The Confederate commanders defending Petersburg's last supply line were at a fish fry when the Union attack began — their absence helped seal Lee's fate and end the war within a week.
The Battle of Five Forks (April 1, 1865) was the decisive engagement that broke the Siege of Petersburg open. Five Forks was a critical road junction controlling access to the South Side Railroad — the last supply line keeping Lee's army in Petersburg alive.
In one of the war's most extraordinary command failures, Confederate generals George Pickett and Fitzhugh Lee were absent from their positions at a 'shad bake' — a fish fry hosted by cavalry general Tom Rosser — when Sheridan's attack began. Acoustic shadow from nearby woods may have muffled the sounds of battle, but neither general was reachable during the critical opening hours.
Sheridan's coordinated assault of cavalry and Warren's V Corps infantry overwhelmed the Confederate defenders. With Pickett absent and subordinates unable to respond effectively, the Confederate line collapsed. Union forces captured up to 4,000 prisoners and cut the South Side Railroad.
After the battle, Sheridan relieved General Warren of command on the spot — a controversial decision that ended Warren's military career. Warren had been slow to position his corps, and Sheridan, furious at the delays, fired him in the heat of the moment. Warren spent years afterward seeking vindication, finally receiving it posthumously in 1882.
The fall of Five Forks forced Lee's hand immediately. With his last supply line cut, Petersburg was indefensible. Lee telegraphed Jefferson Davis to evacuate Richmond and began preparations to abandon the city he had defended for nine months.
On April 2 — just one day after Five Forks — Lee evacuated Petersburg and Richmond. Eight days later, he surrendered at Appomattox. A single afternoon's battle at a Virginia crossroads had triggered the complete collapse of the Confederate capital and the end of the Civil War.