Battle of Peebles ' s Farm The Battle of Peebles ' s Farm ( or Poplar Springs Church ) was the western part of a simultaneous Union offensive against the Confederate works guarding Petersburg and Richmond , Virginia , during the Siege of Petersburg in the American Civil War . Background . In September 1864 , Union Lt . Gen . Ulysses S . Grant planned simultaneous attacks against both flanks of Gen . Robert E . Lee ' s Confederate army . The eastern attack would be carried out by the Army of the James under Maj . Gen . Benjamin Butler against the Confederate works at Chaffin ' s Farm . The western attack was to be carried out by the Union V Corps under Maj . Gen . Gouverneur K . Warren and a cavalry division under Brig . Gen . David McM . Gregg with units from the IX Corps and II Corps in support . Battle . Grant had two intentions for Warren . First was to attack the opposite end of Lee ' s line to relieve pressure on Fort Harrison , which Butler ' s forces had captured and were holding against counterattacks . The second was to take advantage of the units Lee had removed from his right to retake Fort Harrison . Warren ' s attack was aimed at the fortifications guarding the Boydton Plank Road , which was being used to carry supplies into Petersburg from the Confederate railhead at Stony Creek to the south . This line was being extended to reach the vicinity of the Union flank at Globe Tavern . While the lines were being constructed a temporary line was held along the Squirrel Level Road . On September 30 , the same day Lee was attempting to retake Fort Harrison , Warren and Gregg began marching along the Poplar Springs Road toward the Squirrel Level line in the area of Peebles ' s Farm and Poplar Springs Church . Lee had indeed pulled forces from this flank for the counterattack on Fort Harrison ( including the Light Division under Maj . Gen . Cadmus M . Wilcox ) so Warren was marching against Lt . Gen . A . P . Hill ' s reduced corps . Around 1 p . m . Brig . Gen . Charles Griffin led the attack against the Confederates near the Poplar Springs Church . Griffin quickly captured Fort Archer on the extreme Confederate flank and the Squirrel Level line broke and fled so quickly that prisoners captured were minimal . Warren halted the attack to fortify the new position and not advance too far in front of the IX Corps . The Union attack forced Lee to recall the Light Division from its march towards Fort Harrison . The IX Corps under Maj . Gen . John G . Parke moved up on Warren ' s left but did not make an effective link with the V Corps flank . Maj . Gen . Henry Heth was preparing to mount a counterattack , which came about 4 : 30 and routed the IX Corps and forced one of its brigades to surrender . Warren , who had originally feared a counterattack , now helped rally the broken IX Corps units and check Heth ' s attack and the fighting died down . Heth tried another flank attack the following day , which was repulsed , as was a cavalry attack under Maj . Gen . Wade Hampton . On October 2 the Union position was reinforced by Brig . Gen . Gershom Mott ' s division from the II Corps . Mott spearheaded a Union attack that day , which was aimed for the Boydton Plank Road . The attack easily overran Fort McRae but was checked before it reached the Boydton Plank Road . Aftermath . The Confederate defenders lost works on both sides of their lines . The Union army extended the siege lines past the Peebles ' s Farm area , bringing them all the closer to their ultimate goal of the Boydton Plank Road . The Union army was firmly entrenched in the area and later that month the II Corps would make an attempt to cut the Boydton Plank Road .