Fort Baldwin (2)

 (1864-1865) - A Confederate U.S. Civil War Fort established in 1864 near Petersburg in Dinwiddie County, Virginia. Assaulted and captured by Union troops during the battle for Petersburg on 2 Apr 1865 after a fierce battle. Also known as Fort Whitworth or Battery Whitworth after the Whitworth family of Mayfield, Virginia.

History of Fort Baldwin
Established in 1864 as a Confederate earthworks defense of Petersburg, Virginia. This fort was built about 500 to 600 yards north of Confederate Fort Gregg.

Union forces tightened their grip on Richmond and Petersburg in early April of 1865 and began to flank General Robert E. Lee's positions. Confederate forces were then compelled to evacuate to preserve the remnants of their forces. Two Confederate forts remained manned to slow the advancing Union troops and allow the main Confederate forces to withdraw. Fort Baldwin (Fort Whitworth) and Fort Gregg were assaulted and captured by Union troops during the battle for Petersburg on 2 Apr 1865 after a fierce battle. Fort Baldwin was garrisoned by the 19th & 48th Mississippi Infantry of Brigadier General Nathaniel Harris’s brigade. The fort was initially supported by guns of Louisiana’s Washington Artillery but these were withdrawn from the fort during the battle. The Union XXIV Corps captured both forts suffering some 714 casualties. The Confederate defenders lost some 300 men in the battle that gave General Robert E. Lee two additional hours to withdraw his army and head west. Lee's flight ended a week later at Appomattox Court House.

Current Status
Markers only.

See Also:
 * Fort Gregg
 * Civil War Defenses of Richmond and Petersburg

Sources:
 * , page 802.
 * Freeman, Douglas Southall, R. E. Lee: A Biography, Charles Scribner's Sons, New York and London, 1934, Chapter IV, page 45. Thayer

Links:
 * North American Forts - Fort Baldwin
 * Historic Marker Database - Battle of Fort Whitworth Marker
 * Historic Marker Database - Fort Whitworth Marker