BGuthrie Photos: VA -- Five Forks

VA -- Five Forks:

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Specific picture descriptions: Photos above with "i" icons next to the bracketed sequence numbers (e.g. "[1] ") are described as follows:
1. 5FORKS_120607_003.JPG: Attack on the Angle "When we moved toward Five Forks…we were not expecting any attack that afternoon, so far as I know. Our throwing up works and taking position were simply general matters of military precaution." -- Major General Fitzhugh Lee, CSA You are standing on the left (east) flank of the Confederate line at Five Forks. Here the earthworks turned abruptly northward, forming an angle. Few of the 1,000 North Carolinians gathered behind these trenches on the afternoon of April 1, 1865, expected an attack. Neither did their commander, Maj. Gen. George E. Pickett, who had retired to the rear for a lunch of shad. At 4:15 p.m., Maj. Gen. Gouverneur K. Warren's Union Fifth Corps swarmed across what were open fields to your right. While two Federal divisions moved too far north and missed the Confederate line altogether, one division of 3,100 men struck the Confederates here. Brig. Gen. Matthew Ransom's North Carolina brigade resisted fiercely. Both the Federals rolled forward and vaulted the works. The Confederate line collapsed. The Union success at the Angle initiated the destruction of Pickett's division -– a disaster for Lee's Army of Northern Virginia.
2. 5FORKS_120607_053.JPG: Battle of Five Forks Here at Five Forks on April 1, 1865 10,000 Confederates, commanded by General Pickett, were overwhelmed by about 50,000 Federal troops, led by General Sheridan, thereby opening the way to the Southside Railroad making further defense of Petersburg and Richmond impossible. Withdrawal to Appomattox followed. Dedicated to the memory of the valiant Dinwiddie soldiers, as well as to all soldiers of the South and North, taking part in this encounter. Presented by the Dinwiddie Confederate Memorial Association and erected by the Dinwiddie Civil War Centennial Commission April 1, 1965
3. 5FORKS_120607_055.JPG: Five Forks Battlefield has been designated a Registered National Historic Landmark under the provisions of the Historic Sites Act of August 21, 1935. This site possesses exceptional value in commemorating and illustrating the history of the United States. 1961
4. 5FORKS_120607_058.JPG: Digging In Just before noon on April 1, 1865, 10,000 Confederates under Maj. Gen. George E. Pickett arrived here at Five Forks. They immediately started digging and by mid-afternoon had constructed a rough earthwork that extended along the White Oak Road for nearly two miles. You are standing at the center of that Confederate line. Weary, wet, and hungry, the Confederates waited – aware that if they yielded, nothing would stand between the Federals and the South Side Railroad, the last supply line into Petersburg. Until 4 p.m. the Confederates waited quietly behind the works. Then they saw them: men in blue, advancing astride the Dinwiddie Road. The rattle of musketry soon signaled the opening of the Battle of Five Forks. Most of the Confederate works built on April 1 have been obliterated. The best and most important surviving section is at the "Angle," on the extreme left of the line – about 3/4 mile to your left.
5. 5FORKS_120607_059.JPG: Death of Pegram Late afternoon, April 1, 1865. Confederate infantrymen waited behind rude, muddy earthworks lining the White Oak Road. Young Colonel William R.J. Pegram tended to his artillery: three guns in this field, three others farther to the west (your right). Then came the Federals. Sheridan's dismounted cavalry attacked frontally. Later, Warren's infantry swept down from the east. After fierce fighting, the Confederate positions around the intersection collapsed. In the melee fell Colonel Pegram, mortally wounded in the side. Just 23 years old, Pegram had survived all of the Army of Northern Virginia's major battles. He died only five miles from his ancestral home and just nine days short of the war's end. Colonel William R.J. Pegram – "the boy colonel" – whom one man described as "the most splendid soldier in all the world." Another considered him, "one of the few men who, I believe, was supremely happy in battle." Pegram fell somewhere near this spot. He died the next day at Ford's Depot, ten miles to the northwest.
6. 5FORKS_120607_074.JPG: Siege of Petersburg -- The Linchpin is Pulled March 29 - April 1, 1865 Five Forks Campaign By April 1, 1865, Five Forks, just north of where you're standing, had become a linchpin -- key to the Confederate capital at Richmond. To control the Five Forks intersection was to control the South Side Railroad and Richmond's last connection to the rest of the Confederacy. Loss of Five Forks would force Confederate General Robert E. Lee to abandon Petersburg and Richmond leading to the fall of the Confederate capital. April 1, 1865 -- Union forces sweep the Confederates off the intersection and by nightfall Grant plans his final assault on Lee's position the next day. March 29-31, 1865 -- In a series of battles, Grant severs the Boydton Plank Road and isolates Confederate General George Pickett's forces at Five Forks.
