The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1864-08-01
OUR SPECIAL ACCOUNT,


Special 20 The Evening Telegraph.
wAsHIN 0roN, August 1.-The Star says We
have the following interesting particulars Of the
fighting On Saturday in front of Petersburg, %.
tanned from eyewitness OF the stirring events
Of the day.
At TWO O'Clock on Saturday morning the signal
boat at City Point coming down the Appomattox
swiftly, and venting its well-knOwn and peculiar
sbri whistle, indicated to the initiated that some
thing was up.
General Grant rose hurricdly,'and mounting his
horse galoped OFF towards Petersburg, to Meades
headquarters, some eight mi es distant from City
Point. Other par les anxious to witness the an
tlcipAted event, Immediately followed as rapidly
90 possible.
About three O'Clock the stiffness Of night was
broken by an artillery fire. of no great fev5r,
however, and which on the surface bore no
significance, as befng nothing more than the
routine compliments of the morning TO the enemy
about 4 o'clock. However, the caunonade on
our Iait assumed vigor that must have warned
the Ptler,burgtrs aud the enemy there congre
gated that something serious was about TO tran
spire and about twenty minutes later something
serious did transpire, in the explosion Of Grants
miue, located under the main fort in front, or
rather little to the lett of the front of Burn
sides position.
Our informants state that the published ac
count u the effect that the earth was blown up
FIVE hundred feet by the explosion, and that tue
report awakened Richmond" shaking the elrth
as by an earthquake for miles away, is all
nonsense.
The mine was laid very deep, and the eXplo-
sion, though Elective and destructive, was distin-
guishtd by none of those pyrOtechnic effects
given il by the hand OF fancy. The earth was
thrown up in a brown cloud about one hundred
feet and at the same time low rumblins sound
was heard, bearing no proportion 10 weight to
the roar of the cannon.
The sound OF the explosion was not even heard
at City Point and the fact of the explosion of the
mine was not known there until the arrival Of the
train from the front. A pause oftwcnty minutes
followed upon the springing of the mine before
the charge was made by our troops, who then
sprng forward TO the first line of intrenchments,
which was carried, and they pushed on 70 the
second line, exposed TO murderous endlading
ire from the enemys batteries.
Here il was that the negro troops, who had
earned a good name in previous service, aud who
had asked the privilege OF leading the advance,
covered before the terrible lire, aud fell back in
great disorder.
Our loss was pretty heavy In the fighting
betN cen the utrenchments, amounting TO one
thousand or fifteen Numbered men. IL was re-
ported at City Point when tue mai-bOat left yes
lerday, that we took three hundred prisoners Ia
the Rebel iDtrenchments, aud that some seven
hul dred Of the enemy were killed by the eY-
plosion.
Tie Rebels appear TO have been informed as to
the direction In which Grants mining operations
were running, as shown by the fact that
they hid removed twelve Of the sixtcea
guns belonging 10 the fort exploded. The
story that Petersburg was burned on satur-
day is not true, We hear. Casual shells may have
struck buildings and fired them, but the town
was not deliberately shelled, Us reported.
Though Grant has not succeeded in accom-
plishing his purpose in this initial attempt on the
works OF the enemy, and is apparently no nearer
Petersburg than he was before the explosion of
his mine, he really has gained possession Of in
formation as to the enemy's position that COM
bned with the destruction Of the principal forth
fcalion defending Petersburg, places him muc
nearer the accomplishment of his work.
There was no firing after P. NJ. on Saturday
and there was only desultory firing after A. NJ.
Our troops were back where they started from
before IL A. NJ.
Since writing the above, we have information
that the explosion was admirable, realizing all
Grants expectations, but we failed TO reap the
advantages expected to follow upon it.
The report that the negro troops behaved espe-
cially bad is not eOrreborated by our Later
information, which states that they behaved no
worse, st least, than others.
The hospital steamer Connecticut has arrived
with four hundred and thirty-two sick aud
wounded from the hospitals at City Point, in
cluding thirry-seyen officers, most Of whom were
wounded in the lighting on Saturday.
General Burnside is reported slightly wounded
in the arm in the attempt rally the negro troops
Colonel Curtin, of the 45th Pennsylvania
Regiment is reported killed. The I'd and 10th
Michigan Regiments are said 70 have lost con-
sidcTably in prisoners.
1te Stars account of the Petersburg flilure
charges that song General has bluRdered.