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Petersburg • East • Southeast • West • Monuments • Markers • Facts • Timeline

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The “Battery 5 Trail’ marker is at Stop One on the Petersburg Eastern Front Auto Tour. (see map below)

Text from the marker:

Battery 5 Trail

 On the ground before you the first major attacks against Petersburg occurred. This bloodletting marked the beginning of nine months of siege.

This 0.6-mile trail will take you through Battery 5 of the Confederate Dimmock Line, captured by the Federals on June 15, 1864. Along the way you will also see the position of the famous Union mortar, the “Dictator.”

The walk includes a set of stairs and a moderate (10% slope). Mobility-impaired visitors can reach the position of the “Dictator” by taking the right fork of the trail.

Caption to the background photo:

For almost three months in 1864, the “Dictator” (shown here), a 13-inch seacoast mortar, fired into the city of Petersburg.

Location of the marker

The “Battery 5 Trail’ marker is on the walking trail leading from the Visitor Center to Battery 5 and the mortar “Dictator.” It is next to the “Siege of Petersburg – Grant’s First Offensive” orientation marker.