Siege of Petersburg

Today, I flew out to Petersburg Virginia to visit my family. Petersburg is the location where Robert E. Lee and the southern confederacy made their last stand in the American Civil War (1861-1865). The siege of Petersburg lasted approximately 10 monthes with some 70000 casualities. One of the more bizarre happenings during the siege was the so called "crater" event in which the Union army dug a very long underground tunnel extending to the confederate lines. Because the tunnel was so long, special consideration were required for ventilation. After excavation, dynamite was placed underneath the confederate lines and exploded. On the order of several hundred confederate troops were killed as a result of the blast but the subsequent battle was a tragic loss for the union troops who poured into the resulting "crater" and then were sitting ducks for confederate troops who fired on them and speared them with bayonets. Then, an all black troop was sent into the crater and they were also massacred.

The "Petersburg National Battlefield" is about 5 minutes from my moms house. I have become very interested in civil war history and will post some photos of my visit to the area.