Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1864-08-06
EROM GRANTS ARMY.
ASSAULT UPON PETERSBURG.
The Ninth Corps Opens the BALL.
10. Gun Rebel Battery Blonn Up.

via Washington by Telegraph. The long
looked for, long prepared for and all impor
tart movement has arrived. The great ball
has opened, and as | pen these lines, while
the grey and waning dawn is merging into
the broad daylight, hundreds of pieces of
Grants artillery are belching forth perfect
shower of shot and shell into the Rebel for
tifcations that interpose barrier between
our force and Petersburg, and ere the set
ting of the sun to-day the problem as to
whether that Rebel stronghold shall still
remain in the possession of the enemy, or
become subservient to yankee sway" will
in all human probability be solved. i am
reminded, while listening to the terrible
! canonading now in progress, unequaled pos
sibly by any other of the war, with, perhaps
the exception of Gettysburg, that the mail
| boat to Washington leaves City Point, 12
miles from here, at 10 o'clock this morning,
and as that is the only mode of conveyance
| till tomorrow, l will give all of the particu-
lars that can he obtained in time for trans
mission by that boat; the full particulars
| and the grand deR0u8leHt OF the terrible
struggle going on will be forwarded i'll due
! time.
1t has been known for some time past
that our cappers and miners have been ac-
lively engaged in mining the Rebel fortifca-
tions OF two or three points, the most exten-
sive of which were directly opposite General
Burnside's thc Ninth Corps intrenchments.
Excavations have been dug beneath these
works some twenty-five feet below the sur
face, and several tons of powder were stored
there in barrels.
The work has been an exceedingly labor
ous one and was performed principally by
PENNSYLVANIA miners belonging to regi-
ment from that State.
The trap was set, the string in hand, and
it but required the order of the command
ing general to destroy in one moment the
result of weeks of Rebel labor as well as
every living thing in and around and furn-
ish an entering wedge for our forces to push
their way into Petersburg.
Beyond the Commanding General and his
immediate associates it is doubtful II any
one in the army had the least idea when
this mine would be spring, or the grand at
tack would be made No one seemed to
anticipate any movement, and General
Grants usual reticense came into play.
The only circumstance that attracted any
attention OF excited the least suspicion, was
the fact that on Thursday afternoon General
Butler was visited by Generals Grant and
Meade, and prolonged interview and con-
sultation was the result, which lasted until
long after nighttall.
Another noticeable circumstance consisted
in the fact that all the ambulances at City
Point and other places were sent to the
front.
We all looked forward to an indefinite pc
riod of inaction, when on Friday night the
following order was sent to the headquar
ters of the different Corps, Division and Re
gimental Commanders =
HSir Van will poISp vOur commend tC
be in readiness to march tomorrow morn
ing at three o'clock, with forty rounds o.
, ball cartridge. None but commissary- y-ser
geants will be permitted to remain in camp
The Interpretation of the above was III
easy matter. St meant fight, and the nigh
was spent throughout in busy preparation
{ for the conflict that all knew would taxi
place in the morning.
1t was arranged that Burnside's Corp
; should open the ball by applying the mattel
to the fuse that led to the mines under tn
Rebel earthworks. Immediately after whicl
the entire line of batteries should open fir
r for the purpose of demoishing, if possible
= the other Rebel redoubts, and through th
opening mace by the explosion the ColoreC
troops in Burnside's Corps should frs
charge, and the entire infantry be masse
:, close at hand, ready to make II general as
II Sault at any moment.
This programme is being faithfully carrie
out. At three O'Clock punctually everybod
: was on the qui yiye, and it then becam
known for the first time that mine was t
: be exploded. Speculation was rife as t
1t the effect that would be produced by tn
q ignition underground of such vast quaint
,s ty of powder. An anxious suspense cnsueC
which lasted until fifteen minutes before fiy
II O'Clock, when a loud noise was heard, and
u dense volume of earth, of a righ nut-brow
= color, was thrown about one hundred fet
into the air, where it seemed to hang for
moment, then converting itself into yo
N ume of lava, fell into ana around the cavit
it had been forced from like u fountain {
ID molten lead.
According to the programme. terrii
n. artillery fire broke forth, which shook Il
.d ground around. Burnsidds batteries we
>. the first to open fire. Warrcn's Fifth Corr
> pieces then spoke, followed by the guns
Z Baldy Smiths now Ord's eightcenths corr
The noise was deafcning. The Rebel ba
teries replied vigorously, and by little aft
n six O'Clock the entire line on either side W
l. envcoped in cloud of smoke. An in
~, mense number of shells burst in all dire
= tions, many of them high in the air, a tla
= of light and Il large ball of white smoke i
u ulCatlnS inc places Mhcre they exploded.
l., The Rebels seem TO have been taken COZ
,d plctcly by surprise both with regard to 4
-. explosion and the attack Immediately tC
~ lowing it. They did not reply with Wig
at at first, but lost no time in getting the
T. house IN ORDER
ia 1t will be remembered that Hancocl
Corps, the second, left the front on WednC
day night and after crossing the Jam,
above bermuda Hundred, met with Rel
II force at Malvern Hill, captured four peIc
ly of artillery taken from our forces some til
IS since, and quite II number OF prisoners.
ltwas thought 10y the unmitigated til
- important results might :ranspre from 1
~ detachment OF llancock's Corps from 4
ln army and its rccgossing of the James RiV
ne particularly as il left shortly after Sheridan
so cavalry had gone over the same road.
a. Subsequent events have proved that d
= movement which caused 50 much specul
ID tion was simply n diversion To bambool
At. the enemy ior after making the captu
IT'S spoken of, and after considerable Rel
cir lorce had been despatched from before l
IL ter'burg 10 watch llancock's moyemen
40 thus greatly weakening their lines, iii
iee General quietly Slipped back To the Aru
IS, OF the ro.omac.
is, understand that Auderson's aud Heatl
ar DIVISIONS we're detached from before Pete
"A burg anc sent 10 Richmond to look All