Overview
The Battle of Sutherland’s Station took place on April 2, 1865, in Dinwiddie County, Virginia, during the Appomattox Campaign. The battle was part of the Third Battle of Petersburg, which started after Union forces broke through Confederate defenses around Petersburg. Grant had ordered a general assault on the Confederate trenches after the Union victory at Five Forks threatened Lee’s limited supply lines.
Early on April 2, the Union Army of the Potomac launched a coordinated attack against the Confederate line in front of Petersburg. On the Confederate right, near Five Forks, the Union 2nd Corps, led by Major General Andrew Humphreys, advanced along Claiborne Road. Humphreys attacked Confederate forces at Sutherland’s Station, where Major General Henry Heth’s troops were protecting the South Side Railroad west of Petersburg.
Confederate forces were temporarily commanded by General John R. Cooke when the battle started. The fighting continued into the afternoon. General Nelson A. Miles made repeated attempts to break Cooke’s line. Around 4 p.m., Miles launched a third assault against the Confederate left flank under heavy Union artillery fire. The bombardment helped break the Confederate line and forced Cooke’s men to retreat. Union forces captured 600 Confederate prisoners and gained control of the South Side Railroad, Lee’s last remaining supply line into Richmond.
Essential Facts
- Date: April 2, 1865.
- Location: Dinwiddie County, Virginia.
- Participants: The United States of America (USA) and the Confederate States of America (CSA).
- USA Commanders: Andrew Humphreys and Nelson A. Miles.
- CSA Commanders: Henry Heth and Cadmus Wilcox.
- Who Won: Union victory.
- Campaign: Appomattox Campaign.
- Era: Civil War, 1865.
Statistics
United States of America
- Casualties: 370 killed, wounded, captured, or missing.
- Forces Engaged: 2nd Army Corps, Army of the Potomac.
- Troop Strength: Roughly 1,500.
Confederate States of America
- Casualties: 600 killed, wounded, captured, or missing.
- Forces Engaged: Four Confederate Brigades, including Cooke’s, Scales’s, MacRae’s and McGowan’s Brigades.
- Troop Strength: Roughly 3,000.
Significance
The Battle of Sutherland’s Station is important to American History because it helped complete the Union breakthrough at Petersburg and forced Lee’s army into retreat. Union forces broke the Confederate line, captured 600 prisoners, and seized the South Side Railroad. This railroad was Lee’s last remaining supply line into Richmond, which made its loss especially damaging. The battle also contributed to Lee’s decision to withdraw his army to the north bank of the Appomattox River. From there, Lee moved west during the Appomattox Campaign, which led to the final collapse of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia.
History
Grant’s Umbrella Strategy
On March 12, 1864, President Abraham Lincoln appointed Ulysses S. Grant as General-in-Chief of the Armies of the United States. Upon his arrival in Washington, Grant drafted a plan to get the various Union armies in the field to act in concert and strike the Confederacy from several directions: Grant would travel with Major General George Meade and the Army of the Potomac in pursuit of General Robert E. Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia in the Richmond area; Major General William T. Sherman would march three federal armies south from Chattanooga to capture Atlanta, and Major General Franz Sigel would invade Western Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley to cut off supplies to Lee’s army and to prevent any Confederate attempts to attack Meade’s flank.
Stalemate at Petersburg
The Union Army of the Potomac relentlessly engaged the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia throughout the spring of 1864. By June, Grant forced Lee to retreat to the Richmond-Petersburg area. Thereafter, both armies were entrenched, and a stalemate ensued for the next ten months. During that period, Grant probed Lee’s defenses to no avail. Despite being well-entrenched, the Confederate situation grew progressively worse as their supplies dwindled.
Union prospects, on the other hand, improved over the winter. Major General Philip Sheridan completed his task of sweeping the Confederates from the Shenandoah Valley, and his well-rested troops rejoined Grant in the spring. Determined to break the stalemate at Petersburg, Grant ordered Sheridan to turn Lee’s right flank with the Army of the Potomac’s Cavalry Corps along with the 2nd and 5th Infantry Corps, and force Lee out of Petersburg.
Battle of Fort Stedman — Failed Confederate Breakout
On March 25, 1865, Lee made one final attempt to break the Siege of Petersburg by ordering forces commanded by Major General John B. Gordon to attack Fort Stedman, a Union fortification in the siege lines surrounding Petersburg. Gordon’s pre-dawn attack succeeded initially, but blistering Union counterattacks forced the Confederates back inside their lines, ending the Battle of Fort Stedman.
