The Last Citadel: Petersburg, Virginia, June 1864-April 1865
The Siege of Petersburg was the prelude to the final chapter of our Nation's Civil War. The work is thoroughly researched with a plethora of primary sources incorporated right into the text

Dinwiddie Court House
Civil War Virginia

American Civil War
March 31, 1865


The Passing of Armies: An Account Of The Final Campaign Of The Army Of The Potomac
The beginning of the final campaign of the Army of the Potomac against Confederate General Robert E. Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia. It was the spring of 1864 and General Grant had Lee and his army backing up toward what finally became the siege of Petersburg, Virginia.

On March 29, with the Cavalry Corps and the II and V Corps, Sheridan undertook a flank march to turn General Robert E. Lee's Petersburg defenses. A steady downpour turned the roads to mud, slowing the advance.

On March 31, Major General W.H. Fitzhugh Lee's cavalry and Pickett's infantry division met the Union vanguard north and northwest of Dinwiddie Court House and drove it back, temporarily stalling Sheridan's movement.

With Union infantry approaching from the east, Pickett withdrew before daybreak to entrench at the vital road junction at Five Forks.

Lee ordered Pickett to hold this intersection at all hazard.

Result(s): Confederate victory

Location: Dinwiddie County

Campaign: Appomattox Campaign (March-April 1865) next battle in campaign  previous battle in campaign

Date(s): March 31, 1865

Principal Commanders: Major General Philip Sheridan [US]; Major General George Pickett and Major General Fitzhugh Lee [CS]

Forces Engaged: 65,277 total (US 45,247; CS 20,030)

Estimated Casualties: 821 total


Little Phil: The Story of General Philip Henry Sheridan
The author makes no pretense of presenting a scholarly recitation of the historic military maneuvers and tactics that surrounded the man's career. His purpose is to present the story of the man, using his own words and the words of his contemporaries so that we might see what he saw, hear what he heard, and feel what he felt.
March - April 1865

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April 9, 1865

Lee's Surrender to Grant


One Continuous Fight: The Retreat from Gettysburg and the Pursuit of Lee's Army of Northern Virginia
The first detailed military history of Lee's retreat and the Union effort to catch and destroy the wounded Army of Northern Virginia Complimented with 18 original maps, dozens of photos, and a complete driving tour with GPS coordinates of the entire retreat


Virginia State Battle Map 1865
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Civil War Picture Album
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Documents of the Civil War

American Civil War Book Titles

Custer Victorious: The Civil War Battles of General George Armstrong Custer
Custer was promoted to major general and the helm of the Third Cavalry Division when he was only twenty-four. Urwin describes the Boy General's vital contributions to Union victories from Gettysburg to Appomattox.
Rebel Boast: First at Bethel, Last at Appomattox
Based on the stories of 5 men who enlisted in the Confederate Army to fight for what they believed. Where did they go? How did they feel? What did they do day to day? What did they see? How did they live and die? Nominated for a Pulitzer in 1956
Sheridan's Lieutenants: Phil Sheridan, His Generals, and the Final Year of the Civil War
Summary of Sheridan's role in the last year of the Civil War. An introduction to the lives of a remarkable group of soldiers. Merritt, Mackenzie, Crook, Upton, and Wilson were young, gifted, and tough officers who contributed to Union victory. Custer is remembered today because he blundered at the Little Bighorn
April 1865: The Month That Saved America
There was nothing inevitable about the end of the Civil War, from the fall of Richmond to the surrender at Appomattox to the murder of Lincoln. It all happened so quickly, in what was the most moving and decisive month not simply of the Civil War, but indeed, quite likely, in the life of the United States

Unconditional Surrender: U. S. Grant and the Civil War
This is the best juvenile biography on Ulysses S. Grant by a wide margin. Marrin has done an excellent job in introducing Grant to a young audience. I highly recommend it.


Grant's Lieutenants: From Chattanooga to Appomattox
This new volume assesses Union generalship during the final two years of the Civil War. Steven Woodworth, one of the war's premier historians, is joined by a team of scholars-- Grimsley, Marszalek, and Hess, among others--who critique Ulysses S. Grant's commanders
Selected Letters of Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, 1865-1914
Known as the hero of Little Round Top and the commanding officer who accepted the Confederates' surrender at Appomattox.
From Manassas to Appomattox: General James Longstreet
According to some, he was partially to blame for the Confederate defeat at Gettysburg; according to others, if Lee had followed Longstreet's advice, they would have won that battle. He has been called stubborn and vain; and he has been lauded as one of the greatest tacticians of the Civil War

Civil War History Documentary DVD Movie Titles

Civil War Combat: America's Bloodiest Battles
The violent mayhem of the hornet's nest at Shiloh, the valiant charge on the sunken road at Antietam, the carnage in the wheat field at Gettysburg, and the brutal fighting at Cold Harbor
Civil War Journal - The Conflict Begins
These four programs from the History Channel series Civil War Journal cover critical aspects of the early days of the war.
The Civil War in Virginia
Virginia was the arena where North and South fought many of their bloodiest battles. the program gives a full account of the events that took place describing in detail the history of the American Civil War in Virginia
The Last Days of the Civil War - April 1865: The Month That Saved America, Civil War Combat:
The Tragedy At Cold Harbor
The remarkable succession of events leading from the fall of Richmond to Appomattox.

History Channel Presents The Civil War
From Harper's Ferry, Fort Sumter, and First Bull Run to Shiloh, Antietam, and Gettysburg. The most legendary Civil War battles in brilliant detail. A selection of the soldiers and legendary leaders.
The Civil War - A Film by Ken Burns
Here is the saga of celebrated generals and ordinary soldiers, a heroic and transcendent president and a country that had to divide itself in two in order to become one
American Experience: The Massachusetts 54th Colored Infantry
After Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, the governor of Massachusetts was authorized to raise the first northern black regiment,  the Massachusetts 54th colored infantry.
Blue Vs. Gray - Killing Fields
Relive the most vicious fighting of the Civil War, in which General Ulysses S. Grant forcibly reversed the tide of the conflict by paying with the blood of thousands. It was a desperate time for the Union

Sources:
U.S. National Park Service
U.S. Library of Congress.

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