Presentation on U.S. Military Railroad Operations During Siege of Petersburg – June 10
On June 10th Petersburg National Battlefield Historian/Curator Jimmy Blankenship will offer a free presentation entitled U.S. Military Railroad Operations During the Siege of Petersburg. The program will take place at 7 p.m. at Union Train Station at 103 River Street in Petersburg. It is sponsored by the Historic Petersburg Foundation, Inc. (HPF), Petersburg National Battlefield […]
On June 10th Petersburg National Battlefield Historian/Curator Jimmy Blankenship will offer a free presentation entitled U.S. Military Railroad Operations During the Siege of Petersburg. The program will take place at 7 p.m. at Union Train Station at 103 River Street in Petersburg. It is sponsored by the Historic Petersburg Foundation, Inc. (HPF), Petersburg National Battlefield and the City of Petersburg’s Department of Tourism.
The Siege of Petersburg was a nine-and-a-half-month military campaign in which Union forces commanded by Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant assaulted Petersburg unsuccessfully and then constructed trench lines that eventually extended over 30 miles from the eastern outskirts of Richmond, VA to around the eastern and southern outskirts of Petersburg. Petersburg was crucial to the supply of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee’s army and the Confederate capital of Richmond. Numerous raids were conducted and battles fought in attempts to cut off the last remaining railroad supply lines through Petersburg to Richmond.
City Point, located in what is today Hopewell, VA, served as the headquarters of the Union armies under the command of Lt. Gen. Grant during the Siege. An elaborate railroad, ship supply and communications operation was set up at City Point to distribute supplies to men in the field. According to Blankenship, this railroad operation was the most extensive during the Civil War, with 26 locomotives on the line. Detailed records were kept for each railroad car, which Blankenship will highlight during the presentation.
HPF is a non-profit organization dedicated to leading the preservation and restoration of Petersburg’s historic architecture and neighborhoods and to tell their story.
For more information on the presentation, call HPF at (804) 732-2096 or the Petersburg Visitor Center at (804) 733-2400.
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