At the time of the American Civil War, Petersburg, Virginia was a port city on the Appomattox River guarding the major road and railway approaches to the Confederate capitol in Richmond. In 1864, the Union Army under the leadership of General Ulysses S. Grant chose to attack Petersburg in an attempt to cut off supply lines from the capitol. After a failed initial assault, Grant decided to enter into what would become the longest continuous engagement of the American Civil War.
Petersburg National Battlefield
Pamplin Historical Park and the National Museum of the Civil War Soldier