Petersburg National Battlefield is composed of three major units and an additional managed component.
Eastern Front Visitor Center and Park Tour Road Located off
Virginia Route 36 east of
Petersburg, the Eastern Front Visitor Center is the main visitor contact station for the Battlefield. Here, visitors can view exhibits and movies about the
Siege of Petersburg as well as view Battery #5, an important early site in the Siege. From the Visitor Center, the park tour begins. The route runs from Virginia Route 36 to
US Route 301. Sites on the tour include
Fort Stedman and
The Crater.
Five Forks Battlefield Located in
Dinwiddie County about southwest of downtown Petersburg, this unit contains the site of the
Battle of Five Forks, which destroyed a sizable portion of the remaining Confederate
Army of Northern Virginia. Sometimes called the "
Waterloo of the
Confederacy", Five Forks helped set in motion a series of events that led to
Robert E. Lee's subsequent surrender at
Appomattox Court House.
City Point Unit Sited next to the
James River in
Hopewell,
City Point served as a major command and logistics hub for the
Union Army during the
Siege of Petersburg. It is located in the
City Point Historic District.
Poplar Grove National Cemetery The
Poplar Grove National Cemetery is administered by Petersburg National Battlefield. ==History==