Battles & Campaigns · 1865
Battle of White Oak Road
Dinwiddie County, Virginia, USA
What happened
Confederates attacked the end of the Union line and pushed two divisions back across a creek. Then Joshua Chamberlain led a counterattack that drove the Confederates back to their lines along White Oak Road.
Why it matters
The Confederates lost control of the road and their direct link with Pickett's force at Five Forks.
What came next
The armies fought at Five Forks the next day, and Grant attacked at Petersburg on 2 April. Lee surrendered on 9 April 1865.
Did you know?
Warren asked Chamberlain, wounded two days earlier, 'will you save the honor of the Fifth Corps?'
Timeline
- 29 Mar 1865Chamberlain wounded at Lewis's Farm.
- 31 Mar 1865Battle of White Oak Road.
- 1 Apr 1865Battle of Five Forks.
- 2 Apr 1865Third Battle of Petersburg.