Battle of Petersburg - 2 April 1781 - Flanking Movement
Posted by: 
showbizkid
N 37° 13.084 W 077° 23.595
18S E 287650 N 4121747
This is one of a series of Virginia Histroic Markers installed in Petersburg to detail events of the Revolutionary War Battle of Petersburg. This marker was installed in 2005.
Waymark Code: WMKHZ
Location: Virginia, United States
Date Posted: 08/09/2006
Views: 13
The marker reads:
BATTLE OF PETERSBURG
25 APRIL 1781
FLANKING MOVEMENT
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About midday on 25 April 1781 Maj. Gen. William
Phillips discovered that the right flank of the
American militia, on the edge of Blandford was
vulnerable to attack from the south and rear. He
ordered Lt. Col. John Simcoe’s Queen’s Rangers
and a Light Infantry battalion to the south and
west on a wide sweep around the flank to attack
the Virginians from the rear. Simcoe took this
nearby route (now Graham Road) between present-
day Crater Road and Sycamore Street, thus moving
his large force behind the American line undetected.
When Simcoe reached the high ground
overlooking Petersburg, the Americans were
already retreating.
Major General William Phillips
British Royal Artillery (1731-1781)
General Phillips died in Petersburg the following month, not from wounds in battle, but from contagious fever. He is buried at Old Blandford Church in Petersburg.
For more details on the Battle of Petersburg, click on the webpage link below for a City of Petersburg site dedicated to the events of the Battle of Petersburg during the Revolutionary War.