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Fort Gregg is Stop 4 on the Petersburg National Battlefield Western Front Auto Tour.
The earthworks of the fort are 300 yard east of the parking area on a walking trail. An orientation marker is at the parking area and a monument and a wayside marker are at the fort:
Fort Gregg
Fort Gregg is on the west side of Petersburg. It was part of a secondary defensive line connecting the main Confederate line with the Appomattox River. The fort was a backup if Union forces ever broke through or outflanked Confederate lines and tried to sweep around into Petersburg.
This is exactly what happened on April 2, 1865. Union forces poured through a break in the lines two miles to the west. The only defenses between them and the rear of Lee’s army in the lines to the east was Fort Gregg and its sister Fort Whitworth.
The Battle for Fort Gregg
Six hundred Confederate troops moved into the forts to buy time for the rest of Lee’s army to withdraw across the Appomattox. Over 5,000 Federal troops assaulted the forts. The battle went on for over two hours. It was a horrible carnage of hand to hand fighting that one participant described as worse in its ferocity than Spotsylvania. All of the Confederate defenders were killed, wounded or captured. The Federal attackers lost over 800 killed and wounded. But the sacrifice of Fort Gregg allowed the rest of Lee’s army to escape safely – for a few more days.
Where to next?
This is the last stop on the Petersburg Western Front driving tour. If you want to continue on to the A.P. Hill monuments, Pamplin Historical Park or the Five Forks battlefield:
Leave the parking lot, turning left (south) on 7th Avenue. Turn right (west) on Simpson Road and follow it 0.75 mile to Boydton Plank Road (US 1) and turn left. The turn-offs to the Hill monuments and Pamlin Park are about 0.7 mile south, and the intersection with White Oak Road (which leads to Five Forks) is 4 miles.
Location of Stop 4
Stop 4 on the Petersburg National Battlefield Western Front Auto Tour is Fort Gregg. The parking area is on the east side of 7th Avenue just north of Simpson Road. (37°11’53.1″N 77°27’14.8″W)