Petersburg Breakthrough Battlefield

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Petersburg Breakthrough Battlefield

PETERSBURG BREAKTHROUGH BATTLEFIELD HISTORIC DISTRICT AT PAMPLIN HISTORICAL PARK.jpg

Tudor Hall
USA Virginia location map.svg
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Usa edcp location map.svg
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Location Jct. of Duncan and Boydton Plank Rds., Petersburg, Virginia
Coordinates 37°11′22″N77°28′33″W / 37.18944°N 77.47583°W / 37.18944; -77.47583 Coordinates: 37°11′22″N77°28′33″W / 37.18944°N 77.47583°W / 37.18944; -77.47583
NRHP reference # 06000239 [1]
VLR # 026-5013
Significant dates
Added to NRHP February 17, 2006
Designated VLR June 18, 2003 [2]
Petersburg Breakthrough Battlefield Historic District at Pamplin Historical Park
USA Virginia location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Usa edcp location map.svg
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Location 6125 Boydton Plank Rd., 6619 Duncan Rd., Petersburg, Virginia
Built 1864
Architect C.S. Army
Architectural style Greek Revival, Gothic Revival
NRHP reference # 03001095
Significant dates
Added to NRHP October 22, 2003 [1]
Designated HD February 17, 2006 [3]

The Petersburg Breakthrough Battlefield is a historic district in Dinwiddie County, near Petersburg, Virginia. It was the location of the Third Battle of Petersburg, in which the Union Army broke through Confederate Army lines protecting Petersburg and Richmond on April 2, 1865, during the American Civil War. The success of the breakthrough led to abandonment of Richmond by General Robert E. Lee, a general retreat, and surrender at Appomattox Court House one week later. Portions of the area were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003, and a different portion (overlapping the first) was designated a National Historic Landmark in 2006. Much of the battlefield area is part of Pamplin Historical Park, a private park open to the public that interprets the battle. The park includes a full-service visitor center, trails, displays, interpretive signs and history programs. The Civil War Trust (a division of the American Battlefield Trust) and its partners have acquired and preserved 407 acres (1.65 km2) of the Breakthrough battlefield in five transactions since 2004. [4]

Historic districts in the United States group of buildings, properties, or sites that have been designated as historically or architecturally significant

Historic districts in the United States are designated historic districts recognizing a group of buildings, properties, or sites by one of several entities on different levels as historically or architecturally significant. Buildings, structures, objects and sites within a historic district are normally divided into two categories, contributing and non-contributing. Districts greatly vary in size: some have hundreds of structures, while others have just a few.

Dinwiddie County, Virginia County in the United States

Dinwiddie County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 28,001. Its county seat is Dinwiddie.

Petersburg, Virginia Independent city in Commonwealth of Virginia, United States

Petersburg is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 32,420. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines Petersburg with Dinwiddie County for statistical purposes. It is located on the Appomattox River. The city is just 21 miles (34 km) south of the historic commonwealth (state) capital city of Richmond. The city's unique industrial past and its location as a transportation hub combined to create wealth for Virginia and the Middle Atlantic and Upper South regions of the nation.

Contents

Description

The Petersburg Breakthrough Battlefield is located just southwest of Petersburg. It is a large area, roughly bounded on the northwest by United States Route 1, to the north by the Rohoic Woods Apartment complex on Virginia State Route 670, the east by Hofheimer Way and Church Road (Virginia State Route 672), and on the south by Arthur Swamp, an area that drains south into the Nottoway River. The battlefield area is located on private land just west of the Fort Fisher and Fort Welch area of Petersburg National Battlefield, a U.S. National Park Service-administered area. Much of this area is part of Pamplin Historical Park, a private park which interprets the battle. [5]

Nottoway River river in the United States of America

The Nottoway River is in southern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina. It is part of the Chowan River system, which flows into Albemarle Sound in North Carolina.

Petersburg National Battlefield National Park Service unit preserving sites related to the American Civil War Siege of Petersburg

Petersburg National Battlefield is a National Park Service unit preserving sites related to the American Civil War Siege of Petersburg (1864–65). The Battlefield is centered on the city of Petersburg, Virginia, and also includes outlying components in Hopewell, Prince George County, and Dinwiddie County. Over 140,000 people visit the park annually.

National Park Service United States federal agency

The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations. It was created on August 25, 1916, by Congress through the National Park Service Organic Act and is an agency of the United States Department of the Interior. The NPS is charged with a dual role of preserving the ecological and historical integrity of the places entrusted to its management, while also making them available and accessible for public use and enjoyment.

The preserved portions of the battlefield include nearly 1,700 feet (520 m) of Confederate earthworks, which are among the best-preserved known. Archaeological evidence of the Confederate camps, located at the back of those works, is also present, as are a series of rifle pits dug by the Confederates. Some of these were taken over by Union forces in the action. Also included in the defenses are two dams (of an unknown number that would have been built) for the diversion of water in and around the defenses. On the east side of Arthur Swamp the Confederates built a large redan on one of the area's natural high points. [5]

Redan term related to fortifications

Redan is a term related to fortifications. It is a work in a V-shaped salient angle towards an expected attack. It can be made from earthworks or other material.

The battlefield area also now includes recreations of Confederate log cabins, built as part of their winter quarters, and the facilities of Pamplin Historical Park. The park area includes the Hart House, built 1859-61, which has been restored to its appearance of that time, and the c. 1812 Tudor Hall, a Federal period house that stood just outside the area where the battle took place. [5]

The battlefield is the subject of two separate, overlapping designations. In 2003 "Petersburg Breakthrough Battlefield Historic District at Pamplin Historical Park" was listed on the National Register of Historic Places, encompasses about 422 acres (171 ha), including all of Pamplin Historical Park and three adjacent residential properties. [6] In 2006 an area of just over 647 acres (262 ha) was designated a National Historic Landmark. The latter designation includes larger areas of properties adjacent to Pamplin Park, and excludes portions of the park (such as Tudor Hall) that did not directly bear on the battle. [5]

National Register of Historic Places federal list of historic sites in the United States

The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance. A property listed in the National Register, or located within a National Register Historic District, may qualify for tax incentives derived from the total value of expenses incurred preserving the property.

National Historic Landmark formal designation assigned by the United States federal government to historic buildings and sites in the United States

A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Of over 90,000 places listed on the country's National Register of Historic Places, only some 2,500 are recognized as National Historic Landmarks.

See also

National Register of Historic Places listings in Dinwiddie County, Virginia Wikimedia list article

This is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Dinwiddie County, Virginia.

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Pamplin Historical Park

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A. Wilson Greene

Allen Wilson Greene is an American historian, author, and retired museum director. Greene was the director of the Association for the Preservation of Civil War Sites. Later, he became director of Pamplin Historical Park and the National Museum of the Civil War Soldier in Petersburg, Virginia. He also served on the national oversight board for the Institute of Museum and Library Services Over the years, Greene has made ten appearances on C-SPAN.

References

  1. 1 2 National Park Service (2007-01-23). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service.
  2. "Virginia Landmarks Register". Virginia Department of Historic Resources. Retrieved 5 June 2013.
  3. "Petersburg Breakthrough Battlefield". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Retrieved 2008-04-20.
  4. American Battlefield Trust "Saved Land" webpage. Accessed May 29, 2018.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "NHL nomination for Petersburg Breakthrough Battlefield" (PDF). National Park Service. Retrieved 2016-02-01.
  6. "NRHP nomination for Petersburg Breakthrough Battlefield Historic District at Pamplin Historical Park" (PDF). Virginia DHR. Retrieved 2016-02-01.