The third Battle of Petersburg, also known as the Breakthrough at Petersburg or the Fall of Petersburg, was a decisive Union assault on the Confederate trenches, ending the ten-month Siege of Petersburg and leading to the fall of Petersburg and Richmond. Jump to: navigation, search The American Civil War (1861–1865) was fought in North America within the United States of America, between twenty-three mostly northern states of the Union and the Confederate States of America, a coalition of eleven southern states that declared their independence and claimed the right... Jump to: navigation, search 2 April is the 92nd day of the year (93rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 273 days remaining. ... Jump to: navigation, search 1865 is a common year starting on Sunday. ... Petersburg is an independent city located in Virginia. ... The United States of America — also referred to as the United States, the U.S.A., the U.S., America, the States, or (archaically) Columbia—is a federal republic of 50 states located primarily in central North America (with the exception of two states: Alaska and Hawaii). ... Jump to: navigation, search Motto: Deo Vindice (Latin: Under God our Vindicator) Anthem: God Save the South (unofficial) Dixie (popular) Capital Montgomery, Alabama February 4, 1861–May 29, 1861 Richmond, Virginia May 29, 1861–April 9, 1865 Danville, Virginia April 3–April 10, 1865 Largest city New Orleans February 4... Jump to: navigation, search Ulysses S. Grant (April 27, 1822 – July 23, 1885) was a Union general in the American Civil War, serving as general-in-chief (1864–1869), and the 18th President of the United States (1869–1877). ... Jump to: navigation, search Robert Edward Lee, as a U.S. Army Colonel before the war Robert Edward Lee (January 19, 1807 – October 12, 1870) was a career army officer and the most successful general of the Confederate forces during the American Civil War. ... Battle of Lewiss Farm Conflict American Civil War Date March 29, 1865 Place Dinwiddie County Result Union victory The Battle of Lewiss Farm (also known as Quaker Road, Military Road, or Gravelly Road) was a one-day battle of the American Civil War in Dinwiddie County, Virginia. ... Battle of White Oak Road Conflict American Civil War Date March 31, 1865 Place Dinwiddie County Result Union victory The Battle of White Oak Road set the stage for the Confederate defeat at the Battle of Five Forks the following day. ... Battle of Dinwiddie Court House Conflict American Civil War Date March 31, 1865 Place Dinwiddie County Result Confederate victory On March 29, with the Cavalry Corps and the II and V Corps, Sheridan undertook a flank march to turn Gen. ... Battle of Five Forks Conflict American Civil War Date April 1, 1865 Place Dinwiddie County Result Union victory The Battle of Five Forks, April 1, 1865, was the final Union offensive in the American Civil War. ... The Battle of Namozine Church was a minor engagement on April 3, 1865, in Amelia County, Virginia during the American Civil Wars Appomattox Campaign. ... Battle of Saylers Creek Conflict American Civil War Date April 6, 1865 Place Amelia, Prince Edward & Nottoway Counties, Virginia Result Union victory The Battle of Saylers Creek (also known as Sailors Creek, Hillsman Farm, or Lockett Farm) was fought April 6, 1865, southwest of Petersburg, Virginia, in... Jump to: navigation, search The Battle of Appomattox Courthouse was the final engagement of Robert E. Lees Army of Northern Virginia before surrendering to Ulysses S. Grant. ... Map of the division of the states during the Civil War. ... For other meanings of confederate and confederacy, see confederacy (disambiguation) National Motto Deo Vindice (Latin: Under God our Vindicator) Official language English de facto nationwide Various European and Native American languages regionally Capital Montgomery, Alabama February 4, 1861–May 29, 1861 Richmond, Virginia May 29, 1861–April 9, 1865 Largest... The Siege of Petersburg (June 15, 1864 – April 2, 1865) was a ten-month long siege of Petersburg, Virginia, during the American Civil War. ... Petersburg is an independent city located in Virginia. ... Jump to: navigation, search Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States of America. ...