7. 5FORKS_120607_078.JPG: The Siege of Petersburg: "I would not believe before I came here that man was capable of enduring so much." -- Leverett Bradley, 1st Mass. Heavy Artillery If Petersburg fell, the Confederate capital at Richmond would fall too. Grant knew it; Lee knew it. And for nine months in 1864 and 1865, Union and Confederate armies waged a brutal campaign here that left the Confederacy on the verge of total defeat. Touring the Battlefield: Petersburg National Battlefield includes four major historic areas. A driving tour links the main park unit, Five Forks Battlefield, and Flank and Defense Roads. The City Point Unit is located eight miles northeast of the visitor center in the city of Hopewell. You can start your visit in the visitor center, where brochures and additional tour information are available. (1) The main park unit includes sites that span the entire siege, including the Union capture of part of the Dimmock Line in June 1864, the spectacular blast at the "Crater" in July, and Lee's last offensive, Fort Stedman, in March 1865. (2) Flank Road and Defense Road link fortifications and battle sites related to the Union's incessant efforts to cut the rail lines leading into Petersburg -- efforts that ultimately stretched the Confederate defense lines to their breaking point. (3) At Five Forks, on April 1, 1865, the Union army defeated and scattered one-fifth of Lee's entire force. Petersburg and Richmond fell within two days. (4) During the siege, City Point was one of the busiest ports in America. From his headquarters there, Ulysses S. Grant directed the movement of Union armies throughout the South. Converging rail lines made Petersburg the southern gateway to Richmond. By the end of the siege, more than 100 miles of earthworks marred the landscape around Petersburg. Petersburg Time Line: Nine Months and 18 days June 1864 -- Union attack on Dimmock Line June 1864 -- Federals sever Jerusalem Plank Road July 1864 -- Battle of the Crater August 1864 -- City Point wharf explosion August 1864 -- Federals sever the Weldon Railroad September 1864 -- Battle of Peebles's Farm October 1864 -- Battle of Boydton Plank Road February 1865 -- Battle of Hatchers Run March 1865 -- Confederate attack on Fort Stedman fails April 1865 -- Battle of Five Forks April 1865 -- Confederates evacuate Petersburg
8. 5FORKS_120607_087.JPG: (1) Sheridan's Battle Plan -- Warren's V Corps will attack the Confederate left flank at the "angle", while Custer's Cavalry division makes a feint on the Confederate right. The rest of the federal cavalry (Devin's Division) will press the southern infantry along their front, attacking when the V Corps becomes actively engaged.
9. 5FORKS_120607_091.JPG: (2) Attack on the Angle -- Around 4:15pm, Warren's Corps, having formed an echelon, move[s] forward. Ayres' Division hits the entrenched Confederates along the 150-yard long "angle" as Crawford's Division breaks away and swings to the north behind Pickett's battle line. Griffin's Division move to support the two advance Divisions. Custer's two brigades ride into position to attack the Confederate right flank.
10. 5FORKS_120607_095.JPG: (3) Griffin's Move -- Ayres's men capture about 1,000 prisoners at the "angle" from Ransom's and Wallace's Brigades while McGregor's four guns escape to Ford's Road. Crawford's Division, now supported by MacKenzie's Cavalry Division, continues it's [sic] westward sweep. Steuart's Brigade refuses their left flank at the edges of Sydnor's field and throws up hastily built breastworks. Chamberlain's Brigade attacks these. Custer's feint turns into a full attack that is successfully repulsed by WHF Lee's Cavalry.
11. 5FORKS_120607_099.JPG: (4) Crawford's Sweep -- Crawford's Division reaches Ford's Road at the Boisseau's field and wheels to the south, attacking Pickett's men from the rear. A stand is made by Mayo's and Steuart's Infantry who are dispersed, while some of McGregor's guns are captured. Pickett's force begins to withdraw from the battlefield.
12. 5FORKS_120607_104.JPG: (5) A Final Stand -- Crawford continues his westward sweep of the Confederate lines down White Oak Road, eventually attacking Corse's Brigade who have also fallen back behind a newly built line of works. Devin's Cavalry occupies the main Confederate breastworks along White Oak Road with Warren's infantry. Pickett's Infantry and Cavalry retreat northward to Church road [sic] Crossing on the South Side Railroad where they regroup at nightfall.
13. 5FORKS_120607_117.JPG: April 2-3: Assault Along the Lines: A member of General Ulysses S. Grant's staff, Lieutenant Colonel Horace Porter, witnessed the victory at Five Forks and rode back to Union headquarters at Dabney's sawmill with his report. After learning the news, Grant went into his tent. He soon emerged and announced to his anxious staff, "I have ordered a general assault along the lines." Artillery started bombarding the Confederate lines shortly after Grant made his plans. The Federal infantry attacks began at 4:30am on Sunday, April 2nd on Richmond and Petersburg. The thin Southern lines broke in places and held in others as fighting raged all around the cities. Leaving Petersburg: In a desperate attempt to keep the fighting out of the streets of Petersburg, General Robert E. Lee ordered that both Forts Gregg and Whitworth, and their hastily assembled defenders, were to hold off the wave of Union infantry. After several attempts, the Federal forces took both forts after fierce hand-to-hand combat, but more Southerners arrived in time to delay the