The Battle of Five Forks

After the Union successfully warded off a Confederate attack at Fort Stedman on March 25, Grant prepared the first in a series of attacks on Confederate lines surrounding Petersburg. On April 1, Union troops at Five Forks led by General Philip Sheridan defeated the Confederates led by General George Pickett. Union forces took control of a main railroad supply line into Petersburg and set into motion a chain of events that would ultimately lead to Appomattox.