PETERSBURG. A city, independent of coun ty authority, at the junction of Chesterfield, Din widdie, and Prince George counties. Va.. 22 miles south of Richmond. on the Appomattox River and the upper Appomattox Canal, and on the Norfolk & Western, the Atlantic Coast Line, and the Seaboard Air Line railroads (Map: Virginia, G 4). There are two steel bridges across the river, and two public parks. Petersburg is the seat of the State Central Hospital for the Insane, with 1000 colored patients; the Virginia Normal and Collegiate Institute, for the higher education of colored students of both sexes; Southern Fe male College; and the University School for young men. It has a Benevolent Mechanics' As sociation. with a library and museum. There are also the Young Men's Christian Association; the Home for the Sick; and fine Masonic, Odd Fel lows', and Red Men's buildings. Petersburg car ries on an extensive trade in tobacco, and is an important industrial centre, its manufactur ing interests being promoted by excellent water power. The products of the principal industries are cotton, tobacco, machinery, trunks, clothing, silk and knit goods. Under a charter of 1875. the government is vested in a mayor, elected every two years, and a council which controls elections of all officials governing the administrative de partments. The water works are owned and oper ated by the municipality. Population, in 1890, 22,680; in 1900, 21,810.
Petersburg was founded in 1733 on the site of an Appomattox Indian village destroyed in 1676 V Nathaniel Baeon; was incorporated as a town in 1748, and was chartered as a city in 1850. During the Revolution it was twice occu pied by the British under General Philips. and in the War of 1812 the Petersburg volunteers served with conspicuous gallantry. Being a great
railway centre of supply from the smith, Peters burg was the scene of much of the fighting in the famous Virginia campaign of 1864-05. (See Civil, Wan.) After his disastrous failure at Cold 'Harbor June 3, 1864 (q.v.), Grant marched his army of more than 100.000 men to the James River. with the idea in part of taking Petersburg and thns of forcing the evacuation of Richmond. General Butler, at Bermuda Hundred, was hastily rein f(freed by a corps under General W. F. Smith, and was ordered to attack Petersburg,. then defended by only 2500 Confederates. But though his force numbered 16.000, he carried out his orders (June 15th) half-heartedly and inefficiently and thus allowed Confederate reinforcements to be thrown into the city. Grant, arriving on dune 10th, made bloody but unstkeessful assaults on the 16th, 17th, and 18th. his losses for the three days being fully 10,000. lle then settled down for a siege. on July 30th the famous Petersburg mine—a shaft 520 feet long with lateral branches (near the end) extending 40 feet on each side—was exploded with terrific effect, a Confederate regi ment being destroyed and a huge crater pro duced, through which an inefficiently commanded force of Federals tried to fight its way. The Confederates quickly recovered, poured a deadly artillery fire into the crater, and the Federals were forced back with a loss of more than 4000. Lee repeatedly foiled the mameuvres of Grant, but filially, on April 2, 1505. after the disaster at Five Forks. was compelled to evacuate both Petersburg and Richmond. Consult Humphrey, The Virginia Campaign of ISO) and /86.5 (New York, 1553).