Fort Sanders in 1864, several months after the battle of November 29, 1863. The scene of the battle that is the main “character” of the historical novel Knoxville 1863 and the permanent header of this site (click to enlarge). Note rawhide-covered cotton bales on the parapet left of the lone sentry, who appears to be standing near the flagpole put on the ramparts of the northwest bastion by the New York Cameron Highlanders. Open-top artillery embrasures in the foreground. The infamous ditch to the right, apparently now filled with rainwater. Photo via the Library of Congress.