![[Petersburg, Va. Cottage of Col. Nathaniel Michler, U.S. Engineers, at Bryant house]](http://lcweb2.loc.gov/service/pnp/cwpb/03900/03995r.jpg "[Petersburg, Va. Cottage of Col. Nathaniel Michler, U.S. Engineers, at Bryant house]")
This tiny cottage, no larger than a potting shed, was located in Petersburg, Virginia, the home of the Confederate Second Regiment of Engineers during the Civil War. According to the its title, it belonged to Army Corps of Engineers Colonel Nathaniel Michler, who was involved in the dredging of the Potomac near Georgetown, and even proposed that the presidential residence be moved from the White House (because of overcrowding and fear of malaria) to a new estate at Meridian Hill!
For those familiar with Civil War-era portraits, this photograph shows a familiar scene: a family posing at the entrance of their home. Indeed, the title of the photograph indicates that this little cottage was on the grounds of Bryant House, a much larger home. If this was, in fact, a residence, it is hard to imagine one adult fitting comfortably there – much less a family.
