Dinwiddie Court-house, actions at.
In March, 1865, the
National force under
General Sheridan crossed the
Appomattox River from
Bermuda Hundred, passed to the rear of the army before
Petersburg, and early on the morning of the 29th marched down the Jerusalem plank-road, and turning westward pushed on by way of Reams's Station to Dinwiddie Courthouse, where he halted for the night at 5 P. 3.
Sheridan expected to cut loose from the rest of the army on the 30th to make a raid on the
South Side and
Danville railroads, but
General Grant suddenly changed his plans.
General Lee, seeing that his only line of communication might be cut off at any hour, and feeling the necessity of maintaining his extended line of works covering
Petersburg and
Richmond, concentrated a force of about 15,000 men, and hastened to place them in front of the 5th and 2d Corps of the
National army.
He then sought to strike a heavy blow on the extreme west of
Grant's lines, then held by
Sheridan, which he supposed was a weak point.
Sheridan captured the works at
Five Forks, and so gained the key to the whole region that
Lee was striving to protect.
In the struggle to regain this point strong parts of both armies were soon facing each other at Dinwiddie Court-house.
Here
Sheridan won the day after a severe engagement, the
Confederates being unable to make any rally, and the fighting ceased with darkness.
During the night the
Confederates retired.