Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1864-08-03
Burnside's Mine.

approach WA5 dtSput6u ON Lle -ELlllhOle
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-
quired the most desperate and bloody valor |
on the part of our troops-viz tue sue |
eessfll assault of these works. The eX-
pedient of mine originated with Lieut.. |
Col. Pleasants, Of the 4oth Penn. regiment.
Not that others did not think Of it but by |
most of our engineers the idea was not en-
tertained. The distance between our front
line and the nearest and most important
rebel fort was over four hundred yards
too long to hope for success when all the
difficulties likely to be encountered in the
way of quicksands, underground marshes
ana discovery by the enemy were taken
into consideration. Colonel Pleasants,
however, cherished the idea. The rebel
fort loomed temptingly up in front of his
line, and, being u man Of considerable
natural energy and possessed Of much
practical experience in mining operations,
and knowing that he would be ably sup
ported by his regiment which Is wholly
composed of miners from Schuykill county,
the coal region of Pennsylvania, he, with
permission, commenced operations The
Colonel had been engaged in the mining
business in his native State previous to the
outbreak of the rebellion.
The work was commenced on the 25th
of June last, as previously stated. Such
was the secresy with which it was CON
Quoted that for long time the project was
unknown, even 10 those at whose side 1t
was going on. 1t is true that reports
were III circulation of a mine but no
body could speak certainly of the matter.
SO much dOnDt was there indeed, that for
a time it was disbelIeved that any such
undertaking was on foot. One soldier in
the breastworks, by whose side ventila-
ting shaft emerged, told his companion ia
the most slirprlsrI 1rlarln4-- .I--.t a-sIasle
was a lot OF fellows under him doing
something; he knew there was, for he
could hear en- talk 10 guard against
indiscretion on the part OF the pickets, 10
prevent any meeting of our soldiers with
the rebels whereat The secret of the mine
might be boastingly or impruden ly dis
closed, our piukets we're ordered to fire con-
tinually. Hence the never ending fusilade
on the front Of the 9Th corps, SO lncompre-
henssble to the other corps, and which was
often referred in newspaper paragraphs.
The enemy, doubtless, suspected at nrsJ
that the undermining was gong on but
when several weeks elapsed without any
demonstration their suspicious began to
vanish, especially as their engineers must
have thought the plan unteaSiDle.
PROGREss OF THE WORK.
The progress OF the work was necessa-
rilv very slow, and It was not until the
18th iHsJant-jusJ one month after lncep-
tion-that it was completed. At the out
set one OF the most important pUinIs Was
TO ascertain the exact distance and bear
ing Of the rebel fort. Working under
ground is literally working i'll the dark
BY that particular process Of surveying
called "triangulation these were arrived
at. To be more explicit, distances were
laid of upon the ground behind our works
From these lines as bases, and with tine
angles formed by lines extending in the
direction Of the tort, Il sifnp.e g-ometrIca
problem was formed, the situation Of which
gave the required distance. Five differ
ent trianguiations gave result Of i've
hundred and ten feet. The excavation
was commenced in the side OF the bIli
whereOn our exterior line Of works runs.
The tunnel, or, to use the technical term,
gallery" is about four and a half feet
high, nearly as many feet wide at the bot
tom, and two feet wide at the top. The
usual army pick was not suited to the
work, Us its hukes were TOO broad to per-
NIT their swinging in the tunnel This
difficulty was easily overcome by filing
down the dukes to the size of the reg
a
not far from tho entrance and for u
time gave a little trouble The hoor,
however, was planked, and the sides and
ceiling showed up. A quicksand was met
with, and, to Obviate it, the range Of the
tunnel was cnrved upward, so that the
latter half was several feet higher than at
the entrance The Oozing OF the water
formed mud in several places, so that the
regiment came from their daily labor be-
spattered and stained. In fact, it was
easy during the past month to recognize a
4sth man by his muddy boots The earth,
as fast US excavated, was conveyed in hand
barrows, made of cracker boxes or half
barrels, to the mouth where it was emp
tied into bags, which were afterwards used
on the top of the breastworks. In this
manner no betraying accumulation Of
earth took place.
AND LIGHTING OF THE
TUNNEL.
The ventilation Of the tunnel was most |
effected. Just within our ex-
terror line Of works a shaft was sunk To |
the side OF the tunnel, at its junction with |
which fireplace was built, with grating |
opening into the gallery. One end OF d |
series OF tubes, made Of pine boards, was
inserted through the earth into this fire
place, where, as the air became rarifed and |
lscended, it created a suction or draft |
N the tubes connecting with the gallery.
As fast as the tunnel progressed addition
Al tubing was joined on, and followed the
step by step. The smoke from
he lire could not, OF course, be concealed; |
1ut, to withdraw attention from it, fires
we're kept burning at various points along
he line. The lighting Of the tunnel was
Effected simply by placing candles or Ian
erns along the walls at a distance of a bout
wenty feet apart
At length the end was reached, and the
was aDundantly verified by
he noises overhead The mailing of tim
,er and planks could be distinctly heard,
LII AGAA IL AOAbA hAAelL tAAE AiAGAA " GA Z III
ectly beneath the rebel fort The enemy
we're evidently making flooring for their
rtillery. As nearly rs could be aseer-
aimed, the distance from the tunnel TO
he fort was twenty feet.
After it was sufficiently evident that a
oint directly under the fort was reached,
be construction Of the mine was COM
IvIIved. Tho ,-nslo of tiIv fOrr projects i
1wards our lines, and under this angle
he tunnel diverged intotwo galleries, each
lnning, as near as could be ascertaincd
nder each side. It was the intention to
lake the mine consist OF eight magazines
laced at intervals along these branch
alleries, so that the entire length of the
,rt might be blown up, in place OF one
pot. Preliminary experiments were
lade by Colonel Pleasants with cartrid-