General View from Signal Tower, Petersburg, Virginia,

June 15, 1864

This photograph is a wartime view taken by Mathew Brady or Alexander Gardner, acclaimed photographers of the Civil War. It is dated to June 15, 1864, the first day of the Second Battle of Petersburg, which was an early battle in the Siege of Petersburg by Union forces. This photograph does not show the violence of battle, however. Instead it depicts Union Fort Conahey, the most elaborate fortification on the Petersburg front, which boasted a sturdy wooden exterior, two tiers of guns, and an interior wooden palisade. Although Fort Conahey required significant labor for construction, its sophisticated features were never put to use. This fort was never directly attacked by the Confederate Army, as it was situated about a mile from the front lines, which are hidden behind the line of trees in this image. Taken from atop a signal tower at nearby Peebles Farm, this photograph shows Fort Conahey from an elevated vantage point, surrounded by encampments that appear to have been abandoned and dismantled. By creating a sweeping panorama and centering Fort Conahey within the landscape, this photograph emphasizes the impressive scale of this feat of engineering.<br>