White Oak Road, VA

Date(s): March 31, 1865

Campaign(s): Appomattox Campaign [March-April 1865]

Battles in Campaign:

• Lewis's Farm, VA - March 29, 1865 C¹

• White Oak Road, VA - March 31, 1865 B

• Dinwiddie Court House, VA - March 31, 1865 C

• Five Forks, VA - April 1, 1865 A

• Petersburg, VA III - April 2, 1865 A

• Sutherland's Station, VA - April 2, 1865 C¹

• Namozine Church, VA - April 3 1865 D¹  

• Amelia Springs, VA - April 5, 1865 C

• Sayler's Creek, VA - April 6, 1865 B

• Rice's Station, VA - April 6, 1865 D¹

• Cumberland Church, VA - April 7, 1865 C¹  

• High Bridge, VA - April 6-7, 1865 C

• Appomattox Station, VA - April 8, 1865 B

• Appomattox Court House, VA - April 9, 1865 A

Situation:

Commanders:

• Union: Maj. Gen. G. K. Warren

• Confederate:  Gen. Robert E. Lee and Lt. Gen. Richard H. Anderson

Principal Forces:

• Union: Corps

• Confederate: Corps

Description:

• On March 30th, Lee shifted reinforcements to meet the Federal movement to turn his right flank, placing Maj. Gen. W. H. Fitzhugh Lee’s cavalry divisions at Five Forks and transferring Pickett’s division from the Bermuda Hundred front to the extreme right.

• Warren pushed the V Corps forward and entrenched a line to cover the Boydton Plank Road from its intersection with Dabney Mill Road south to Gravelly Run.

• Ayres’s division advanced northwest toward White Oak Road.

• On March 31st, in combination with Maj. Gen. Philip Sheridan’s thrust via Dinwiddie Court House, Warren directed his corps against the Confederate entrenchments along White Oak Road, hoping to cut Lee’s communications with Pickett at Five Forks.

• The Union advance was stalled by a crushing counterattack directed by Maj. Gen. Bushrod Johnson, but Warren’s position stabilized and his soldiers closed on the road by day’s end.

• This fighting set up the Confederate defeat at Five Forks on April 1st.

Slide Presentation²: Appomattox Campaign

Classification³: B

Casualties⁴:

• Union: 1,870

• Confederate: 800

Results: Union Victory

Battlefield Website:

•   White Oak Road - National Park Service

Recommended Resources:

¹ National Park Service summary.

² Slide Presentation Published on 6/23/07. Click on link to view as web-based slide show.

³ Classification:

• A - having a decisive influence on a campaign and a direct impact on the course of the war

• B - having a direct and decisive influence on their campaign

• C - having observable influence on the outcome of a campaign

• D - having a limited influence on the outcome of their campaign or operation but achieving or affecting important local objectives

⁴ Casualties are someone killed, injured, wounded, captured or missing.

Revised 06/05/2008