The beginning of the end for the Confederacy began in an open field on the outskirts of Petersburg, Virginia, on April 2, 1865. That morning, roughly 14,000 Union soldiers surged across this preserved landscape toward a Confederate line defended by fewer than 3,000 men. The assault broke through, forced Robert E. Lee to abandon both Petersburg and Richmond, and set the Army of Northern Virginia on its final road to surrender at Appomattox.
The land where this breakthrough occurred is now preserved by the American Battlefield Trust. Unlike many historic sites, much of this ground can only be reached on foot. Visitors who make the walk are rewarded with some of the most intact Civil War earthworks still standing anywhere. Fort Fisher anchors the site.
Its massive earthen walls remain clearly visible, with wooden platforms allowing visitors to climb up and look out over the landscape. The fort is stop number three on the western front tour of Petersburg National Military Park. Visitors are warned not to trust GPS navigation to reach it, as the system often directs people to the wrong fortification. A nearby sign describes the fort as the largest of its kind and marks the significance of April 2, noting the solitary shot that signaled the final Union assault on the city.
The site also preserves the memory of a signal tower at Peebles’ Farm, located a quarter mile behind the fort, where a cemetery now stands. A map at the fort helps explain the broader campaign. It shows how Union soldiers crossed the James River, attacked from the east, and steadily pushed Confederate forces back toward Petersburg. The map also illustrates a critical lost opportunity.
When Union forces first approached in June 1864, only about 2,200 Confederates defended the city. A full-scale attack then might have captured Petersburg and cut Richmond off from its rail supply lines. The Union failed to press the advantage for nearly four days, and the opportunity slipped away. Historians note that even a successful early capture might not have ended the war immediately.
Lee could have withdrawn his army west or north and possibly threatened Washington. But taking Richmond early was never Grant’s primary objective. He was focused on destroying the Army of Northern Virginia itself. Across the road from Fort Fisher lies American Battlefield Trust land, marked by a monument dedicating 427 acres to permanent preservation.
A trailhead sign warns that vehicles may not go beyond that point. The trail leads toward Pamplin Historical Park, which charges an admission fee at its entrance. The campaign that culminated in the breakthrough began on March 25, 1865, with the Battle of Jones Farm. That fight set the stage for the April 2 assault.
The Union soldiers who crossed these fields came from their own earthworks and advanced directly into the Confederate position. The attack produced multiple Medal of Honor recipients but also left lines of men cut down in the open ground. Walking the trail today, visitors pass through woods and open fields where the original fortifications still stand. One of the first stops is an earthwork where the view toward the enemy line remains remarkably unchanged.
Aside from the fact that the walls were once taller and soldiers would have built huts for winter shelter, the perspective from behind these works is about as close to the original experience as a modern visitor can get. Interpretive signs along the route describe the Union fortifications and the obstacles placed in front of them. Corporal Burwell of the Fifth Wisconsin Infantry described the Civil War version of barbed wire as “Johnny catchers” — long poles set into the ground, so thick that a rabbit could not crawl through. Confederate General John B.
Gordon compared the Union breastworks to an ironclad warship, impenetrable by any force Lee could send against them. The trail continues past Fort Welch and Battery 26, with infantry breastworks running alongside the path. A wooden bridge crosses a wet moat at Fort Welch, though visitors are cautioned that some planks have rotted over the years. From a platform at the fort, the entire field where the 14,000-man assault formed is visible, with Pamplin Park just beyond the tree line.
A Civil War Trails sign at the site provides orientation. The main Confederate line was one mile away, Peebles’ Farm marked the Union advance, the Southside Railroad was three miles off, and Richmond lay 25 miles to the north. The sign also outlines the timeline from the Battle of Jones Farm through the breakthrough and the Battle of Peebles’ Farm. Signs at Fort Welch also tell the story of life between the picket lines.
Corporal Lewis Bissell of the Second Connecticut Heavy Artillery described the strange power of picket duty: “When a man is on picket at night, he is monarch of all he surveys. No one living has more absolute power than he. His word is law. ” Sergeant James E.
Whitehorn of the 12th Virginia Infantry offered a darker view from the Confederate side, describing veterans of three full years who finally deserted because of gnawing hunger. By this stage of the war, Confederate soldiers in Petersburg were being starved out, with supply roads tightening around them daily. The winter of 1864–65 made conditions worse, as constant thawing and freezing turned the roads into impassable mud. Grant sensed after the fighting from March 29 through April 1 that Lee was near a breaking point.
He pressed the issue, and the results exceeded expectations. The breakthrough not only drove Lee from his lines but forced the evacuation of both Richmond and Petersburg. One sign at the site records the words of Colonel James Hubbard of the Second Connecticut Heavy Artillery, who told his men on the night before the assault: “Gentlemen, we’re going to have a hell of a fight at early daylight. If any of you have anything to say to your folks, wives or sweethearts, make your story short and get what sleep you can.
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The defenders across the field were not raw recruits. They were seasoned veterans who had held those lines for months. But the sheer weight of 14,000 attacking soldiers was too much. One of the most remarkable details of the assault occurred at a nearby crossroads, where Union soldiers advancing on the lines could hear Confederate soldiers behind their own earthworks arguing among themselves about whether to surrender.
The debate was so loud it was audible over the sounds of combat. A map at the site lists the units involved on both sides. On the Confederate side were men from the 45th Georgia, the 33rd North Carolina, and several other North Carolina regiments. The Union side drew soldiers from across the North.
One of the Confederate units defending these lines was connected to a famous tragedy earlier in the war: it was responsible for the accidental wounding of General Stonewall Jackson, who died from complications after being shot by his own men. The trail passes through swampy bottomland and along the original Confederate earthworks, which Union soldiers captured, reversed, and reused for their own advance. Signs along the way mark the route, though many are old and are replaced by the American Battlefield Trust and Civil War Trails as funding and sponsors allow. In the middle of the field, a high point offers a perspective unavailable at almost any other battlefield.
The earthworks are visible behind, and the entire open space where Union soldiers formed for battle stretches out in every direction. The only comparable site, according to some visitors, is the Mule Shoe Salient at Spotsylvania, though that field is far smaller. Along the way, visitors may encounter a family cemetery plot for the Pegram family. Edward Oscar Pegram, born September 17, 1830, and died May 21, 1889, is buried there alongside his wife, Octavia Bosanquet, born September 30, 1842, and died August 25, 1907.
The name is well known to Civil War historians. During one visit to the site, an incident highlighted the fragility of these preserved works. An older visitor was standing on top of an earthwork while her dog dug into the ground, creating a large visible patch of exposed dirt. When confronted, she thanked the person who warned her but continued allowing the animal to dig until reminded again.
Those who care for the site stress that such activity damages the fortifications. Too many animals digging into the walls will eventually cause them to collapse, destroying pieces of history that have stood for more than 150 years. The American Battlefield Trust continues to preserve additional land in Virginia, including areas around Gaines’ Mill. The organization encourages visitors to support its work through donations or volunteer time, ensuring these fields remain intact for future generations.
For those willing to walk the ground, the experience offers a direct connection to the men who fought and died there. The earthworks still stand, and the open views remain largely unchanged. It is, as one visitor put it, about as original as it gets.