Construction of and Attack on Dimmock Line

Early in the spring of 1862, Petersburg's Common Council created a committee to investigate the need for defenses to be constructed around the city. Little came of this measure, however. Work on a defense line began that summer when Major General Daniel H. Hill used troops from North Carolina, Virginia, and Georgia to construct the initial defenses. General Robert E. Lee dispatched engineers to Petersburg to design a line of defense for the city by early August. Much of the responsibility was passed off to Captain Charles Dimmock. Under Hill's orders, Dimmock used soldiers and enslaved laborers to perform the work. The men worked early in the morning and late in the day to build the fortifications. Some 264 slaves from Virginia's Eastern Shore and more than 1,000 from North Carolina turned over the soil. Confederate troops dispersed late in August, however, as did many of the enslaved laborers. Major General Samuel French requested 150 additional slaves to work on digging the Dimmock Line early in September.