Confederate Winter Quarters

Confederate Winter Quarters (HMA0S)

Location: Petersburg, VA 23803
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Country: United States of America
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N 37° 10.85', W 77° 28.529'

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Inscription

The Breakthrough Trail

— Pamplin Historical Park —

Brigadier General Samuel McGowan's South Carolina Brigade spent the winter of 1864-1865 very close to the fortifications they defended. A temporary scarcity of building materials in the early winter compelled many of McGowan's men to rely on their tents or burrow into the ground for additional shelter. By mid-winter, however, most of these quarters had been replaced by wooden huts such as the reconstructed buildings in front of you.

Small groups of soldiers banded together to share responsibility for preparing their temporary homes. Building styles and materials depended upon the skill and ingenuity of the residents themselves. The men cut down trees, "borrowed" lumber from nearby structures, and appropriated items such as barrels to make their huts as comfortable as they could. Six to eight men could share a hut this size.

The Confederates struggled against a variety of shortages during the last winter of the war. While drinking water could be found in nearby streams or shallow wells, food supplies proved erratic, and few Southern soldiers left even their best meals feeling entirely satisfied. Some regiments lacked warm clothes, blankets, and even shoes for a period of time until the failing Confederate transportation system could move these goods to the army. Many men complained about a scarcity of firewood in a countryside made barren by the armies.

These privations, pessimism about the outcome of the war, and pleas from desperate families to come home all contributed to a growing desertion rate in the Confederate ranks. Still, the vast majority of Southern soldiers stood by their duty and their comrades as the advent of spring promised renewed fighting.
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HM NumberHMA0S
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Placed ByPamplin Historical Park
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Tuesday, September 16th, 2014 at 9:22pm PDT -07:00
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Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)18S E 280245 N 4117803
Decimal Degrees37.18083333, -77.47548333
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 37° 10.85', W 77° 28.529'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds37° 10' 51.00" N, 77° 28' 31.74" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)804, 434, 757
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 6513 Duncan Rd, Petersburg VA 23803, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

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