Fort Mahone

The Union IX Corps under John G. Parke occupied the original trenches captured by the Union army in June, 1864. Facing Park was a strong Confederate position dominated by Fort Mahone (named after Gen. William Mahone) and manned by the forces of John B. Gordon. Since much of the recent actions had been occurring west of Petersburg, in particular the Battle of Five Forks, the Confederate strength east of Petersburg was considerably weakened. On April 1, 1865, Parke chose to assault Fort Mahone directly. The attack carried the fortress and the trenches around the Jerusalem Plank Road. The attack slowed down once the Federals occupied the captured trenches. Gordon rallied the troops and planned a counterattack to drive Parke out of his lost trenches. With the complete disintegration of the Confederate army around Petersburg just hours away, Parke sent word to George G. Meade for reinforcements to simply hold his current position. Late in the afternoon in the midst of all other Confederate fronts collapsing, Gordon launched his counterattack and nearly drove Parke out. The Federals held their position and Union reinforcements began to arrive. IX Corps (Ninth Corps) was a corps of the Union Army during the American Civil War that distinguished itself in combat in multiple theaters: the Carolinas, Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Mississippi. ... John Grubb Parke (Sept. ... Jump to: navigation, search June is the sixth month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with a length of 30 days The month is named after the Roman goddess Juno (mythology), wife of Jupiter and equivalent to the Greek goddess Hera. ... Jump to: navigation, search 1864 was a leap year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... William Mahone - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... John Brown Gordon John Brown Gordon ( February 6, 1832 – January 9, 1904) served as one of Robert E. Lees most trusted generals during the Civil War. ... Battle of Five Forks Conflict American Civil War Date April 1, 1865 Place Dinwiddie County Result Union victory The Battle of Five Forks, April 1, 1865, was the final Union offensive in the American Civil War. ... Jump to: navigation, search April 1 is the 91st day of the year (92nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 274 days remaining. ... Jump to: navigation, search 1865 is a common year starting on Sunday. ... George Gordon Meade (December 31, 1815 - November 6, 1872) was an American military officer during the American Civil War. ...

Boydton Line

Horatio G. Wright was forming his VI Corps for a massive assault against the Boydton Line held by A.P. Hill. Wright massed his entire corps in a wedge with George W. Getty's division at the point with Truman Seymour and Frank Wheaton behind. The entire assault against the Boydton Line was carefully planned, and at 4:40 a.m. the Vermont Brigade, led by Lewis A. Grant, spearheaded the assault. Twenty minutes later the Confederate lines were broken and a decisive breakthrough had been achieved. Wright turned his corps to the south as the Union XXIV Corps exploited the breakthrough. Stragglers from the initial breakthrough continued heading straight forward as the rest of the VI Corps turned to the left. At 9:00 Hill and Robert E. Lee both learned of the breakthrough. Hill immediately mounted his horse and rode to the Boydton Line. Two stragglers from a Pennsylvania regiment ambushed Hill and his aide. Hill demanded their surrender, but the Union soldiers took aim and killed him and his aide. Hill had once vowed he would never leave the Petersburg defenses. Horatio G. Wright Horatio Gouverneur Wright ( March 6, 1820 – July 2, 1899) was an engineer and officer in the Union Army during the American Civil War. ... The VI Corps (Sixth Corps) was a corps of the Union Army during the American Civil War. ... Ambrose Powell Hill (November 9, 1825 _ April 2, 1865), was a Confederate States of America general in the American Civil War. ... George Washington Getty (October 2, 1819 – October 1, 1901) was a career military officer in the United States Army, most noted for his role as a division commander in the Army of the Potomac during the final full year of the American Civil War. ... Major-General Frank Wheaton (8 May 1833- 18 June 1903) was a United States Cavalry officer, who was commisioned (as a 1st Lieutenant) in 1855. ... The First Vermont Brigade, or Old Brigade was an infantry brigade in the Union Army of the Potomac during the American Civil War. ... XXIV Corps was a corps of the Union Army during the American Civil War. ... Jump to: navigation, search Robert Edward Lee, as a U.S. Army Colonel before the war Robert Edward Lee (January 19, 1807 – October 12, 1870) was a career army officer and the most successful general of the Confederate forces during the American Civil War. ...

Forts Gregg and Whitworth

Exploiting the breakthrough was the XXIV Corps under John Gibbon. Crossing the Boydton Plank Road, Gibbon turned north and moved towards the city itself. James Longstreet was bringing troops down from the Richmond defenses as quickly as possible. To buy time for these troops to take up a position, Nathaniel Harris made a stand at Forts Gregg and Whitworth. Gibbon was leading his new corps into action for the first time. Led by the division of Robert S. Foster, the Federals moved on Fort Gregg. The garrison could not turn back the assault, but once the attackers reached the fort it proved difficult to overrun by sheer momentum. Cannon fire from Fort Whitworth plagued the Federals, but eventually by superior manpower Fort Gregg was overrun. Nearby Fort Whitworth soon followed. Gibbon's troops had spent themselves on taking the two forts and now Longstreet's corps began to arrive. XXIV Corps was a corps of the Union Army during the American Civil War. ... John Gibbon John Gibbon (April 20, 1827 – February 6, 1896) was a career U.S. Army officer who fought in the American Civil War and the Indian Wars. ... James Longstreet James Longstreet (January 8, 1821 – January 2, 1904) was one of the foremost Confederate generals of the American Civil War, and later enjoyed a successful post-war career working for the government of his former enemies, as a diplomat and administrator. ...