Appomattox Campaign
Many historians consider March 29, 1865, as the beginning of the Appomattox Campaign. On that date, Grant opened his spring offensive against Lee’s army by ordering Major General Philip Sheridan’s cavalry (freshly returned from the Shenandoah Valley) and Major General G. K. Warren’s 5th Corps to attempted to turn Lee’s right flank at the Battle of Lewis’s Farm. Two days later the action resumed at the Battle of White Oak Road and the Battle of Dinwiddie Court House as Lee shored up his right wing to halt the federal Flanking maneuver. On April 1 Sheridan and Warren continued their offensive, with a major victory over Major General George Pickett’s forces at the Battle of Five Forks.
A String of Federal Victories
On March 29, Major General G.K. Warren’s 5th Corps defeated several Confederate brigades commanded by Major General Bushrod Johnson at the Battle of Lewis’s Farm. Two days later, the action resumed at the Battles of White Oak Road and Dinwiddie Court House, as Lee shored up his right wing to halt the federal flanking maneuver. On April 1, Philip Sheridan and Warren continued their offensive, with a major victory over Major General George Pickett’s forces at the Battle of Five Forks. Losing that strategic crossroads further threatened Lee’s already limited supply lines.
Grant Orders a General Assault on Petersburg
Encouraged by the Federal victory at Five Forks, Grant ordered a general assault on the Confederate entrenchments on April 2, 1865. By 10 a.m., Lee realized he could no longer hold the Federals back. He advised President Jefferson Davis to prepare to leave the Confederate capital at Richmond. As Lee abandoned his defenses at Petersburg, three minor engagements took place during the next three days at Sutherland’s Station, Namozine Church, and Amelia Springs.
Battle of Sutherland’s Station Begins
Early the next morning, April 2, the Union Army of the Potomac launched a coordinated offensive against Confederate forces positioned along the entire front at Petersburg.
On the Confederate right, near Five Forks, the Union 2nd Corps, led by General Andrew A. Humphreys, advanced along the Claiborne Road. Humphreys engaged Confederate forces at Sutherland Station, which were led by General Henry Heth, who was protecting the Southside Road, west of Petersburg.
At the time the battle started, the Confederates were temporarily under the command of General John R. Cooke. The battle between Humphreys and Cooke continued into the afternoon.
As the battle carried on, General Nelson A. Miles and his Union forces tried to break through Cooke’s line but were pushed back. Around 4:00 p.m., Miles launched a third assault on the left flank of the Confederates, under a heavy artillery bombardment. The intensity of the artillery barrage helped break the Confederate line, forcing Cooke’s men to retreat.
As a result of this assault, Miles’s division incurred 366 casualties but managed to capture 600 Confederate prisoners and gain control of the Southside Railroad — the last remaining supply line into Richmond for Lee’s army. The loss of the supply line contributed to Lee’s decision to withdraw his forces to the north bank of the Appomattox River. This was the start of his westward retreat in the Appomattox Campaign.
Historians refer to this part of the Third Battle of Petersburg as the Battle of Sutherland’s Station.
Timeline
- 1864, March 12 — President Abraham Lincoln appointed Ulysses S. Grant as General-in-Chief of the Armies of the United States.
- 1864, June — Grant forced Lee to retreat to the Richmond-Petersburg area in an unsuccessful attempt to break the Siege of Petersburg.
- 1865, March 25 — Lee ordered Major General John B. Gordon to attack Fort Stedman.
- 1865, March 29
- Grant opened his spring offensive against Lee’s army.
- Major General G.K. Warren’s 5th Corps defeated several Confederate Brigades at the Battle of Lewis’s Farm.
- 1865, April 1 — Philip Sheridan and Warren defeated Major General George Pickett’s forces at the Battle of Five Forks.
- 1865, April 2
- Grant ordered a general assault on the Confederate trenches around Petersburg.
- Lee advised President Jefferson Davis to prepare to leave Richmond.
- The Union Army of the Potomac launched a coordinated attack along the Petersburg front.
- Major General Andrew Humphreys advanced along Claiborne Road toward Sutherland’s Station.
- Major General Nelson A. Miles launched a third assault around 4 p.m. against the Confederate left flank.
- Union artillery helped break the Confederate line at Sutherland’s Station.
- Union forces captured 600 Confederate prisoners and seized the South Side Railroad.
- Lee’s loss of the South Side Railroad helped lead to his westward retreat.
AP US History
Definition
Battle of Sutherland’s Station (1865) — The Battle of Sutherland’s Station was fought on April 2, 1865, in Dinwiddie County, Virginia, during the Appomattox Campaign. It was part of the Third Battle of Petersburg and followed Union victories at Lewis’s Farm, White Oak Road, Dinwiddie Court House and Five Forks. General Andrew Humphreys advanced along Claiborne Road, while General Nelson A. Miles attacked the Confederate left flank. Union artillery helped break the Confederate line, leading to the capture of 600 prisoners and the South Side Railroad.
Alignment
The Battle of Sutherland’s Station is part of the following AP US History sections:
