View of Petersburg

Church steeples, houses—and even a stray horse on the left side of the photo—can be seen in this view of Civil War–era Petersburg taken from across the Appomattox River. On the eve of the war Petersburg was the second largest city in Virginia and home to more than 18,000 residents. Blessed with ample water power and railroad connections, the city boasted numerous cotton, iron, and flour mills as well as tobacco factories.