The Union siege of Petersburg, Virginia was done to cut off the Confederate Capital from the rest of the confederacy. As the battle prolonged, both sides engaged in trench warfare.
The siege lasted from June 9, 1864 to March 25, 1865. The confederacy ran out of supplies, such as ammo, resulting in the surrender of hundreds of soldiers and the strategic loss of their position in Petersburg. The Confederate soldiers whom fled to Appomattox were ordered to destroy the south side railroad station in order to slow down the Union advance.
During the Confederate retreat, Union troops proceeded to burning down buildings in the city of Richmond.
In present day Petersburg is the site of the Petersburg National Battlefield and various historical markers show were different parts of the battle occurred.
The lands of the Petersburg Battlefield were established as a national park in the 1900s.
A marker outside of “Old Market Square” shows a map of the buildings in Petersburg during the Civil War.
Another Virginia historical marker shows the area of the former Bollingbrook Hotel where Confederate soldiers were housed during the war.
In addition, there is the Siege Musuem, which was established in the 1970s and is at the former Merchant Exchange Building, which shows the daily life of Americans living in the area during the siege.
Hamilton Historical Records 