Confederate General George Pickett had been ordered to hold the crossroads in Dinwiddie County, Virginia at all costs. General Philip Sheridan had ordered the whole of the Union's Fifth Corps under General Gouverneur K. Warren to take it. After a delay, the attack began in the late afternoon and despite confusion and missed opportunities, the Confederates were driven back with heavy losses. The loss of the crossroads convinced General Lee that he could no long hold Petersburg or Richmond and advised they be evacuated. (By John Osborne)