Petersburg

Petersburg occupies the fall line along the Appomattox River in central Virginia. The river helped establish the city as a commercial center, while the streets of Old Towne retain a dense concentration of 18th- and 19th-century buildings. Petersburg’s defining national-history chapter was the Civil War siege of 1864–65, when Union forces surrounded Confederate defenses south of Richmond. Petersburg National Battlefield interprets this campaign, including the Battle of the Crater, fought after a Union mine exploded beneath Confederate lines in July 1864. Pocahontas Island, beside the river, is associated with a prewar free Black community. Explore additional webcams nearby to understand how Petersburg and the Appomattox River corridor connect with central Virginia.

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