Holmes County farmer. [volume] (Millersburg, Ohio) 1857-1926, 1864-08-11
Correspondence Of the n. Y. World.l
In TUE FIELD BEFORE PETERSBURG,
July 80, via Washington, Aug. l..

uDDIIHhipbhtUcf DI INC y. y. MOTld.l
In THE FIELD BEFORE PETERSBURG.
July 30, via Washington, Aug. i.
The long talked off, often-hintcd-at pa
tiently-wated-for, and finally successful
springing OF a mine, under rebel fortifca !
ton. was accomplished this morning at day !
break, causing almost az much surprise in !
our ranks, where it was not expected, as it /
must have caused among the encmy's.
Lest some Of your readers may not un-
derstand the principle Of mining, | will sim
ply state it consists in running an excaya-
tion or burrow through the ground TO
point directly underneath the work to be
blown up. Having so burrowed to the
proper point, the size of the excavation is
increased to the capacity required. Such
an amount Of gunpowder as will be requi-
site to blow up the work overhead il then
placed in this receptacle, train or fuse is
then laid to the mouth or starting place
and when ready this is ignited, the fire soon
running to the secreted magazine, explodingl
it, and utterly destroying any thing over it. |
In this instance the fortifcation blown up
was five hundred feet from and opposite !
Burnside center division, commanded by !
General Potter, contained six pieces Of ar !
tillery, and was held by the Eighteenth
South Carolina volunteers.
As near as | can understand, the reason
for dcmoishing this work was, that itwould
prove great obstacle to an assaulting par
ty were an attack to be made on what this
was otherwise deemed TO be the enemy's
salient point. The removal Of this obsta-
Gle, then, was only part of a grand program
me for the capture of this position; the de-
struction of the fort being complete, our
troops were to rush over its ruins and by
| ,ipnrnt,c ~ ,t1t t1a M of Tho
my's second line of works, situated on the
crest of hills beyond, and thus force them to
abandon at least the works iii our immcdi-
ate front; but fate. or the great guns, or an
| alliance of the two, proved too powerful,
and we were unsuccessful.
As preliminary we have done consider
able maneuvering the past week, endeavor-
ing to weaken this front by drawing men
from it for the protection of other points !;
and if Il report that they have but three di-
visions on this side of the AppOmattoy river
be true, think we must have succeeded
very eifectually. And, again, if it is true
that the impregnability of the enemy's
lines is a proven fact, ! suppose the artillery
! firing of which | speak in this morning
! dispatch as having been almost unceasing
during the night, may be termed another
| preliminary, serving, as it must have done,
to annoy the enemy, and consequently Weave
! him in a worse condition for the succeeding
shock.
i In pursuance of tbs order Of attack. the
First, Second, and Fourth divisions of the
, Ninth corps were massed opposite the
, doomed fort, the First under General Led
r lie, being the assaulting column, supported
by the Second, while the Fourth brought
up the rear. The latter division, it will be
f remembered, is composed entirely of col
ored regiments. All being in readiness, the
Fourteenth New York heavy artillery
crouching close to our works, ready TO
spring out at the signal, fire was applied to
the fuse, and shortly after four o clock dull
rumbling explosion, terrific quaking of
the earth, and sudden beclouding Of the
atmosphere in the vicinity of the fort, told
our men the time was arrived when they
should start to the attack.
Away bounded the Fourteenth, followed
by the remainder Of the nivision. Fiercely
opened the rebel artillery on them. As
fierccly was their fire replied to by our gun
ners, and amid this internal din, and the
yet unsettled dust our brave soldiers reach
ed the edge of the crater formed by the ex-
plosion ere the astonished enemy had re-
covered from the confusion into which they
had been thrown. Some who were evident
" puzzled to account for the strange doings,
were taken prisoners; but those who realized
the facts of the case escaped as speedily as
possible.
The spectacle presented in the crater
would have awed most men, but our soldiers
are Injured to to scenes af horror, and ar
but slightly affected by them. In this era
ter, which is of an cliptical form ant
about fifty feet long, were to be seen men
0 mangled, dusty and stunned; limbs, arms
= feet, and heads of men protruding through
t the crevces in the earth, mixed up witt
t fragments of splintered and half-buricd i'm
t plemcnts of warfare
: To say the truth, our men had but littl,
: time to moralize There was work before
them. The dead must be buried, the
wounded must be dragged from their pre-.
mature graves, and two pieces, all that were
visible of the original complement of six
pieces of artillery, must be exhumcd; being
perfect, they could be used against the enc
shot and shell against them from such
points as covered this part Of their own
lines,
Details quickly performed these duties
J while the attacking columns were reformed
for the assault on the enemy second or real
, line of works. The information being com
pleted, found them in much the same posi-
ton in column as when they left our works
Presently the order Forward" was sound
cd and as the infantry marched quickly to,
ward the enemy, two guns secured from the
crater, told the fact that the rebel guns
, had been turned against their late posses
, sors.
Onward moved the attacking column
, through heavy fro-a fire each moment
| becoming hotter, as heretofore unseen bat
, terrics opened on them from front and flank.
{ Still onward, and still more CALLING became
that terrible fire, which now that they near
cd their destination, was poured in on them
, from all points-trom front, from rear,
from right, from left. 1t soon became ap,
parent that the works could not be taken al
, that charge, that they were already repuls-
ed and must retreat. So they turned, fell
, back slowly for awhile, mended their pace
moved quicker and quicker until getting to
some extent without range of some of the
batteries, their pace subsided into walk
: again.
The fourth division coorcd troops having
| been inactive to this time were ordered to
the charge. They started well, butarriving
near the concentration eff fire found it too
warm, and hesitated Their officers cheer
, ed them on; they moved little further
forward, again failed, were agaiu urged to
,o bv tboir oarS. ct;ll thav "a ltar-