The Battle of Five Forks: April 1, 1865

Name: The Battle of Five Forks

Other Names: None

Location: Dinwiddie County

Campaign: Appomattox Campaign (March-April 1865)¹

Date: April 1, 1865

Principal Commanders: Maj. Gen. Philip Sheridan [US]; Maj. Gen. George Pickett [CS]

Forces Engaged: Corps

Estimated Casualties: 3,780 total (US 830; CS 2,950)

Description: Gen. Robert E. Lee ordered Pickett with his infantry division and Munford’s, W.H.F. Lee’s, and Rosser’s cavalry divisions to hold the vital crossroads of Five Forks at all hazard. On April 1, while Sheridan’s cavalry pinned the Confederate force in position, the V Corps under Maj. Gen. G.K. Warren attacked and overwhelmed the Confederate left flank, taking many prisoners. Sheridan personally directed the attack, which extended Lee’s Petersburg lines to the breaking point. Loss of Five Forks threatened Lee’s last supply line, the South Side Railroad. The next morning, Lee informed Jefferson Davis that Petersburg and Richmond must be evacuated. Union general Winthrop was killed; “Willie” Pegram, beloved Confederate artillery officer, was mortally wounded. Dissatisfied with his performance at Five Forks, Sheridan relieved Warren of command of the V Corps.

Result: Union victory²

Full Summary: Coming soon

Bibliography:

• The Battle of Five Forks by Ed Bearss and Chris Calkins

First Person Accounts:

Siege of Petersburg Documents Which Mention This Battle:

• 145th Anniversary of Confederate Waterloo Marked with Living History Demonstrations
• Actions Around Petersburg Wikipedia Map: March 29-April 1, 1865
• G. K. Warren’s Downfall: How the Battles of Quaker Road and White Oak Road Cost Warren His Job
• Map No. 4 Battle-Field of Five Forks Va. Fought Saturday April 1 1865 (OR Atlas 68:3)
• by David M. Jordan">Review In Brief: "Happiness Is Not My Companion": The Life of G. K. Warren by David M. Jordan
• Review In Brief: History and Tour Guide of Five Forks, Hatcher's Run and Namozine Church
• SHS Papers: Volume 16: The Thirty-eighth Virginia (Steuart’s Brigade) at Battle of Five Forks by Colonel George K. Griggs
• The Battle of Five Forks by Ed Bearss and Chris Calkins
• The Battle of Five Forks CWPT Map
• The Battle of Five Forks NPS Map: Aftermath
• The Battle of Five Forks NPS Map: April 1, 1865 4 PM
• The Battle of Five Forks NPS Map: April 1, 1865 4:30 PM
• The Battle of Five Forks NPS Map: April 1, 1865 5 PM
• The Battle of Five Forks NPS Map: April 1, 1865 5:30 PM
• The Battle of Five Forks NPS Map: Prelude
• The Battle of Five Forks: April 1, 1865
• Union Casualties in the Appomattox Campaign: March 28-April 9, 1865

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