At the Battle of Five Forks, Union forces finally achieved their objective of cutting off Confederate supply routes and wearing down Lee's army. Union forces broke through Confederate lines to access the last remaining supply route, the South Side Railroad. Confederate forces were forced to withdraw from their lines that stretched for miles around the city of Petersburg and through the Western Front.

Today, park rangers protect this intersection of five country roads, telling visitors the importance of this site, not only to the siege of Petersburg, but to the reuniting of a nation. While it is rural in character, park rangers face many challenges in protecting this site.