BGuthrie Photos: VA -- Petersburg Natl Battlefield -- Visitor Center

VA -- Petersburg Natl Battlefield -- Visitor Center:

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Copyrights: All pictures were taken by amateur photographer Bruce Guthrie (me!) who retains copyright on them. Free for non-commercial use with attribution. See the [Creative Commons] definition of what this means. "Photos (c) Bruce Guthrie" is fine for attribution. (Commercial use folks including AI scrapers can of course contact me.) Feel free to use in publications and pages with attribution but you don't have permission to sell the photos themselves. A free copy of any printed publication using any photographs is requested. Descriptive text, if any, is from a mixture of sources, quite frequently from signs at the location or from official web sites; copyrights, if any, are retained by their original owners.

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[1] PETERV_130919_001.JPG	[2] PETERV_130919_009.JPG	[3] PETERV_130919_011.JPG
[4] PETERV_130919_014.JPG	[5] PETERV_130919_027.JPG	[6] PETERV_130919_034.JPG
[7] PETERV_130919_037.JPG	[8] PETERV_130919_040.JPG	[9] PETERV_130919_044.JPG
[10] PETERV_130919_047.JPG	[11] PETERV_130919_051.JPG	[12] PETERV_130919_055.JPG
[13] PETERV_130919_059.JPG	[14] PETERV_130919_062.JPG	[15] PETERV_130919_066.JPG
[16] PETERV_130919_069.JPG	[17] PETERV_130919_073.JPG	[18] PETERV_130919_077.JPG
[19] PETERV_130919_081.JPG	[20] PETERV_130919_084.JPG	[21] PETERV_130919_087.JPG
[22] PETERV_130919_092.JPG	[23] PETERV_130919_096.JPG	[24] PETERV_130919_099.JPG
[25] PETERV_130919_104.JPG	[26] PETERV_130919_107.JPG	[27] PETERV_130919_112.JPG
[28] PETERV_130919_114.JPG	[29] PETERV_130919_118.JPG	[30] PETERV_130919_122.JPG
[31] PETERV_130919_127.JPG	[32] PETERV_130919_130.JPG	[33] PETERV_130919_133.JPG
[34] PETERV_130919_136.JPG	[35] PETERV_130919_142.JPG	[36] PETERV_130919_146.JPG
[37] PETERV_130919_150.JPG	[38] PETERV_130919_153.JPG	[39] PETERV_130919_157.JPG
[40] PETERV_130919_163.JPG	[41] PETERV_130919_164.JPG	[42] PETERV_130919_168.JPG
[43] PETERV_130919_171.JPG	[44] PETERV_130919_178.JPG	[45] PETERV_130919_182.JPG
[46] PETERV_130919_190.JPG	[47] PETERV_130919_192.JPG	[48] PETERV_130919_200.JPG
[49] PETERV_130919_204.JPG	[50] PETERV_130919_209.JPG	[51] PETERV_130919_212.JPG
[52] PETERV_130919_220.JPG	[53] PETERV_130919_223.JPG	[54] PETERV_130919_227.JPG
[55] PETERV_130919_231.JPG	[56] PETERV_130919_235.JPG	[57] PETERV_130919_239.JPG
[58] PETERV_130919_243.JPG	[59] PETERV_130919_248.JPG	[60] PETERV_130919_252.JPG
[61] PETERV_130919_259.JPG	[62] PETERV_130919_266.JPG	[63] PETERV_130919_274.JPG
[64] PETERV_130919_278.JPG	[65] PETERV_130919_282.JPG	[66] PETERV_130919_286.JPG
[67] PETERV_130919_293.JPG	[68] PETERV_130919_297.JPG	[69] PETERV_130919_308.JPG
[70] PETERV_130919_311.JPG	[71] PETERV_130919_315.JPG	[72] PETERV_130919_319.JPG
[73] PETERV_130919_333.JPG

Specific picture descriptions: Photos above with "i" icons next to the bracketed sequence numbers (e.g. "[1] ") are described as follows:
1. PETERV_130919_014.JPG: 20th Pennsylvania Infantry (reproduction) The counties of Dauphin, Cumberland, York, Lebanon and Lancaster furnished most of the soldiers who enlisted for one year in this regiment. They were organized at Camp Curtin in september 1864 before being sent to Virginia. This flag was received after they had arrived, originally ordered for the 71th Pennsylvania Infantry, it was altered by Horstman Brothers in Philadelphia for the new regiment. The men were assigned to the Third Division, Ninth Corps in November and were camped in the area around tour stop $3 as a reserve force. The winter was spent drilling and preparing for battle which would come with the Confederate attack on Fort Stedman, March 25, 1865. After being repulsed twice, the 200th Pennsylvania helped in the recapture of the fort. The flag had nineteen bullet holes shot through it in its first battle. The regiment would be one of the first Union units to enter Petersburg of April 3rd and the flag was displayed from the courthouse. The canton displays the state coat of arms as well as 35 stars in the blue field.
