Civil War Trust

Petersburg - Dictator
Petersburg - Illustration
Petersburg - Map
Petersburg - Crater
Petersburg - Pamplin

Battlefield

Petersburg

Assault on Petersburg

June 15 - 18, 1864

City of Petersburg, Virginia

The Petersburg National Battlefield Park commemorates the nine and one-half month siege of Petersburg from June 1864 to April 1865. The park includes 13 separate sites with three visitor centers along a 33 mile route. A full day is required to experience the entire battlefield park. A great place to start your visit is at the Eastern Front Visitor Center. There you can find maps, books, displays, and other audio-visual presentations.

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Essential To-Do List:
Petersburg

Get the most out of your Civil War battlefield visit by exploring these recommended To-Dos.

Visit Blandford Church and Cemetery

Blandford Cemetery is the final resting place of 30,000 Confederate soldiers killed during the ten-month Siege of Petersburg. Within the cemetery sits Blandford Church and its compass windows, made of authentic Tiffany glass.

Gaze into the Crater

The Crater, formed by a Union attempt to literally blow a hole in the Confederate defenses east of Petersburg in July of 1864, represents at once a lost opportunity for the Union and the stalwart resolve of Confederate forces.

See the wharves and Appomattox Manor at City Point

The Army of the Potomac captured City Point in May 1864 and made it their staging point as they laid siege to Petersburg. A failing seaport when the war began, it now makes home to Hopewell, Virginia and more than 20,000 people.

Walk the Dimmock line at Petersburg

Confederate resistance along the Dimmock Line proved critical to slowing the Union advance in the early days of the campaign and led to the lengthy siege of Petersburg which resulted.

Want more? See all our To-Do items in Virginia »

The 150 Essential To-Do List

The Civil War 150: An Essential To-Do List for the 150th Anniversary features top suggestions for the tours, museums, books, movies and other activities that every true Civil War aficionado should seek out during the four-year sesquicentennial commemoration.