Battle of Dinwiddie Court House

Battle of Dinwiddie Court House
Part of the American Civil War
Date March 31, 1865 (1865-03-31) Location Dinwiddie County, Virginia Result Confederate victory
Belligerents
United States (Union)	CSA (Confederacy)
Commanders and leaders
Philip H. Sheridan	George E. Pickett Fitzhugh Lee
Strength
45,247[1]	20,030
Casualties and losses
354[2]	760

The Battle of Dinwiddie Court House was a minor engagement in the Appomattox Campaign of the American Civil War that was the immediate prelude to the Battle of Five Forks.

BackgroundEdit

On March 29, 1865, with the Cavalry Corps and the II and V Corps of the Army of the Potomac, Maj. Gen. Philip Sheridan undertook a flank march to turn Gen. Robert E. Lee's Petersburg defenses. A steady downpour turned the roads to mud, slowing the advance.

BattleEdit

On March 31, Maj. Gen. W.H.F. "Rooney" Lee's cavalry and Maj. Gen. George Pickett's infantry division met the Union vanguard north and northwest of Dinwiddie Court House and drove it back, collapsing the Union lines into a tight perimeter around the village, and temporarily stalling Sheridan's movement. With Union infantry approaching from the east, Pickett withdrew before daybreak to entrench at the vital road junction at Five Forks. Lee ordered Pickett to hold this intersection at all hazard.

PreservationEdit

The Dinwiddie County Court House was listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1973.^[3]

NotesEdit

ReferencesEdit

• Kennedy, Frances H., ed., The Civil War Battlefield Guide, 2nd ed., Houghton Mifflin Co., 1998, ISBN 0-395-74012-6.
• National Park Service battle description
• CWSAC Report Update

External linksEdit

• Animated History of The Siege of Petersburg and Surrender at Appomattox (shows this battle late in the animation, providing perspective on its role in the later stages of the Appomattox campaign)

Coordinates: 37°04′38″N 77°35′14″W / 37.07725°N 77.58711°W / 37.07725; -77.58711