Wayside exhibit at The Angle stop on the Five Forks Battlefield Driving Tour at Petersburg National Battlefield

FIVE FORKS BATTLEFIELD DRIVING TOUR

STOP 2:  The Angle

Allow 5 minutes for a visit

The second stop on the Five Forks Battlefield Driving Tour at Petersburg National Battlefield is The Angle, the area of fortifications along the Confederate left flank on White Oak Road. The Confederate defensive trenches, known as earthworks, ran east to west along the road, but at this location they turned north for 150 yards, creating an angle. This provided protection against an attack from the east, which General George Pickett, commander of the Confederate forces at Five Forks, now suspected after being cut off from the rest of the Confederate army five miles to the east during the Battle of White Oak Road the previous day.

The Battle of Five Forks began late in the afternoon around 5 PM on April 1, 1865. Union general Gouverneur Warren and the 12,000 men of his V Corp were assigned to attack Pickett’s left flank. Two divisions under the command of General Romeyn B. Ayres and General Samuel Crawford led the attack, with a third division commanded by General Charles Griffin following in the rear of Crawford. The attack originated from southeast of the Five Forks intersection. Ayres hit the Confederate left flank along White Oak Road and Crawford continued north across the road before turning west to attack The Angle from the east. The only problem was that many of Crawford’s men marched too far north, and when they turned west they marched right by the Confederate line. Some of Griffin’s men heard the gunfire to their left and broke off in that direction to join the fight. Ultimately, 3,000 Union infantrymen attacked The Angle, quickly overrunning the North Carolina troops that defended the area. This precipitated the collapse of Pickett’s entire line, thus opening up Ford’s Road (today’s Courthouse Road north of the intersection), a direct connection to Petersburg’s last supply line, the South Side Railroad.

The Angle stop on the tour is at a roadside parking lot where two wayside exhibits are posted. One discusses the battle and a second gives a biography of General Frederick Winthrop, who was killed while fighting at The Angle. He was the highest ranking officer to die at Five Forks. No earthwork remnants remain to be seen. The terrain is forested in all directions.

For those who stop at The Angle to begin a hike on the Winthrop Trail, while the Five Forks Battlefield trail map makes it look as if the trail begins at the parking lot, the trailheads (there are two) are actually down the road a little ways in each direction. One trailhead, which you actually have to stumble upon to find, is located fifty yards west of the parking lot (take a right on the road). Keep an eye out for a gap in the trees. The second trailhead is about the same distance from the parking lot to the east. It is easier to spot, as it has a chain across the entrance to keep out motorized vehicles.

Stop 3: Five Forks Intersection | Stop 1: Union Cavalry Attacks
Five Forks Battlefield Tour Home Page

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