The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1864-08-02
GEN. GRANTS ARMY.
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GREAT BATTLE BE-
FORE PETERSBURG.
CAUSE OF THE REPULsE.
WHOLE REGIMENTS CUT TO PIECES.
GRAPHIC ACCOUNT OF ENGAGEMENT
Etc. nto.. nto.. Etc.. Etc.

hnaly suctesslul tpriuging Of a mine, under a
Rebel torthca ion, was accomplished this morn
Ing at daybresk, causing almost as much srr
prise IN our ranks, where II was not expected
1t must have caused among the ansmy's.
Lest some OF your readers may not understand
the principle of mining, will simply sta it con
sists in running an excavation or burr1w throu N
the ground 70 a point directly undprne tth the
Work % be blown up. Having so blrr1wel 70
the proper point, the size Of the exc walton is in
creased 20 the capacity required. Such an
amount Of gunpowder as will b. requisite TO bio =
up the work overhead Is then placed 10 this re-
cepiacle, irain OF fuse Is laid 70 the mouth or
starting place, and when ready this Il ie1itei the
FIRE toon running to the secreted magazine, ev-
over IL.
In this instance the iortidcation blown up was
hVe hundred feet from and opposite Burni les
centre dlyisi n, commanded BY Geucral Potter
contained TX pieces Of artillery, ami was held
By the 18Th sOuth Caro- ina Volunteers.
As ntaI as / can under tand the reason for
CenOisbtng this york was that il would prove
a great obstacle to an assaulting party vere
| IN attack 10 he made on wrBt
was otherwise deemed 10 he the enemv's
sal ent point. The removal of thi, obsts ,ls
ibeD, was only part of a Irand pr0granms
| for the capture of this position tho destruction
OF the fort being complete, our troops were TO
rush over Its ruins, and by vigorous assault,
| cut the centre Of the eneniy's second lina ,f
| works, situated on the crest of hills beyond, aud
| thus force them to abandon az least tbs works IN
| our Immediate front; bus fate, or the great
HuNH, OF M nllln0cC OF the Two, proved too
| ful, and We weIr unsuccessful.
| As preliminary, We have done considerable
| maH9uHlng the past week, endeaVoriug 20
| weaken this front By drawing men from Il fog the
protection Of other points; and if report thai
they have but three divisions on this side Of the
| AppoD attOx river be true, / think we must have
| succet ded very etfsctuay.
And, again il 10 is true that tho imo-egnablity
OF the enemy lines is proven fact Isupplse the
artillery firing of which speak In this mornings
| despa ch as having been aim ost unceasiag durng
the night, may b9 termed another pre'imin lry
| serving, as 10 must have done, to annoy the
enemy, and consequently leave him IN a worse
condition for che succeeding snnck.
| IL pnrsu nee OF the order of attack, the lst 2l
and 4ih Divisions Of the och Corps were mls4el
opposite ne doomed fort, the lst, under G ueral
| Leolie, heir 2 the 9ssanliing column suppor.ei
by The "a, while the 4th brought up the rear The
Latter division, itw will be remembered, is composed
entirely Of cOlore1 regiments.
bh Ding in readiness the 18th New York
beaVy Artlll'ry crouchlng close % our works,
s'auy TO spring ou: az the signal, fire vas Gpued
TO the fuse, and shortly after four O'Clock a dun
rumbliI & explosion, a terrible quaking Of the
earth, and sudden hecloudlug of the atn1.
sphere in the vicinity of The fort, told our mea she
| attack.
Awsy bounded the l4th, followed by the "a
maindeS of the division. Fsrcoly opsned tho
ke0el aTii Esry on them. As hercsly vas their
nreTtplied TO by our gunners and amid this in
iernal din, and the yet unsettled duS, our hraya
,OlulerN learh,d the edge of .he 1rster formed ~
5'e explosion, ere the astonished enemy he re
covered from the confusion in5o which they had
hteh thrown. Some who we're evidently plzLlcl
70 account for the strange dongs were .akan
lrlSClers; but those who realized the facts o
the cae escape as speedily as possible.
