petersburg national battlefield park

PetePope1

Nicely maintained battlefield, the main focus is the Crater formed when Union coal miners dug a tunnel under the Confederate lines and touched off an explosion. At the last moment, Union generals decided NOT to employ the black units who had been specifically trained to make the assault, entrusting untrained regular units. What should have been a shortening of the war was instead a complete negation of the advantage the the Union had so briefly won.

Sevencee

Nice this is a park. Nicely done and helps give a picture of what happened in that time. Watch the video presentation at the visitor Center first. Glad I stopped on way through. Beautiful park to go walking.

king2will

This is an excellent location for a family trip to explore the historic region of the battles of the American history that the kids read about in school. They will get to walk on historic grounds that have read about, how neat is that.

111ronb

The main battlefield is a must visit to see the Crater and it finishes near the entrance to the Old Blandford Church and Cemetary, another must-see. Be sure and visit the other sites of the Petersgburg Battlefield, including City Point and General Gran's Cabin. City Point was the second-largest seaport in the world during the time when supplies were being sent to constantly support the siege of Petersburg.

98502

Being from the west coast, I had read about the battles leading up to and including the siege of Petersburg, but never in my imagination had I conceived just how big of an area was covered until I visited this National Park. Start with the film at the visitor’s center then take the drive through the park. They have reconstructed some of the earthwork fortifications to what they looked like in 1864 and have maintained the earthworks elsewhere so that visitors can see where the fortifications were. Imagine, these extended from Richmond south to Petersburg, then nearly encircling the whole city. Be sure to see where Grants army attempted to blow a hole into the fortifications by mining under the walls.

489suzannel

This place is a vast park it looks so green and peaceful very hard to believe it was ever a battlefield .they have a very good presentation in the museum well worth seeing it first .The battle plan and goals gives you an idea of why this is such an important civil war park . Do take a guided tour if you can they are not always available so check . The story of the battles and the minds of one force trying to out do the other is amazing the battle of the Crator is amazing for all the sad reasons it became . This park is vast and you can't walk to all the attractions they have a driving route to guide you and it also has audio via your car radio very thoughtful .take a picnic ,this is at least a 3 hour visit oh so worth it sad but real history .

MaryKayD

Historically accurate and user friendly - the siege of Petersburg is not as well known as Gettysburg, yet the history is important. Great pictures of the crater.

nancydto

Wonderful day visiting the park sites. Well maintained grounds and lots of history to discover. The short movie is a good start to build understanding of the area and battles.

juniebj2015

We spent a night at Petersburg on our way back from Florida to NY. The battlefield is pretty much the only attraction in the area. $5 entrance fee per car if you visit the Visitor Center. There they show you a film and display of artifacts from the war. You get a map and drive to the different stops on your own. If you want to save the $5, you can skip the visitor center and follow the road sign "Petersburg tour". There are 8 stops and the Crater is #8.

DougW853

Easy for history to come alive here when you see the proximity to each other of the two sides' trenches. Walking the same ground as the men who fought here 10 years ago is humbling. The Crater is must-see.

315EdS315

Petersburg represents the final crucial battle of the Civil War - a 10-month siege that cut off the supply lines to Richmond and forced the Confederates into surrender at Appomattox less than a week after the Union broke the South in this city. As a sprawling battle over a large area, the story is a little harder to tell concisely. And the visitor center, despite its 17-minute film, has changed little since it opened, with static displays of artifacts and nary an interactive display in site. But the center also offers a nice driving tour that will get you around the primary part of the battlefield. And the house that served as Grant's supply post is just a 15-minute drive away and is staffed by knowledgeable experts and includes a good overview model of the complex. It can be done in half a day, and it's certainly worth seeing.

5jeffr

One of the most interesting Civil War battlefield parks. Beautifully maintained and staffed by very helpful National Park service staff. The Rangers were excellent historians and storyters!

HistoryTraveler216

Visit the battlefield & drive & walk where the civil war soldiers toiled & died. The tunnel & crater where thousands perished remains & it is easy to visualize the day of the explosion & the battle. The video given prior to,the tour is a must.

643rachelw

I was so unbelievably excited to see Petersburg. I just wanted to see the crater! My family and I purchased the driving tour cd which helped us a lot. It takes you to other stops than the regular tour takes you on. There are tons of forts and earthworks. We got to a huge fort and there was a park ranger dressed in Civil War attire. She was awesome and was filled with great facts. She even loaded her gun and shot it off for us! We finally got to the crater and it was awesome that the hole was still visible! Not only that but they have a short walking path to the tunnel the Union dug to get under the Confederates. It was very interesting and I think everyone should see it!

bendewberry

Fee required, self- guided tour of large battleground with stops at many battery and fortification sites, museum at site of crater with restrooms and gift shop, site of planned explosion in 1864 is still visible. The surrounding area is of interest to civil war buffs.