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The ‘Prelude to the Crater’ wayside marker is at Stop Seven on the Petersburg National Battlefield Eastern Front Auto Tour.
The marker is next to the “View of the Crater from Fort Morton” wayside marker
From the marker:
Prelude to the Crater
“The mine is all finished, the powder in, the fuse all ready. I hope that the attack will be successful, for if it is, we shall have Petersburg in our possession.”
– Col. Stephen M. Weld, 50th Massachusetts
July 28, 1864
The predawn darkness of July 30, 1864, shrouded intense Union preparations on this ridge. Thousands of troops filed quietly into the ravine and trenches in front. More than 160 cannon crowded the earthworks to your right and left. Maj. Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside, commander of the attacking force, took his place in the 14-gun battery (Fort Morton) behind you. By 3:30 a.m. all was ready. Only one detail remained: the explosion of the mine.
Map to the location of the marker
The marker is at Stop Seven on the Auto Tour, about 240 yards down the walking trail from the parking area. (37°13’10.1″N 77°22’10.4″W)