Breakthrough at Petersburg on April 2, 1865 by the Union Sixth Corps

The Petersburg Campaign, the longest of the war, came to a violent end when a pre-dawn assault by the Federal Sixth Corps breeched the Confederate lines on April 2, 1865.

Rebel brigades, stretched thin, fought with bravery and tenacity, but were overwhelmed by Union forces attacking their fortifications.

The Sixth Corps attack doomed Petersburg, Richmond and the Confederacy as General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia was forced to surrender at Appomattox Court House one week later.

The gallantry of soldiers on both sides during the fierce fighting in the Breakthrough and its immediate aftermath was equal to that exhibited in any other major battle of the War Between The States.

This website is dedicated to the memory of those soldiers, patriots all, and their splendid deeds of valor.

The listed Union and Confederate regimental websites contain historical data and a Descendants Roll Call.

Descendants and family members may be listed on the roll and thereby honor the memory of soldiers who served in those regiments during the war.

The Sixth Corps Breakthrough and Post-Breakthrough battles occurred at locations that are mostly incorporated within Pamplin Historical Park where visitors walk along trails to view the remains of original fortifications, recreated battlefield fortifications showing what they looked like at the time, reenactor encampments and other interesting exhibits. The Breakthrough Battlefield was recently declared a National Historic Landmark, the nation's highest recognition of historical significance.

Another recommended means to honor the memory of a Civil War soldier is to have a plaque placed on the Remembrance Wall at the National Museum of the Civil War Soldier in Pamplin Historical Park.

Mission Statement

David H. Jones, Web Site Owner

Army of the Potomac

Sixth Army Corps

1st DIVISION

1st Brigade

3rd New Jersey

10th New Jersey

2nd Brigade

3rd Brigade

37th Massachusetts

49th Pennsylvania

82nd Pennsylvania

119th Pennsylvania

2nd Rhode Island

5th Wisconsin

2nd DIVISION

1st Brigade

62nd New York

93rd Pennsylvania

98th Pennsylvania

102nd Pennsylvania

139th Pennsylvania

2nd Brigade

2nd Vermont

3rd Vermont

4th Vermont

5th Vermont

6th Vermont

3rd Brigade

3rd DIVISION

1st Brigade

14th New Jersey

106th New York

151st New York

87th Pennsylvania

10th Vermont

2nd Brigade

6th Maryland

9th New York H.A.

110th Ohio

122nd Ohio

126th Ohio

67th Pennsylvania

138th Pennsylvania

ARTILLERY

Battery G, 1st Rhode Island L.A.

Battery H, 1st Rhode Island L.A.

Third New York Independent Battery

Noteworthy Others

LINKS
Pamplin Historical Park at Petersburg, Virginia	Remembrance Wall National Museum of the Civil War Soldier	Beyond The Crater The Civil War Petersburg Campaign Online
The American Civil War Homepage	The Seige of Petersburg Homepage	Crater Road Homepage
National Park Service Petersburg	Civil War Interpretive Center at Historic Blenheim

BOOKS

This from George

The Civil War Letters of

Sgt. George M. Englis, 89th New York

Two Brothers: One North, One South

An historical novel of the 6th Maryland

Infantry and the 2nd Maryland Battalion

The Final Battles of the Petersburg

Campaign

by A. Wilson Greene

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