Battle of Five Forks 1865
Recorded location from Wikidata; battle sites are often approximate.
Key facts
| Date | 1 April 1865 | Wikidata |
|---|---|---|
| Year | 1865 | Wikidata P585 (point in time) |
| Era | 19th century (1800–1913) | derived from year |
| Location | United States | Natural Earth (modern borders) |
| Continent | North America | Natural Earth |
| War / conflict | American Civil War | Wikidata P361 |
| Coordinates | 37.1394, -77.6228 | Wikidata P625 |
About the battle
The Battle of Five Forks was fought on April 1, 1865, southwest of Petersburg, Virginia, around the road junction of Five Forks, Dinwiddie County, at the end of the Siege of Petersburg, near the conclusion of the American Civil War.
The Union Army commanded by Major General Philip Sheridan defeated a Confederate force from the Army of Northern Virginia commanded by Major General George Pickett. The Union force inflicted over 1,000 casualties on the Confederates and took up to 4,000 prisoners while seizing Five Forks, the key to control of the South Side Railroad, a vital supply line and evacuation route.
After the Battle of Dinwiddie Court House (March 31) at about 10:00 pm, V Corps infantry began to arrive near the battlefield to reinforce Sheridan's cavalry. Pickett's orders from his commander General Robert E. Lee were to defend Five Forks "at all hazards" because of its strategic importance.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Battle of Five Forks (revision 1370110298), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; shortened by selecting paragraphs and trimming at a sentence boundary; formatting and citations removed. No text added.
Nearby battles
- Battle of Dinwiddie Court House 1865 · 8 km
- Battle of Sutherland's Station 1865 · 8 km
- Battle of Lewis's Farm 1865 · 9 km
- Battle of White Oak Road 1865 · 9 km
- Battle of Boydton Plank Road 1864 · 10 km
- Battle of Hatcher's Run 1865 · 12 km
Other battles of the American Civil War
- Skirmish at Cedar Creek 1864
- Skirmish at Terre Noire Creek 1864
- St. Albans Raid 1864
- Third Battle of Murfreesboro 1864
- Third Battle of Winchester 1864
- Battle of Aiken 1865
- Battle of Amelia Springs 1865
- Battle of Anderson 1865
- Battle of Appomattox Court House 1865
- Battle of Appomattox Station 1865
All 498 battles of the American Civil War →
Browse more: battles in United States · North America · 19th century battles