| The Confederate line went along the north side of the White Oak road
(numbers 1 and 4), with entrenchments. The entrenchments would
have gone right across Ford's Road (5), just beyond the intersection.
Sheridan's Cavalry attacked here from the south (including roads 2 and
3). Confederate commanding general George Pickett at the time of
battle was a couple of miles north on Ford's road (5) at a shad bake,
thinking that there would be no battle that day, which was a reasonable
assumption.
Warren's infantry troops overran the left flank, and ended up
attacking this position along White Oak Road from the east, and South
down Ford's road.
The previous day, Pickett had driven Sheridan's cavalry down the
Dinwiddie Court House Road, but felt her could not hold the position,
and fell back, to Robert E Lee's great displeasure. Pickett had
planned to fall back farther north, but Lee insisted that he hold Five
Forks.
I go to this battlefield at 5 o'clock p.m., roughly the time of the
battle itself. The cannon just visible to the left of the stop
sign marks where 3 cannon were placed during the battle, and where
Confederate artillery legend Willie Pegram was mortally wounded.
The Confederate left flank, which was essentially in the air due to
Warren's assault the previous day, is a mile or so down the road marked
with a "1." This is where the battle was won for the
Union, as they overwhelmed the left flank, and then moved to the
intersection here from three direction, including southward on
Ford's road, attacking from the rear.
The Confederate army fell back to the west, as Confederate cavalrymen
under General W. H. F. Lee (Robert E Lee's son) and General Corse's
Virginia Brigade held the Union assault back long enough for about 7,000
of Pickett's troops to withdraw safely to the north.
The loss of this battle meant the Union troops had outflanked Lee,
and he immediately ordered the evacuation of Petersburg and Richmond.
Appomattox was one week away.
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