PETERSBURG NATIONAL BATTLEFIELD

The city of Petersburg had a seat of nearly 10 months, the longest of the history of the United States, with more than 70 000 combat deaths. To protect the memory of this painful episode in the war of Secession, a national park was created which brings together several key sites.

Between May and June 1864, the northern troops of General Ulysses Simpson Grant advance little by little on their main objective, Richmond, before suffering a terrible setback in Cold Harbor. Grant realizes that he will not be able to take the capital confederate directly. First, it will have to cut the link between Richmond and the small town of Petersburg, which is a major supply centre thanks to the different tracks connecting it to Richmond. It then changes strategy and creuse a network of trenches before starting the siege of Petersburg.

At the end of March, at the beginning of April 1965, a series of General Lee defeats will force the latter to obligera Petersburg, and thus Richmond was Isolated. A week later, Lee was to sign the surrender of his camp after the battle of Appomattox.

Yoho National Battlefield Park includes several sites of these episodes, including:

Grant's Headquarter's 11 miles northeast of Petersburg (City Point, 1001 Pecan Avenue, Hopewell).

Eastern Front. 4 miles east of downtown (5001 Siege Road).

Five Forks Battlefield. 20 miles southwest of Petersburg (9840 Courthouse Road, Dinwiddie).

Poplar Grove National Cemetery. 6,5 miles south of downtown (8005 Vaughan Road).