It flows through Petersburg, its head of navigation, through the Tri-cities area, then joins the James River from the west at City Point in Hopewell.

[5] Eppington Plantation had docks for larger boats that could carry seven tons to Petersburg in a four-day round trip.

[6] Petersburg had a port below the Fall Line that could hold ships which carry 200 tons down river to the Atlantic Ocean.

[7] In April 1865 during the Appomattox campaign of the American Civil War, the Confederate forces attempted to burn the High Bridge over the river northwest of Burkeville in order to escape the pursuing Union Army after the fall of Petersburg.

The Union capture of the bridge was a contributing factor in the forcing of General Robert E. Lee's surrender at nearby Appomattox Court House, ending the war in Virginia.