Petersburg Battlefields

Daily freezing and thawing rendered the roads around Petersburg impassable during the winter of 1864-1865, bringing large-scale campaigning to a temporary halt. Both armies remained vigilant and maintained a continuous line of pickets to provide early warning of significant attacks and to prevent the enemy from gaining positions of observation. For months these pickets conducted their own kind of warfare, including periodic raids, unauthorized commerce, and desertion. On the Jones Farm the opposing picket lines were in plain view, as soldiers from both armies systematically cut down the remaining trees for firewood. Picket duty could be dangerous, especially when officers authorized nocturnal raids to capture prisoners and gather intelligence on enemy activities. Although officers forbade trading with the enemy, enlisted men often ignored such rules, with Confederates commonly exchanging tobacco for Union coffee. Desertion became a greater problem as hundreds of Confederates, worn down by inadequate rations and pessimism from the home front, crossed to the Union picket line seeking a personal end to their war. Many northern soldiers also deserted after collecting generous enlistment bounties with little intention of serving.

Petersburg, Virginia · United States