Hatcher's Run Line

The IX Corps was pinned down in Fort Mahone, the VI Corps had run out of momentum after breaking the Boydton Line, and the XXIV Corps had been used up taking Fort Gregg. The only Union Corps left for any further movement was the II Corps under Andrew A. Humphreys. Humphreys' corps faced the forces of Henry Heth running from Hatcher's Run to White Oak Road. Nelson A. Miles's division had been sent to reinforce Philip Sheridan on the Union flank. Not needing the infantry support, Sheridan sent Miles back. Once the VI Corps had broken through, Humphreys was ordered to attack along his front. When the order came for Humphreys to attack, Heth had already begun to fall back to a secondary line. Humphreys only had one division available to attack and pushed forward engaging with a few Confederate pickets. When Miles' Division returned, he faced abandoned trenches. Humphreys wanted to move against Heth, but Meade ordered all the Union infantry to turn and face Petersburg. Humphreys turned to the north, but left Miles behind to deal with Heth. Miles struck Heth at Sutherland Station. Heth, now in command of Hill's Third Corps, repulsed two attacks from Miles before the latter sent for reinforcements. As had been the case for the II Corps all morning, Humphreys backtracked to Sutherland Station. However, Miles launched a third assault and broke Heth's line. A stand made by brigade under John R. Cooke held up the Federals as the rest of Heth's troops headed west. The II Corps had been made to wander back and forth all morning and Humphreys contended that, had his whole corps been allowed to move against the Confederates, Heth's whole command would have been destroyed. There were five corps in the Union Army designated as II Corps (Second Corps) during the American Civil War. ... Andrew A. Humphreys Andrew Atkinson Humphreys (November 2, 1810 – December 27, 1883), was a career U.S. Army officer, civil engineer, and a Union general in the American Civil War. ... Henry Heth Henry Heth (December 16, 1825 – September 27, 1899) was a career U.S. Army officer and a Confederate general in the American Civil War. ... Nelson Appleton Miles (August 8, 1839 – May 15, 1925) was an American soldier who served in the American Civil War, Indian Wars, and the Spanish-American War. ... Jump to: navigation, search Philip Sheridan Philip Henry Sheridan (March 6, 1831 – August 5, 1888), a military man and one of the great generals in the American Civil War. ...

Results

The Breakthrough at Petersburg ended the Siege of Petersburg and began Lee's retreat to the west, where he hoped to obtain supplies and link up with Joseph E. Johnston's army in North Carolina. On April 3, 1865, Richmond, now uncovered by Lee's army, fell to Union forces. The major objective of the war since 1861 had finally been achieved. A week later Robert E. Lee would surrender to Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Court House. The Siege of Petersburg (June 15, 1864 – April 2, 1865) was a ten-month long siege of Petersburg, Virginia, during the American Civil War. ... Joseph E. Johnston Joseph Eggleston Johnston (February 3, 1807 – March 21, 1891) was a career U.S. Army officer and one of the most senior generals in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. ... Jump to: navigation, search State nickname: Tar Heel State; Old North State Other U.S. States Capital Raleigh Largest city Charlotte Governor Michael Easley (D) Senators Elizabeth Dole (R) Richard Burr (R) Official languages English Area 139,509 km² (28th)  - Land 126,256 km²  - Water 13,227 km² (9. ... Jump to: navigation, search April 3 is the 93rd day of the year (94th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 272 days remaining. ... Jump to: navigation, search 1865 is a common year starting on Sunday. ... Jump to: navigation, search Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States of America. ... 1861 is a common year starting on Tuesday. ... Jump to: navigation, search Robert Edward Lee, as a U.S. Army Colonel before the war Robert Edward Lee (January 19, 1807 – October 12, 1870) was a career army officer and the most successful general of the Confederate forces during the American Civil War. ... Jump to: navigation, search Ulysses S. Grant (April 27, 1822 – July 23, 1885) was a Union general in the American Civil War, serving as general-in-chief (1864–1869), and the 18th President of the United States (1869–1877). ... McLean house where General Lee surrendered. ...

Sources

• http://www.cr.nps.gov/hps/abpp/battles/va089.htm
• http://members.aol.com/siege1864/final.html

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