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Petersburg National BattlefieldIllustration of Union soldiers advancing on Ft. Stedman
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Petersburg National Battlefield
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Winter Hut

Winter Huts
The Civil War Library and Museum, Philadelphia, PA

As the Siege of Petersburg extended into the months of November and December 1864, soldiers from both armies began to build winter huts like the ones pictured above. They would place a mixture of mud and water between logs to build a warmer place to sleep. The chimneys of some of the better constructed cabins could be taken from nearby abandoned houses.


Worm

Worm

The worm, an iron implement shaped like a double corkscrew was attached to the end of a stave and used to withdraw unfired cartridges, rags, or other debris from inside the bore of the cannon.
Charles Dimmock, Architect of the Petersburg defense line.  

Did You Know?
From the summer of 1862 until the spring of 1863, Confederate Captain Charles Dimmock appealed to slaveholders to hire their enslaved people, and also hired free black laborers to dig the ten-mile defense line around the City of Petersburg. The defenses became known as the Dimmock Line.

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Last Updated: December 17, 2007 at 16:09 EST