The correct answer is C. Five Forks was such an important strategic position for Lee and his army because it was the last escape route from Richmond.
Explanation:
The Battle of Five Forks marked the collapse of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia. Lee's forces were fighting a trench war since the end of 1864 defending the vital points of Petersburg and Richmond. The Confederate Army was completely demoralized, with hardly any supplies, and diseases caused serious havoc among its ranks, as well as great defections. Lee had his forces entrenched between Richmond and Petersburg, with a single rail line open to the west whose defense was maintained by the Pickett Division in Five Forks west of Petersburg at its most extreme line.
