Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1864-08-20
rae Great Petersburg Mine.

T,ae Great petersburg Ntnei
No features of the seige of Petersburg
has been more interesting. aud no UNDER
taking Of more Importance, than the con-
struction of the mice Under the rebel forti-
hcations. So extensive has been the work,
so difficult the distractions overcome, so
complimentary its success TO the geuious
aud perseverance Of our soldietsi that more
than a passing notice is due to it. A le..
ter da,ed Ninth Army Corps, before Pc
tetsburg, July 9th, gives the following in-
terestng account of Burnside's Mine:
After the Investment of the city, about
the 20,h of june last when our further
approach was disputed by the formidable
character Of the rebel works, our officers
began to look about them for the means
Of accomplishing with The least possible
sacrifice OF life what then would have re-
REQUIRED the most desperate aud bloody
valor on the part Of our iroops--viz: the
successful assault Of these works. The ex-
pedient of mine originated with Lieut..
Col. Peasants. of the 4Sth Pennsylvania
Regiment. Not that others did not think
Of 1t; but by most of our engineers the idea
was hot entertained The distance between
our front lue aud the nearest and most i'm
POI tant rebel fort was over four hundred
yards--too long 10 nope for success when
all the difficulties likely to be encountered
in the i, way Of quicksands, underground
marshes and discovery by the enemy were
taken into consideration. .i sgluea.al
Col pleasants, however, cherished the
idea The rebels fort loomed temptingly
up in front of bis ne and, being m III Of
considerable natural energy, and possessed
OF much practical experience in mining op.
erations, and knowing that he would be
ably supported by bis regiment, which is
wholly composed of miners FROM Schuylkill
county, the coal region of Pennsylvania,
he, with permission, commenced operations.
The Colonel had been engaged in the min
ing business in his natave State previous
TO the Outbreak Of the rebellion.
The work was commenced on the 25th
of Juue last, as previously stated. Such
wss the secrecy with which it was cnduct-
ed that for long time the project was un-
known even 10 those at whose side 1t was
going on. 1t is true that reports were in
circulation of d mine, but nobody could
speak certainly of The matter. So much
doubt was there, indeed, that for time it
was disbplieved that any such undertaking
/ was Gu foot. Que soldier ia The brestworks,
by whose side ventlating shaft emerged,
told his comrades in the most surprised
manner that there Was a lot of fellows un.
der him doing something; be knew there
was, for he could hear 'em talk. To guard
against indiscreliou on the part Of the
plckels, to prevent any meeting OF our SOL
diers with the rebels, whereat the secret OF
the mine might be boastingly or imprud-
emily disclosed, our pickets were ordered
to fire continually. Hence the never end.
ing fnsilade on the front of the Ninth
3 Corps, SO incotnprchensible to the other
corps, aud which WIS often referred tolin
4 newspaper paragraphs. The enemy, doubt
less. suspected al first that the undelermin-
ing was going on, but when several weeks
Elapsed without any demonstration their
suspicious began to vanish, especially as
4 their engineers must have thought the plan
unfeasibe. a.iIa .fa3 ~ ar -
The progress Of the work was necessary
lily very slow, and it was not until the 18th
ult., just one month after its inception, that
it was completed. At the onset, one of the
most important points was 10 ascertain the
fexact distance and bearing OF the rebel
fort. Working under ground is literally
working in the dark BY that particular
processiof surveying called triangulation
these were arrived at. TO be more explicit
-Distanres were laid off upon the ground
behind our works From these lines as
bases and with the angles formed by lines
exte ndipg in the direction of the fort, @
simple geomet-ical probecs was formed the
required distance. Five different .riaDgn-
latous gave a result of Eve hundred and
ten feet. The excavation was commenced
10 the side of the hill whereon our exterior
line of VOL ksruhs. The tunnel, or to use
a technical term "gallery," is about four
feet aud half high, nearly as many feet
wide at the bolton, and TWO feet wide ~
the top. ,,.fl e.,r 0.5 10 .,.aaa .
The, usual army pick was not suited to
the work, as its aukes were too broad TO
permit their swinging in the tunnel. This
ldificulty was easily overcome by 6ling
down the fakes 10 The size Of the regular
mining pick. Water was met with not far
from the entrance, and for time gave 20
Ilitlle trouble. The aoor, however, was
plankedaud the sides aud ceiling showed
lupy A ,quicksand q was met With, and, TO
obviate il, the range of The tanne was
curved upsard, so that The latter half was
several feet higher than at ttie entrance =
The oozipg of wafer formed mud in sever
al places, so that the regiment came from