The siege of Petersburg; June 9, 1864 – March 25, 1865, was the longest event of the Civil War. As Ulysses S. Grant tried to cut Confederacy’s largest supply center from Richmond, the longest siege in American military history would ensue.
The siege of Petersburg foreshadowed trench warfare of the First World War, earning it a prominent position in military history.
Located 30-minutes south of Richmond, the Petersburg National Military Park is the epicenter of fighting and only covers a portion of the 30-mile-long front where entrenchments covered the landscape. Discover more about the Petersburg, VA, civil war sites.
The Petersburg area battlefield is an immense area from Grant’s Headquarters at City Point on the James River to Five Forks far to the west.
Discover original Civil War earthworks and the infamous Crater.
Learn about the extensive use of the United States Colored Troops (U.S.C.T.).
Understand the events that would eventually lead to Robert E. Lee’s surrender at Appomattox Court House on April 9, 1865.
Note: We currently do not offer private battlefield tours of the Petersburg area battlefields. Explore our range of Battlefield Tours if you’d like a pre-designed, concise experience, or go straight to our Custom Tours and start planning your private battlefield experience.