occupation of Petersburg. Lee and the Confederate soldiers that had protected the city for more than nine months were forced to evacuate under the cover of darkness. The Burning of Richmond: As President Jefferson Davis, the Confederate government and the army moved out of Richmond and Petersburg, the supplies that could not be taken were ordered to be burned. Much of Richmond was lost that night as the fires burned out of control, but conversely, Petersburg was mostly spared from destruction. The next morning Union forces would enter the desperately fought over cities, beginning their occupation. One of the first tasks was to extinguish the fires and restore order. The flag of the United States of America was hoisted over both cities in triumph. General Grant entered Petersburg as well, and at the Market Street home of William Wallace he would meet with the President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln. The meeting was brief as Grant was anxious to begin the pursuit of his now fleeing foe. Lincoln's wishes of a hasty end to the fighting were expressed, as well as his hope for a lenient policy for dealing with the reconstruction of the nation.
14. 5FORKS_120607_120.JPG: April 4-5: Lincoln in Richmond: On Tuesday morning, after the fall of the Confederate Capital, Abraham Lincoln proceeded by boat from City Point to the docks of Richmond, where he and his son would take a tour of the city that was so important to both sides. Union soldiers now occupied the grounds around the historic Capitol and Lincoln visited the former residence of his southern counterpart who was now in Danville, Virginia. A Shortage of Provisions: Lee's soldiers were all ordered to Amelia Court House once the lines around Richmond and Petersburg fell. That small county seat village was on the Richmond-Danville Railroad where supplies could be issued to the army as it gathered itself for the days ahead. Once fed, resupplied and reorganized, Lee wished to move with his Army of Northern Virginia south toward Danville, as President Davis had done before them. The Union armies, however, were not just going to watch as the Confederates marched away from the battlefields of the last campaign. They were also resupplying and, as hastily as possible, following the retreating Confederates. As the two sides came across each other, fighting would sporadically break out and delay both side's movements. Once at Amelia Court House, it was revealed that, by some mistake, not all the supplies were waiting for the Southern army. There were plenty of rail cars with ammunition, and tack for the horses but no food. General Lee was forced to appeal to the surrounding community to help feed the men, causing a delay in his march by sending out wagons to gather the greatly needed rations. Any lead Lee had on Grant evaporated on Wednesday, April 5th dawned without a movement by the Southerners. This allowed Federal forces to move to the south of Amelia Court House and block the direct road to Danville. Trouble on the Road: The long wagon trains that moved the supplies for the Confederate army had been put on as many different roads as possible when leaving Richmond and Petersburg. As some of them were approaching their rendezvous with the main body of the army, they became prey for marauding Federal cavalry. Union cavalry had also deployed a network of scouts dressed in Southern uniforms that was gathering intelligence and deceiving and confusing their enemy. Lee's options were to fight or try to out-maneuver the Union army. He choose [sic] to move on and head further west into the interior of the Commonwealth.
15. 5FORKS_120607_125.JPG: April 6-7: Surrender at Sailor's Creek: As dawn of April 6th broke, the Confederate army, now reorganized, moved to the west toward Farmville. The front of the column made pretty good time as the men relished being out of the trenches that had been home for most of the last year. The rest of the line though was not as lucky. The middle of the column included the Marines, Sailors, and government clerks that had been forced out of Richmond and put in to the infantry. Then came the wagon train and finally more seasoned infantry to protect the rear. Union cavalry and infantry wasted no time in following the enemy, moving close behind and on parallel roads, taking every opportunity to strike the Southerners. This harassment created gaps in the marching order as the head of the column continued on without delay. The wagon train constantly was slowed down by the numerous creek crossings that feed the rivers through the Piedmont section of the state. The crossings were not very wide, but the extremely wet spring, combined with the sloped approaches, made crossing the fords or small bridges time consuming. While approaching another of these small waterways at Little Sailor's Creek, General John B. Gordon, commanding the end of the column, ordered the wagon train to a parallel road to try and protect it as he followed behind. This left the middle of the line with no protection. The Union forces wasted little time exploiting the move. Federal cavalry forced the middle of the southern column to halt at Marshall's Crossroads as Union infantry now suddenly appeared right behind them, just beyond the creek on the Hillsman farm. Union infantry also caught up to the rear guard of the wagon train as the wagons bogged down trying to cross