Mine Entrance

During the battle for Petersburg, VA in the American civil war, union soldiers dug a 500' mine tunnel under confederate lines. They packed it with black powder and after the explosion, untrained union soldiers piled into the crater. July 30, 1864. After recovering from the shock, the confederates shot them like fish in a barrel. Approximately 4000 union soldiers were injured or died; only 1400 confederates met the same fate.

This is the entrance to the mine.

The crater is in a national park.