South Side Station
This original South Side Railroad Station, the oldest such building in the state, was built around 1854 when the line was completed from Petersburg westward to Lynchburg, a distance of 123 miles. An express train could run this distance in five hours, including one hour stopping at the various stations along the way. The old City Point Railroad was also purchased at this time, becoming an extension of the South Side.
During the Civil War, many Confederate troops were brought here from distant battlefields and taken to the numerous Petersburg hospitals. In the final year of the waar, the railroad would be the target of at least three Federal cavalry raids, with sericed being disrupted from time to time while the tracks were repaired.
During the siege, the building waas under constant bombardment as a strategic target. Trains were forced to begin stopping out of artillery range at the Fleet Street crossing, a few blocks west near Cmpbells' Bridge.
Damage from a 30-pound artillery shell can still be seen in the western freight wing where it crashed into a roof support beam. The beam was later braced to repair it. It was reported that the station was hit two times by artillery projectiles during the siege.
This building serfed as the post-war offices for the Atlanticc, Mississippi & Ohio Railroad under former Confederate Gen. William Mahone. His office was on the upper floor of the passenger station. This rail line is now Norfolk-Southern.
South Side Station
Begin the 26-stop auto driving tour of Gen. Robert E. Lee's Retreat from Petersburg to Appomattox at this point. The tour covers over 100 miles and takes approximately four to fine hours to complete. A map can be obtained at the nearby Visitors Center. Be sure to stop at the various pull-overs and tune your radio to AM 1610 unless otherwise posted at the sites. A three to five minute narrative will be playing which explains the importance of each location.
When Lee's forces withdrew from Petersburg on the evening of April 2, 1865, they were instructed to destroy the South Side Railroad cars behind the station. The aftermath of that destruction is recorded in these period views