Prelude to the Crater - Petersburg, Virginia
Posted by: 
Don.Morfe
N 37° 13.105 W 077° 22.306
18S E 289558 N 4121737
The predawn darkness of July 30, 1864, shrouded intense Union preparations on this ridge. Thousands of troops filed quietly into the ravine and trenches in front. More than 160 cannon crowded the earthworks to your right and left.
Waymark Code: WM133VN
Location: Virginia, United States
Date Posted: 09/09/2020
Views: 0
Prelude to the Crater-Petersburg National Battlefield-- “The mine is all finished, the powder in, the fuse all ready. I hope that the attack will be successful, for if it is, we shall have Petersburg in our possession.”
- Col. Stephen M. Weld, 50th Massachusetts July 28, 1864
The predawn darkness of July 30, 1864, shrouded intense Union preparations on this ridge. Thousands of troops filed quietly into the ravine and trenches in front. More than 160 cannon crowded the earthworks to your right and left. Maj. Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside, commander of the attacking force, took his place in the 14-gun battery (Fort Morton) behind you. By 3:30 a.m. all was ready. Only one detail remained: the explosion of the mine.
LOCATION: Marker is on Siege Road, on the right when traveling south. Marker is in Petersburg National Battlefield on the Auto Tour Road at Tour Stop 7
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