Michler Map, sun print dated July 29, 1864, with Annotations

Work on this map began shortly before the fiasco of The Crater. It shows how disconnected the Union siege lines were at this stage of the conflict. Army leadership and the engineers were then involved in discussions on how to rationalize and shorten the lines, to make defense more efficient. Particular emphasis we placed on combining batteries and siting them to create interlocking fields of fire. Fort Morton on the Taylor Farm was known as the "Fourteen-Gun Battery." Fort Stedman consisted of four separate batteries on Hare House Hill that had yet to be consolidated. This map shows "The Mine" and its entrance.
Picture
NAID: 221160268. "Untitled Map of Petersburg and vicinity, Virginia, showing Rebel Line of Works, etc." Army of the Potomac. Engineer Dept., Army of the Potomac, signed N. Michler, July 29, 1864." Annotated. This shows the original line of the covered way that led from the Taylor Farm to the Crater.