"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.
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