Petersburg National Battlefield
National Battlefield · VA
Two hundred ninety-two days, eight offensives, over 70,000 casualties, U. S. Colored Troops, and the decline of Gen. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia all describe the Siege of Petersburg. U.S. forces cut off supplies to both Petersburg and the Confederate capital, Richmond. Today, the park preserves the sites of this pivotal campaign.
- NPS site
- nps.gov/pete
- Location
- Petersburg National Battlefield (37.191, -77.476)
Track your visit to Petersburg National Battlefield
NP Tracker keeps a record of every National Park Service unit you visit — all 430-plus of them. Log visits with dates and photos, collect passport stamps, plan trips, and watch your map fill in. It's free.
Passport stamp locations
- Eastern Front Visitor Center
- Five Forks Visitor Contact Station
- General Grant's Headquarters at City Point
Hours
Eastern Front Tour Road and Trailstoday: 9:00AM - Sunset
- Sat Oct 39:00AM - Sunset
- Sun Oct 49:00AM - Sunset
- Mon Oct 59:00AM - Sunset
- Tue Oct 69:00AM - Sunset
- Wed Oct 79:00AM - Sunset
- Thu Oct 89:00AM - Sunset
- Fri Oct 99:00AM - Sunset
The Eastern Front Unit includes our main visitor center and a four mile, 8-stop tour road which includes the Fort Stedman and Crater battlefields. During Spring and Summer, the tour road closes at sunset or 8:00 pm (whichever is earlier). In the Fall and Winter, the tour road closes at 5:00pm. The Visitor Center is open from 9:00 - 5:00 pm daily except for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years Day when the park is closed.
General Grant's Headquarters at City Pointtoday: Sunrise to Sunset
Visitor centers
3
- Eastern Front Visitor Centertoday: 9:00AM - 5:00PMDirections
- Five Forks Visitor Contact Stationtoday: 10:00AM - 4:00PMDirections
- General Grant's Headquarters at City Pointtoday: 10:00AM - 4:00PMDirections
Self-guided tours
3
City Point Audio Walking Tour20–60 minutes · 8 stops
Walk around City Point to explore why this area was, and still is, a popular place for living along the rivers. The Eppes family established the Appomattox plantation and their home here as early as 1635, until 1976. In 1864, General Grant and the U.S. Army used City Point as its headquarters to supply the army during the Petersburg Campaign.
Eastern Front Audio Driving and Walking Tour2–3 hours · 16 stops
This four-mile driving tour of the Eastern Front has eight stops and some short, interpretive walking trails. The initial assaults that failed to capture the city and the encounters that followed shaped the siege’s history on the Eastern Front. Soldiers along this front suffered in trenches under constant artillery and rifle fire in lines only yards and sometimes feet apart. Nowhere else along the siege lines were the opposing armies this close.
History of Poplar Grove National Cemetery30–60 minutes · 7 stops
A walking tour covering the Poplar Grove National Cemetery. This tour stays on the paved surface. Starting with the fourth stop benches are available for rest and contemplation. Round trip the distance walked is approximately one quarter of a mile. Start in the parking lot at the eastern end of the center grass median (near to the cemetery).
Entrance fees
No entrance fee.