Editing George Pickett (section)

===Battle of Five Forks===
General Pickett had received orders from Robert E. Lee to, with the Cavalry divisions of Major Generals [[William Henry Fitzhugh Lee]] and [[Thomas L. Rosser]], hold the vital railroad crossing at Five Forks at all costs. On April 1, at the [[Battle of Five Forks]], their troops were attacked by a combined force under Major General [[Philip Henry Sheridan]], which consisted of the [[V Corps (Union Army)|V Corps]] of the Army of the Potomac, commanded by Major General [[Gouverneur K. Warren]], and the [[Cavalry Corps (Union Army)|Cavalry Corps]] of the Army, commanded by Brigadier General [[Wesley Merritt]]. Pickett, W.H.L. Lee, and Rosser were located behind the lines of their troops at the time of the attack, enjoying a [[shad bake]] while failing to inform their subordinate officers of their location. Meanwhile, Warren's troops overwhelmed Pickett's left flank, and the Cavalry troops pinned the Confederates down elsewhere. By the time the Confederate commanders realized the catastrophe, it was too late to prevent the defeat. The result of the battle, as well as that of the [[Third Battle of Petersburg]] the following day, forced Lee to abandon his entrenchments at Petersburg, leading to the capture of Richmond and surrender of his army on April 9.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.encyclopediavirginia.org/five_forks_battle_of#start_entry |title=Battle of Five Forks |last1=Luebke |first1=Peter |publisher= Encyclopedia Virginia |access-date=June 30, 2016}}</ref>