| Petersburg National Battlefield | |
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IUCN Category V (Protected Landscape/Seascape)
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Restored entrance to the mine destroyed in the Battle of the Crater |
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| Area | 2,659.19 acres (10.76 km²) |
| Established | July 3, 1926 |
| Visitors | 143,455 (in 2005) |
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Petersburg National Battlefield
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| Nearest city: | Petersburg, Virginia |
| NRHP Reference#: |
66000831 [1] |
| Added to NRHP: | October 15, 1966 |
Petersburg National Battlefield is a National Park Service unit preserving sites related to the American Civil War Siege of Petersburg. The Battlefield is centered around Petersburg, Virginia, and also includes outlying components in Hopewell, Prince George County, and Dinwiddie County. Over 140,000 people visit the park annually.
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Petersburg National Battlefield is composed of three major units and an additional managed component.
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. The park entrance fee is also collected on the Eastern Front Visitor Center access road.
After leaving the Visitor Center, one can begin their park tour. A motor tour route runs from Virginia Route 36 to US Route 301. Along the way, visitors can view sites such as Fort Stedman and The Crater.
Located in Dinwiddie County about 14 miles (23 km) 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.
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.
The 8.72-acre (3.53 ha) Poplar Grove National Cemetery is administered by Petersburg National Battlefield.
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