2. PETERV_130919_034.JPG: User comment: Soldier Life: "Everything is as usual. The ground which freezes hard during the night, thaws during the day, and is very muddy. There is plenty of music from bullets and shells but I can't say I fancy the sound of it." -- From a soldier's letter A Confederate soldier, on traveling light: "Reducing to the minimum, the private soldier consisted of one man, one hat, one jacket, one shirt, one pair of pants, one pair of drawers, one pair of shoes, one pair of socks, one blanket, one haversack." The well-equipped Union Army, as evident from these smartly dressed soldiers, was in marked contrast to the raggedly dressed and often hungry Confederate Army.
3. PETERV_130919_044.JPG: As the Siege of Petersburg progressed, Confederate supplies dwindled. During the winter of 1865 a Confederate soldier wrote: "Our rations are all the way from a pint to a quart of corn meal a day and occasionally a piece of bacon large enough to grease your palate." Civilian merchants called sutlers sold food and personal items to Union soldiers, often at very high prices. They were the forerunners of today's Post Exchanges.
4. PETERV_130919_047.JPG: "Smoked Yanks" -- faces, brown from continuous exposure to the weather, grew darker as soldiers cooked their rations over their camp fires.
5. PETERV_130919_059.JPG: Soldiers in every war fight and work, but mainly watch and wait. The long cool winter of 1864-65 at Petersburg was particularly a time of watchful waiting. Men on both sides entertained themselves with games, sports and pets.
6. PETERV_130919_069.JPG: Siege Warfare: Nearly 70 miles of earthworks were constructed by Union and Confederate forces during the Siege of Petersburg. They extended from east of Richmond to southwest of Petersburg. Remains of these earthworks can be seen on the battlefield today.
7. PETERV_130919_073.JPG: Sharpshooters of the 18th Corps on the siege line. United States Colored Troops of the 9th Corp after the Disaster of the Mine.
8. PETERV_130919_077.JPG: Engineering played a major role in siege warfare. This drawing shows methods used by both sides to protect themselves.
9. PETERV_130919_099.JPG: Temporary grave marker for a Confederate officer killed near the Crater. It was carved by his brother.
10. PETERV_130919_112.JPG: 70,000 Americans were casualties at Petersburg. Infection and disease accounted for the greatest number of deaths.
11. PETERV_130919_118.JPG: In the first month of the Siege of Petersburg, coal miners of the 48th Pennsylvania Infantry dug a long tunnel under a Confederate earthwork. Their plan was to explode four tons of powder, blast a mighty gap in Confederate defenses, launch a large scale attack through the gap, capture Petersburg, and end the war.
