
Nearest city	Petersburg, Virginia
Coordinates
Area	2,740 acres (1,110 ha)
Established	July 3, 1926 (1926-July-03)
Visitors	213,261 (in 2011)
Governing body	National Park Service
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Designated	October 15, 1966
Reference no.	66000831

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 components in Hopewell, Prince George County, 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 Siege of Petersburg as well as view Battery #5, an important early site in the Siege. The park entrance fee is also collected on the Eastern Front Visitor Center access road.

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 and The Crater.

Five Forks Battlefield

Main article: Five Forks Battlefield

Located in Dinwiddie County about 14 miles (23 km) southwest of downtown Petersburg, this unit contains the site of the Battle of Five Forks, which destroyed a sizable portion of the remaining Confederate Army of Northern Virginia. 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

Battery XVI in the Main Unit

Sited next to the James River in Hopewell, City Point served as a major command and logistics hub for the Union Army during the Siege of Petersburg. It is located in the City Point Historic District.

Poplar Grove National Cemetery

The 8.72-acre (3.53 ha) Poplar Grove National Cemetery is administered by Petersburg National Battlefield.

History

Reenactors at Petersburg National Battlefield.

• Established as Petersburg National Military Park on 1926-07-03.
• Transferred from the War Department on 1933-08-10.
• Redesignated as Petersburg National Battlefield on 1962-08-24.
• Added to the National Register of Historic Places on 1966-10-15.

See also

• Richmond National Battlefield Park, administering areas related to the Siege of Petersburg which are north of the James River and Appomattox River.

References

• The National Parks: Index 2001-2003. Washington: U.S. Department of the Interior.

External links

• Official NPS website: Petersburg National Battlefield