Petersburg Entrenchments

As the siege of Petersburg, Virginia wound down in the winter of 1864, the fighting slowed down and the soldiers on both sides built winter quarters. At some point photographers came into the camps, and took pictures that still exist today. These were what many of the Federal’s camps looked like:

One camp that looked a lot different was that of the 50th New York Engineers. It was their job to construct things, and their camp reflected that. Their quarters were of much higher quality, with shingles on the roofs, and a large church in the center.