12. PETERV_130919_130.JPG: The Crater: At 4:45am, July 30, 1864, the explosion occurred. It killed 278 Confederate soldiers and leveled 500 yards of the Confederate line. Said a Union soldier: "Suddenly the earth trembled under our feet. An enormous mass sprang into the air... without form or shape, full of flames... and lightning flashes." And a Confederate soldier recalled: "I was asleep when the explosion took place. There was a hurried roll call, and, afterwards, we marched toward the crater."
13. PETERV_130919_133.JPG: A 21-mile railroad, called the City Point and Army Line, was built to transport supplies to Grant's army around Petersburg. Railroad yard at City Point. Each day, about nine trains, pulled by wood-burning engines, ran to and from the Petersburg front, carrying freight and passengers.
14. PETERV_130919_136.JPG: This Medal of Honor was awarded to 21 Union soldiers, including one black, Sgt. Decatur Dorsey, Co. B, 39th US Colored Troops, for conspicuous bravery during the Battle of the Crater, July 30, 1864.
15. PETERV_130919_157.JPG: Telegraph register (receiver). This instrument recorded the dots and dashes of the Morse code on paper.
16. PETERV_130919_163.JPG: Telegraph key
17. PETERV_130919_168.JPG: Logistics and Communication: City Point, now called Hopewell, was a base for one of the greatest logistical operations of the Civil War. Ships from the northern ports arrived daily, bringing enormous quantities of supplies for the army. Much of the time during the Siege of Petersburg there was more activity at City Point than on the battlefield.
18. PETERV_130919_200.JPG: Confederate Iron "Coehorn"
19. PETERV_130919_209.JPG: Pendulum hausse Used on light field guns for precise aiming
20. PETERV_130919_212.JPG: Lanyard: When the lanyard was pulled the friction, caused by the brisk removal of the twisted wire, ignited the primer, which in turn ignited the powder charge.
21. PETERV_130919_220.JPG: Tow-hook: In unpacking ammunition chests, the hook was used to remove the tow (hemp) in which the rounds of ammunition were packed.
22. PETERV_130919_223.JPG: Gunner's pincers: Friction primers that stuck in the gun vent could be removed with these pincers. The claw at the end of the handle was used for drawing nails.
23. PETERV_130919_227.JPG: Thumbstall: While the gun was being loaded, a cannoneer covered the vent with his thumb. This reduced the possibility of a premature explosion of the powder charge.
24. PETERV_130919_231.JPG: Priming wire: It was thrust into the gun vent to pierce powder bag so that the flame from the friction primer could ignite the charge.
25. PETERV_130919_235.JPG: Gunner's perpendicular: Used to mark points for sighting when the gun platform was not level.
26. PETERV_130919_259.JPG: This 17,000 pound mortar, called the "Dictator" by the soldiers of Petersburg, lobbed 225-pound explosive shells into the city of Petersburg, 2-1/2 miles away. A replica of the "Dictator" is at Stop No. 1 of the Park Tour.
27. PETERV_130919_266.JPG: Bags used for the upcoming remembrance event on November 9
28. PETERV_130919_297.JPG: Wilson-Kautz Raid "Destroy both those roads" In late June 1864, Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia were engaged in a desperate defense of the city of Petersburg. Victory for Lee depended on a steady flow of supplies, brought in by rail. To force Lee from Petersburg, Union Gen. U.S. Grant planned to cut Southern supply lines and ordered a cavalry raid to tear up track and destroy railroad stations and bridges. On June 22, 1864, Union Gens. James H. Wilson and August V. Kautz, commanding more than 5,000 cavalry troops, left Petersburg to destroy track on the Richmond & Danville R.R. and the South Side R.R. Follow in the footsteps of Gens. Wilson and Kautz along the Virginia Civil War Trails Wilson-Kautz Raid, a tour route that allows you to explore more than 40 Civil War sites in southside Virginia. Please drive carefully as you enjoy the beauty and history along our trail.
AAA "Gem": AAA considers this location to be a "must see" point of interest. To see pictures of other areas that AAA considers to be Gems, click here.
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