the double bridges at the confluence of Big and Little Sailor's Creek. Collectively, the battle was a total Southern defeat costing Lee's army over 6,000 casualties, mostly men taken prisoner. Lee rode back to ascertain the condition of the column. Seeing the debacle, he exclaimed, "My God! Has the army been dissolved?" High Bridge: In front of the main column lay High Bridge, the South Side Railroad span across the Appomattox River. A detachment of Federal forces had been sent to destroy the bridge to deny its use by the Confederates. However, the Southerners caught up to the Union forces before they could accomplish their mission. A bloody exchange took place and ... were repelled and the bridge ... [???] Confederate forces entered Farmville on Friday to get supplies and to regroup from the losses of the last day's fighting. Before the issuance of rations could take place for all units, Union cavalry arrived and forced the Southerners to abandon the town. Grant sent a message to Lee asking him to surrender.
16. 5FORKS_120607_129.JPG: April 8-9: Headed to Appomattox: On Saturday morning the remainder of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia plodded along to the west, still in search of supplies and trying to elude the Federal forces pursuing them. Lee ordered more supplies delivered to Appomattox Station on the South Side Railroad, while still trying to get his men to Danville. Flags of Truce: As the head of Lee's column -- mostly the reserve artillery and the remainder of the wagon train -- was nearing the station, Union cavalry under the command of General George Custer swooped in and captured the supply trains. A brief battle occurred as the cavalry made it's [sic] way from the station, searching for the Southern army which was now camped around the village of Appomattox Court House. Lee quickly learned that Northern forces were now across the road in front of him, and also moving up behind him, catching him in a vice. The next morning, to open the road, he once again ordered his men into battle but the Union roadblock was too strong, and flags of truce went out from the Confederate line. Discussion of Terms: On April 9th, Palm Sunday, Lee arranged to meet with Grant int the village, at the home of Wilmer McLean, to discuss the surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia. Lee arrived first, as he was closest, and when Grant made his way to the meeting it was just past midday. Grant offered terms of surrender that were both lenient and generous, which was the wish of the President, and the subject of their meeting less than a week earlier in Petersburg. The War Ends: Lee read through the terms and had a letter of acceptance written in reply. After four years of fighting, the war was coming to a close for many of the combatants in Virginia. Lee left the house and rode back to his men to tell them of the meeting and that they would be going home.
17. 5FORKS_120607_134.JPG: April 10-? : Stacking of Arms: As news of the surrender traveled throughout both armies, some were jubilant and some were in despair, but as it sank in many felt relief from the fears of fighting and soldiering. The men came together no longer as antagonists, but to begin the healing process of binding the country back together. Grant required that the Confederate soldiers leave behind the instruments of battle before returning to their homes. The Southern cavalry surrendered first. The next day, the artillery relinquished their arms and finally on April 12th was the mass surrender of the infantry. The former Confederate soldiers were given passes to show they were paroled, and left the area with little more than the clothes on their back to return home, just a week after leaving the trenches of Richmond and Petersburg. Assassination: Grant was already headed back to Washington DC before the armies left Appomattox. He was invited to attend Ford's Theater with the President on Friday the 14th but declined the invitation. Abraham Lincoln would be assassinated that night, in his seat, by John Wilkes Booth, and news of his death the next morning made its way all over the nation he had tried so hard to mend. The Grand Review: As Confederate forces elsewhere were forced to capitulate, on May 10th a proclamation declared armed resistance was virtually over. The victorious Union armies made their way back to the Nation's Capitol where they were marched through the streets and reviewed by President Andrew Johnson. It would be August 20, 1866 before the President announced, "I do further proclaim that the said insurrection is at an end and that peace, order, tranquility, and civil authority now exist in and throughout the whole United States of America."
Wikipedia Description: Battle of Five Forks
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Battle of Five Forks was fought on April 1, 1865, southwest of Petersburg, Virginia, in Dinwiddie County, during the Appomattox Campaign of the American Civil War. The battle, sometimes referred to as the " Waterloo of the Confederacy," pitted Union Major General Philip H. Sheridan against Confederate Major General George E. Pickett of Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia. Pickett's loss at Five Forks triggered Lee's decision to abandon his entrenchments around Petersburg and begin the retreat that led to his surrender at Appomattox Court House on April 9.

