VA-QA21 Battle of Petersburg

Marker text: BATTLE OF PETERSBURG
25 April 1781
British Line of Attack

On 24 Apr. 1781, Maj. Gen. William PhillipsÕs force of 2,500 British regulars landed at City Point, 12 miles to the east on the James River, as part of a major campaign to disrupt the American forceÕs main line of communication through Virginia. The next morning, Phillips marched his troops along River Road toward Petersburg. Shortly before noon, he and Brig. Gen. Benedict Arnold formed their line of battle in this vicinity and launched their attack on the first line of 500 Virginia militiamen positioned to defend Petersburg one-quarter of a mile west in Blandford.

Department of Historic Resources, 2005