Blandford Church, just after the fall of Petersburg.  Blandford church was built in 1737, and had been abandoned and was in ruins by the civil war, but still saw use as a field hospital. During the Battle of the Crater, General William Mahone led three brigades through the cemetery for the counterattack, and General Gordon formed his troops up here for the early morning attack on Fort Stedman.

Blandford Church today, with my favorite Confederate flag flying, "The Blood-Stained Banner."

One of the graves.  It reads "Captain James B. Read. Died Nov. 13 1884.  Aged 71 years.  A Soldier of the Southern Confederacy."

The memorial to members of  the famous New Orleans Washington Artillery who died during the siege of Petersburg.

A picture of the fallen gravestone of G.W. Slifer, a member of the Stonewall Brigade who was killed just before the end of the war.

The gateway into the section that holds about 30,000 unknown Confederate remains, most buried in common graves.

The monument to the unknown Confederate soldier in Blandford Cemetary.

General William Mahone's mausoleum.  The "Hero of the Crater," the diminutive Mahone led his troops through the cemetery to the right of this picture on the way to repelling the Union assault through the Crater.  Blandford Church was a Union objective, never reached during the assault, on the way in to Petersburg.

Posted by Indiana Reb on: Friday 1st December 2006, 9:47 AM