April 2, 1865: Third Battle of Petersburg With Union victory at Five Forks, General Lee desperately shifted troops to the west to protect the Southside Railroad. He returned to the field in April, just before the siege-ending assault by Union forces at the Third Battle of Petersburg. General miles met elements of four Confederate brigades under Generals John Cooke, Alfred Scales, Dandridge MacRae, and Samuel McGowan attempting to defend the South Side Railroad. As the Overland Campaign concluded, the strategic goals of Lieut. The Civil War Trust's Battle of Petersburg page includes maps, photos, history articles, facts, and the latest preservation news for this 1864 Civil War battle in Virginia. Battle Of Petersburg Summary: The Battle of Petersburg (aka Siege of Petersburg) was a series of battles around the cities of Richmond and Petersburg, Virginia, fought from June 15, 1864, to April 2, 1865, during the civil war. Third Battle of Winchester - Background: In June 1864, with his army besieged at Petersburg by Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant, General Robert E. Lee dispatched Lieutenant General Jubal A. Grant, realizing that Lee was thinning his lines around Petersburg and Richmond to protect the railroad, ordered a general assault against the Confederate fortifications. The Third Battle of Petersburg, also known as the Breakthrough at Petersburg or the Fall of Petersburg, was fought on April 2, 1865, south and southwest of Petersburg, Virginia, at the end of the 292-day Richmond–Petersburg Campaign (sometimes called the Siege of Petersburg) and in the beginning stage of the Appomattox Campaign near the conclusion of the American Civil War. 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, Virginia. Fort Mahone. Miles traveled north from White Oak Road in Dinwiddie County. It was his hope that Early could reverse Confederate fortunes in the area which had been damaged by Major General David Hunter's victory at Piedmont earlier in the … Sutherland’s Station (April 2, 1865) – On the same day as the Third Battle of Petersburg, Major General Nelson A. Grant, realizing that Lee was thinning his lines around Petersburg and Richmond to protect the railroad, ordered a general assault against the Confederate fortifications. At the cost of 3,300 casualties, Grant’s armies had placed more than 6,500 of Lee’s men hors du combat, mostly as prisoners. Early to the Shenandoah Valley. 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, Virginia. April 2, 1865: Third Battle of Petersburg With Union victory at Five Forks, General Lee desperately shifted troops to the west to protect the Southside Railroad. The Union IX Corps under Maj. Gen. John G. Parke occupied the original trenches captured by the Union army in … The various fights which together made up the Third Battle of Petersburg had shattered Lee’s lines and made the evacuation of Richmond and Petersburg a must. The Third Battle of Petersburg, was fought on this day in 1865, south and southwest of Petersburg, Virginia, at the end of the 292-day Richmond–Petersburg Campaign (sometimes called the Siege of Petersburg) and in the beginning stage of the Appomattox Campaign near the conclusion of the American Civil War.