Fort Gregg (4)

Fort Gregg (4) (1864-1865) - A Union U.S. Civil War Fort established in 1864 near Petersburg, Dinwiddie County, Virginia. Named Fort Gregg after 1st Lieutenant James Potter Gregg, 45th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, who was killed at the Battle of Pegram’s Farm on 30 Sep 1864. Abandoned in 1865 at the end of the war. (Not to be confused with the Confederate Fort Gregg (1) or Confederate Fort Gregg (2)) History of Fort Gregg The Union seige operations against the Confederate lines around Petersburg began in June 1864 as Confederate forces fell back to a defensive line around the city. Union forces began to build a continuous seige line around the Confederate lines capturing new ground to complete the encirclement. Fortifications included earthworks forts, gun batteries and entrenchments that allowed the Union forces to place "one man per yard" along the ever lengthening line. Fort Gregg was established on 3 Oct 1864 and completed on 27 Oct 1864. Built as a six sided earthworks redoubt as a part of the Union seige line around Petersburg known as the "Fish Hook." Constructed with six positions for field mounted guns and a single magazine. The outer ditch perimeter was some 666' enclosing about 0.5 acres. The fort required about 312 labor days and was prescribed to garrison some 75 men and six gun crews. Fort Gregg was the last fort on the western end of the "Fish Hook" connected by a line of entrenchments back to Fort Welch. Fort Gregg (4) NPS Plan Fort Gregg (4) NPS List At the completion of Fort Tracy in January 1865 the Union line around Petersburg was 32 miles in length, with some 36 forts and 50 gun batteries. With the general advance of Union troops on 2 Apr 1865 toward Petersburg, the Confederate line was broken and overnight General Robert E. Lee withdrew his troops from Petersburg ending the seige on 3 Apr 1865. The whole of the Union army followed Lee toward Appomattox and in a series of actions that rendered escape impossible, Lee was forced to surrender on 9 Apr 1865. The seige line fortifications around Petersburg were effectively abandoned on or about 3 Apr 1865, some 9 months after the siege began and 6 days before the end of the war. Current Status Part of the Petersburg National Battlefield. {"selectable":false,"height":"-500","width":"-500"} Location: Petersburg, Dinwiddie County, Virginia. Maps & Images Lat: 37.16914 Long: -77.45814 Multi Maps from ACME Maps from Bing Maps from Google Elevation: 150' See Also: Fort Welch Fort Gregg (1) Fort Gregg (2) Civil War Defenses of Richmond and Petersburg Sources: NPS - Assessment of the Principal Earthworks Federal Fish Hook Line, Petersburg, Virginia, October 1998 Links: North American Forts - Fort Gregg Find A Grave - Lieutenant James Potter Gregg Visited: No