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The Battle of Five Forks was fought #OTD in 1865. The left wing of the Army of the Potomac, under General Philip Sheridan, assaulted the confederate line south and west of @PetersburgNPS. The battle was part of the @AppomattoxNPS Campaign, and the end of the #CivilWar.🧵 
Sheridan’s cavalry, reinforced by the entire V Corps under Gen. Gouverneur Warren, had more than twice the force of the defending confederates under George Pickett. The initial U.S. attack was not heard by Pickett, the result of an “acoustic shadow”, causing him to react late.
Sheridan rolled up Pickett’s line, taking over 2,000 prisoners and capturing the South Side Railroad when Pickett withdrew. This severed a key supply and evacuation route to Petersburg, hastening Lee’s decision to abandon his lines just two days later.
During the battle, Sheridan had relieved Warren of command, feeling he had moved too slowly, an act many felt was too harsh. Warren protested, and his relief was eventually ruled unjustified by a court of inquiry, but the results were not published until after his death.
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