Background:

Following the Battle of Dinwiddie Court House on March 31, Pickett learned of reinforcements arriving from the Federal V Corps and wanted to pull back to a position behind Hatcher's Run. However, Lee ordered Pickett to stop short of Hatcher's Run and hold the crossroads of Five Forks with his infantry division and three cavalry divisions. "Five Forks" referred to the intersection of the White Oak Road, Scott's Road, Ford's (or Church) Road, and the Dinwiddie Court House Road. Lee's dispatch stated:

Hold Five Forks at all hazards. Protect road to Ford's Depot and prevent Union forces from striking the Southside Railroad. Regret exceedingly your forces' withdrawal, and your inability to hold the advantage you had gained.

Pickett's troops built a log and dirt defensive line about 1.75 miles (2.8 km) long on the White Oak Road, guarding the two flanks with cavalry. Sheridan's plan of attack was to pressure the entire line lightly with his cavalry troopers, pinning it in position, while he massed all of the V Corps, under Maj. Gen. Gouverneur K. Warren, on the Confederate left flank. Faulty maps and intelligence led Sheridan to believe that the enemy's left flank was much farther east than it actually was.

Muddy roads and tangled underbrush slowed the Union approach, and Warren was not ready to attack until about 4 p.m. Sheridan blamed Warren's personal leadership for the delay. (Sheridan had a poor opinion of Warren from earlier in the campaign and had received confidential permission from Ulysses S. Grant to relieve Warren if he saw fit.) But Sheridan's own cavalry had similar problems and ended up with little action in the battle.

Battle:

Sheridan's attack planned for Warren to advance in a two-division front with the third division following in reserve. The right front division, under Maj. Gen. Samuel W. Crawford, was to strike at an angle near the end of the enemy's works, and the left front, under Maj. Gen. Romeyn B. Ayres, was to strike the line head-on. But because of the faulty intelligence, the real flank was well to the west of where Sheridan thought, so Crawford's division missed the line completely as it moved forward, and Ayres's men were subjected to enfilade fire from the left as they brushed past it.

The two Union divisions floundered in confusion as they frantically attempted to reorient themselves through the heavy thickets of underbrush. The reserve division, under Maj. Gen. Charles Griffin, halted rather than add to the confusion. Warren, who chose to remain in a central location, sent all of his aides galloping off with messages to reorient the attack, but they were ineffective, so he rode out to take personal command. Meanwhile, Sheridan, riding with Ayres's vanguard, personally led the charge that breached the left flank of Pickett's line, an exploit that has been depicted heroically in paintings and lithographs of the era.

As the Confederates attempted to organize a new defensive line, Griffin's division moved in on Ayres's right and attacked. Then Warren ordered Crawford's division to join the fight from the north. Sheridan's cavalry swept around Pickett's right flank but was unable to prevent several Confederates from escaping. However, it was a decisive Union victory, in which nearly a third of Pickett's 9,200 men were casualties.

Aftermath:

Pickett's unfortunate military career suffered another humiliation—he was two miles (3 km) away from his troops at the time of the attack, enjoying a shad bake north of Hatcher's Run with Maj. Gens. Fitzhugh Lee and Thomas L. Rosser. And he had neglected to inform his men of the generals' absence, leaving them leaderless. Atmospheric conditions muffled the sounds of battle sufficiently that Pickett was unaware of the fighting. By the time he returned to the battlefield, it was too late.

The loss of Five Forks threatened Lee’s best escape route, the South Side Railroad. The next morning, Lee informed President Jefferson Davis that Petersburg and Richmond must be evacuated, and Grant launched an all-out assault (the Third Battle of Petersburg) on the thinly manned Confederate entrenchments.

Union Brig. Gen. Frederick Winthrop was killed at Five Forks, and Col. Willie Pegram, a highly regarded Confederate artillery officer, was mortally wounded. Sheridan was dissatisfied with the performance of the V Corps in the approach to Five Forks, and he relieved Warren of his command.

The battlefield is preserved as a unit of Petersburg National Battlefield.
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