Union General John G. Parke occupied the trenches near Petersburg, Virginia captured by the Union army in June 1864. Facing Parke was a strong Confederate position dominated by Fort Mahone and manned by the forces of General John B. Gordon. On April 1, 1865, Parke chose to assault Fort Mahone directly. The attack slowed down once the Federals occupied the captured trenches. Gordon rallied the troops and planned a counterattack to drive Parke out of his lost trenches. With the complete disintegration of the Confederate army around Petersburg just hours away, Parke sent word to General George Meade for reinforcements to simply hold his current position. Late in the afternoon in the midst of all other Confederate fronts collapsing, Gordon launched his counterattack and nearly drove Park