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The Crater is the scene of the Battle of the Crater that occurred on 30 July 1864 as part of the Siege on Petersburg. Pennsylvania miners dug a 511 foot tunnel and placed a four ton charge of powder under Pegram's Confederate battery. The explosion…

Confederate Tunnels beneath supporting works to Fort Mahone at Pine Gardens. The purpose of the tunnels was to detect any mining that might be attempted by the Union and they were used as storage for ammunition and refuge during heavy cannonading.

A view of the interior of the Union tunnel beneath the Crater, constructed by the 48th Pennsylvania Regiment under Colonel Pleasants. It was here that a four ton charge of powder was placed and exploded between Elliot's Salient.

Erected by the South Carolina Division of the United Daughters of the Confederacy as a memorial to Elliott's South Carolina troops who lost their lives in the explosion at The Crater.

This monument was erected on the spot where Fort Mahone, known as Fort Damnation by the Union, once stood. It was erected by the State of Pennsylvania in honor of the soldiers who served in the Third Division, 9th Corps, Army of the Potomac.

The marker in the right foreground indicates the entrance to the Union tunnel located at the crater.

This pile of lumber was the lining placed in the Confederate tunnels at Pine Garden

Confederate breastworks near Pine Gardens.

The Crater as seen from Union lines.

The discovery of the Confederate Tunnels came as a result of a boy chasing a rabbit into this hole. The tunnels were finally discovered after 60 years.