Park Commemorates Petersburg Siege

National Reservation Soon to be One of Country's Sacred Battle Shrines

As Told to JAY-BEE

By a Member of the Petersburg National Military Park Staff

The Petersburg National Military Park, scene of the siege which opened June 15, 1864, and ended April 2, 1865, is rapidly being converted into a beautiful historical park attracting nation-wide attention, and under the direction of the National Park Service it will become one of America's most sacred shrines.

With the Fredericksburg, Richmond and Appomattox Parks, and others which may be created, it will be one of the world's great laboratories of military history, interesting to the patriotic American citizen and to the intelligent traveler from other nations as well as to persons with a professional interest in history.

At the present time a hard-surfaced park road is being constructed from Fort Davis to Fort Wadsworth, from the old Jerusalem Plank Road to the old Halifax Road.

Already a road has been built which enables the visitor to ride from Battery Five, which met the first determined attack on Petersburg, June 15, 1864, past Meade Station on Grant's Military Railroad, to Forts Stedman, Haskell and Morton. It is expected that these will be links in a great chain of historical sites in Virginia, including the battlefields of the Wilderness and Spottsylvania Courthouse past the North Anna to Cold Harbor to Fort Harrison, near Richmond, the Petersburg battlefields and those of Sailor's Creek and Appomattox, where General Lee surrendered to General Grant. In times to come the visitor may, by proceeding from one historic field to another, be enabled to follow on the ground the battle narrative of the last days of the Confederacy.

It is hoped that literature can soon be distributed dealing with the Fredericksburg, Richmond and Petersburg battlefields, which will be of great assistance to the person who wishes to acquaint himself with their history. Nation-wide publicity will be given the various parks. In the mean time all of them are becoming increasingly popular, and even many Virginians are for the first time becoming acquainted with these historic places in their midst.

*          *          *

Work will begin shortly on the restoration of one of the forts in the Petersburg National Military Park, and a Confederate Fort has already been restored in the Fort Harrison Park.

In the Petersburg Park it is likely that the Confederate Fort Gregg will be chosen, and in any event the fort selected will be restored in such a manner as to give visitors to the park an accurate conception of the appearance which the works had at the time of their construction and use. Restoration is undertaken only after careful research.

Fort Gregg is rich in history. Here on April 2, 1865, one day after the battle of Five Forks, the Federal advance on Petersburg was halted long enough to permit General Lee's main force to evacuate the city. Thus Fort Gregg restored will be doubly interesting, as a restoration and also by virtue of its history.

While the entire park is in reality a museum, there will be established in it a museum building of exceptional interest, which will house models of the battlefields, relics of the War Between the States, and material having to do with the lives of Generals Lee and Grant, whose careers were so closely identified with the Petersburg campaign.

Another feature of distinct museum interest will be the artillery park which will be located in the eastern portion of the park and which will contain examples of the artillery pieces used here during the siege.

*          *          *

While an elaborate guide service has not yet been established in the Petersburg Park, visitors are urged to avail themselves of the services of the historical staff at work there, which is under the direction of the National Park Service. The staff has a desk in the office of the Chamber of Commerce, on Washington Street, where a staff member may be secured for guide purposes. Parties of any size are welcome, from one or more individuals who would like to be taken through the park to larger groups, including delegates attending conventions and members of school and college classes. Special tours can be arranged by communicating with Branch Spalding, the historical technician at the Chamber of Commerce. However, engagements are not necessary, as members of the staff are at all times available to assist visitors.

Temporary markers have been erected at various points in the park. The desire of the historical staff, however, is that visitors instead of depending upon these markers for their information obtain the services of a staff member. Such service is entirely free to the public.

The importance of the area included in the Petersburg National Military Park is unquestioned, for here Generals Lee and Grant and their armies were facing each other for more than nine months in a campaign, the outcome of which was to play a large part in American history.