The spt ctacle presouted in the crater would
rave awed mOst men but our soldiers Gre Injured
o scenes oL horror, and are hut slightly GGictei
ny lhem. In this crater, which Is of an ellptcal
form, and about fifty feet long, were TO D3 saen
men, mangled, dusty, and stunned; limbs arms,
,et, and heads OF men pro.ruding through the
cIeYlcts in the earth, mixing up With fragments
warfare.
osay the truth, our men had hut little time 10
moToIGf. There was work before them Tue
dead must he buried, the wounded ir y sed from
then premature graves, and two pieces AL that
were Visible of the original conpemenJ of six
pieces Of ar'iilery-must be exhumed; being per-
itc', they coali be uB,d against th3 enemy who
were husiy engaged throYil, sno and she'll
"gahst them hOm such pDia as covered this
part II their oa lines.
Details qu cI,ly performed these duties, while
the attacking columns we're re-inrmad fIT he
a1sanlt on Sb3 ,emy's seCOnl lr rear line of
works. The ftrmation being 5omp eted found
them in much ths same position in column az
when ihty 1T Oug works. Presently toe order
'Forwfrd' was sounded, AMI as the infantry
mar bed qnlCHly uwsrds tue enemy, two guns,
served from the crater, told the FAC. .dls the
heb'l gums had been turned against ths.r lace
IossJFeOrs.
through
heaYS h.e-a hrr eaca mOmen; bee ming hoy 6r
as heretofore unseen ba tsrcs opened on them
from front and flank. Still onward lgd stu
more CALLING became tn: tsTri3 frc, which,
now that they 1T ared their destination, II. -
poured on them rom ali D nts from font
hon rear, nom Iigh fron efi.
IL soon became apparent thai the works could
pot he taken nt that charge, that ttey wsre
"rtaoy Icpn'ssd, and must retire. So they
turned, fell hack slowly FOR awhile, msndel tncjr
pace, movad quicker and guicker, until &c ting
10 some extent without -ange Of some OF the na.
teTies, iheit 'ce sub-iJad into . walk az an
The 4th Division colOred troops hav!ng been
inactive t. This time, were ordere % the ca Arge
They started vel but arriving near the clncen
,rstioh oi fle, found i TOO warm, AMI hesit4 ed.
Their of GERS che, red them on; theV m ,;ad a
hule tu-th,T forward, again falteTe l. w,re
~ ain urged 90 90 forward by their oficsrs; sfiU
they ialiured entFeaties turned % threats; but
DOgh Werr alike useless.
Gradually turning, the men Fetreated pell.msll
20 the rear, aud, becoming mixed no Win tne
whhe troops, bad liked to have created "A lnic
HID they been attacked at this moment, as they
we're shortly afterwards. there il no sayug WI "
the consequences might have been; bat thew
could scarcely have ialed 10 BE very disastrous
AS was, the enemy procrastinarel his attack
10 our advantage, allowing a. 60 fully straighten
out our lines and otherwise prepare for his attack
Then on he came, yi-yi-ing confidently. As in
our case, however, they we're completely foiled,
and Notwithstanding he repeated his exertions It |
was 10 always meet the same fate.
Our troops were finally ordered 10 retire within |
our own works, which they did In good order,
General Harlranfts Brigade of General Wilcox's |
DIVISION remaining within the crater 10 cover she
rear. The enemy, now thinking he had some |
game sure, attacked Hartranft with great vio- |
lence but was boodily repulsed The remainder |
Of our forces having arrived within shelter of our
works, General Hartranft now attempted 10 fol- |
low with his brigade, and for the frst time De |
tecled that he was In great danger of being bagged
by reason OF the enemy having craftily impeded |
his road. BY equal cunning, however, he suc- |
ceeded in eNtrcating the greater portion of his |
troops, although he could not save his entire com
mand' His loss in prisoners will not prove
large, however.
General Bartlett, of Ledlis's Division, a new |
appontee, happening to be With his brigade, was
captured by the enemy. II will be remembered |
that General Bartlett lost a leg at Port Hudson, |
and Used false one that being broken Ia the |
last melee, rendered 1t impossible for this gallant
young general 10 moYe-hence his capture.
anus ended this first mining operation and |
attack against the enemys works. If It effected |
Lothing else, II developed the strength of the |
heoei works at the point where the attack was |
mace, Our Losses are not as large as those of the
heDsls IL Is estimated that in the crater alone |
upwards OF two hundred and fify of them were |
khieu outright, most Of them being buried alive |
and many prisoners '
We were unable however 70 t,.ir.o "a .,.'o...