The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1864-08-05
ADDITIONAL FROM THE NORTH

ADDITIONAL FROM THE North
The Northern papers of the last arrival
contain quite full accounts of Grants ope-
ratioDs on the other side-Sspecially bis
mining experiment
The correspondent OF tbe Hrroii, attached {,
The Niaih smv coIps, iaus describes the eoui-
msncemeni OF the mining operations in front u
our works.
The wo,k was comn, auced on the 18th 0t Jane
last rs previously sfaIed. Such was the secrecy
with which II was conducted that fur u long iiH.
The PROJECT was aaknown even io th',at ai whose
side II was gaing on. u Is tue that reports wee
in citouatian uf a mine hu. nobody c"mid sreat
certainly of the matter. 90 much doubt was there,
indeed, that tor Il ume ii WAS d;sbceved that any
undertaking was on ioot
Oae solder in the breasiw0Tks, by whose sd q
ventaiing sheit emerged. told his comrades, in
th. most surprised manner. that "therc was lot
at fellows under him Il doing something he knew
there was, Tor he cuald hear 'em talk.' To guard
against indisercion on the part of the pickets, to
prevent any meeting OF our soldiers with the re-
b. Is, wheIeat the secret of the mine might be
bodstiHgiy or imprGdcnty disclosed our pickeis
were ordered TO fire c0niinUally. Hence the never.
ending fdsiiade on the front o the Ninth corps so
imcomprehensibc 10 the other corps, and which
often referred tn IN newspaper paragraphs.
The enemy doubtless suspected At fir ( that the
un d-rmining was going on; but when several
wctks elapsed without any demonstration their
suspicious began TO vanish especially as their
ginsers thought The plan uRieasibic.
PaoGREes CT Tug WORK
The progress OF the work was necessarily very
slow, aud II IS not until the 25,h Instant asst
month iter inception thai II was completed.
Al the outset one of HE most important points wa5
to ascertain the exact distance aud bearing 0i the
rebel fort.
The excavation WIS commenced ia the side OF the
bill whtfeun cur xteiiur lise of works fua The
tunnel or, the technical term, gallery Is
about four and hdi feet high. nearly as many ieet
wide AT the bottom, and t@u feet wide al the top.
Th. usual army pick was not suiledIo The work, !,
lis ttukes were too broad To PERMIT their swing
ing in the tunnel. This difficulty was easily over.
come by filing down the tiukes TO the size of tie
regular mining pick. Water was met with Hot
far from the entrance, and tur ing gave no lille
trouble. The floor, however, was pianked, and
tiie sides aud ceiling sh0ve, UP qIicksand W as
met with, aud to obviate IL the range Othe tunnel
was carved upwards, so thai the latter half WIS
several feet bigher than az the entrance. 1he
ooztng Of the water formed mud in several places,
50 that the regiment cHme from their daily labor
JeSpattrrrd and stained.
Al length the end was reached, aud the iriaugu-
IatioH was abEH ianuy verified III the noise over
head. The mailing OF timber aud planks could be
distinctly heard, and left no doubt that the men
were directly beneath the rebel fort. The enemy
were eyid. ntly makug flooring for their artillery.
As as could be asccitintd, the distance nom
the tunnel 10 the ioft was twenty feet
Tus NINE.
Aiier IL was snficis H!Iy evident that a point
direct under the fort was reached, the eoustIuc
tion nf the mne was commr need, ihe angle Oi
The "st pTolrets towards our lines, and under this
angle the iunnet divtfgtd into Two galleries, each
Tuubing, as near could be- aScertatned, uH lei
sch side. II was The intention To make The mine
Consist OF eight mag; zines, placed at intervals
along these branch galleries, that the et,tiF.,
length of the ioEt might be blown up, III place OF
en- spot
Preliminary experiments were made by Colonel
Peasants with Cartridges OF powder, which he 10
serted In the earth and igRted by a fuse. He as
ceftaihed tha. The work of making breach would
be- more chectuaiiy secured by distributing the
powd instead OF putting il in bulk. In The iattef
case the explosion resulted In deep and broad
crater; i'm the former iii wide chasm. Where
the caIifidges-hiS miniature magazines were not
dIsconne cied by packing, the tendt ncy OF the ex
plosiou to find vent at the first hoe Hence,
h- tesorted 10 packing between the magaz.nesD Oh
ID il is technically known, "tamring."
CHARGING HE MINE.
The mine was charged 10 day. The quantity (
powder used was six tons : Pause aud mink. Sia
ions twelve Thousand pounds Imagine sigh,
dry goods boxes (the nagaz mes resemble ie;n fii
sizs and shaI,e,) filled with powder, aud you viii
have an idea OF the mine. What terrific specta
Gle Is in store for us. -
THE spRIsaINa OF TIE NINE.
A later letter says:
The mine was to have baen sprung at three
O'Clock this morning, and the Lieutenant General
accompanied by his staff, reached General Burn
side's headquarters about that hour General
Meaie and staff also assembled at the same head
quarters
The appointed hour for the explosion of the
m Inc arrived but, tor sosie reason OF Other IL did
moi take place. Hundreds OF soldiers had assem-
b,ed at convenient places 10 witness the uphcasing
of earth and the mo bieathiess anxiety was
manifested by all Everything movable In the way
OF troops had been p!sc in position 10 move al
the first signal, The n;iIr Second corps Was heid
In reserve; but up to the hour of Writing this ills
patch they had Bot been called into nc ZION.
At ten minutes To five a cloud of dust was seen
rising from the rebel entertainments This was
10 lowed by general uPheaviIs Of earth, which
reached probably fifty feet. 1 he whole mass
looked like huge fountain of earth and dust, and
formed most impos NJ spectacle
SimuIt n. o,is with this explosion our batteries
along the entire line tpened a most murdereus
and destructive fire upon the rebel hreastworks )
and the infantry, with deafening cheers, rushed
into The emhanknenls of the enemy. A constant
cannonadng, lasting now one hour ana twenty
minutes, has been going on. At six O'CLOCK cur
valiant troops had captured and occupied the first
line OF rebel entrenchineDty.
Prisoners are con stanily arriving from the iToDt,
snInc OF them wounded, Others unhurl. seveiai
Of our own wounded aTesis0 coming In, aGd they
report that the sIau ghter II feted upon the enemy
by The explosion aud the accurate range Of our
shells from the guns and mortars is terrible In the
extreme.
fyiBg missiles. We are punishigg the enemy
steadily and surely, and occupying his fostl-
feasions. The corps engaged The iitth, ninth,
and eighteenth.
II Is by Ear too early TO estimate the number %
our casual les ur those of the enemy. Those In
the in,uediate front, where the mine was sprung,
report that the excavation made by the espt s,oB
tesrmhcs the m0uih OF crater The earth was
I00sentd and thown IN the ala ioT buadIeds oi
yasds around
The bshavior of our troops challenges the at
Mifailoa Of all oui veteran commanders. Their
bea,ng Ia highly cfeditabe aud they are Only beHt
Hpon taking the rebel fort They are Determined d
10 win, aud with such resoiase and brave troops
tbete IL NO such word as defeat.
Ngw YoRK's QueTA UEDgR Tus NRxr DRAFT ~