Daily State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1864-08-10
THE PETERSBURG ASSAULT.
TARY SPECTATORS STATEMENT OF TBE CAUSE OF
THE FAILURE or THE ASSAULT.


Correspondence Of tic y. Y. Herald.
will endeavor 70 give you the real version
The late failure before Petersburg
-Four or FIVE DAYS prior to the explosion. Gen.
Hancock's % army corps crossed the James
river, accompanied by Sheridan's cavalry corps
some twelve thousand men. Hancock was
first across, aud after little fighting took Nal
yern Hills and four large siege guns, placed there
by the rebels.
4 RtBEL IsFASrRY DfvisfoS DEFEATED By TOR
BERTs CAVALRY.
Two days afterward Torbert's division of cav
airy whipped division OF rebel Infantry thing
nnheard of in the annals Of this war. Hancock
then established himself within eleven miies of
Richmond.
What was the effect of this crossing on the reb-
els7 They sent over Hills and Longstreet's
corps-their two largest corps--imagining that
We had sbandoned Petersburg and were making
a flank movement on Richmond.
On the 18th Of July the 81 tRegalar) division
OF the 9th corps received order. about ten o'clock
This division flour thousand eight hundred
strongl being in reserve, was ordered to strike
camp and be in the cut of the Petersburg and
Suffolk Railroad at three o'clock in the morn
ing; that the mine on Burnside's front would be
fired at halt past three o'clock. and TO bold them
selves in readiness to charge after Burnside and
the 18th corps.
The orders also enoned that no fires should
DC lighted; but Burnsides men disregarded this,
and constructed large fires.
As the lines are very close in his front, the
rebels could plainly see the men in Burnside :
corps taking doTn their shelter tents and packing
their knspsscks. This fortunately, still further
carried out the delusion that we were about TO
cross the James river. and accordingly the reb
els were running trains all night. and hurrying
men away
THE EXPLOSION soT III 30 TINE.
Owing to some hitch at Burnside's the mine
did not explode until twenty minutes past four
GRANT AND MEADE on THE GROUND
At two o'clock Generals Grant and Meade
were. with their stats, at Burnsides beadquar
tiers. Immediately on the explosion OF the mine
every gun and mortar on our whole lire opened
, and the grandest artillery firing Gall on our side
began that have ever heard.
TOOK the REBELS DY COMPLETE SURPRISE.
The rebels rose from their beds in the greatest
hurry and CONSERVATION. Down went their shell
tiers. and fnally feeble answers came from few
OF their batteries. We silenced all of their bat
teries but one. which owing to its peculiar posi-.
ton, We could not get an accurate range of A:
. soon the mine was blown up, which engulted
seven companies of the rebels and four cannons
4 charge. But
ANOTHER UNFORTUNATE DELAY OCCURRED.
] Five minutes delay took place in moving mp af
! the mine had gone up. The Wa,
the
cOwARDIoE OF THE NIGGERs
The brigade in advance, which was composed
of niggers, laid down their arms and refused Il
: charge Gen Ayers. in speaking of this after
I ~ N at no had
=. Burnside's place he would have run down tive
: guns double shotted with canister, and gyeI
! them the alternative OF charge of canister or o
!. making a charge. The Cd brigade of nggers
+. three thousand five hundred strong, marched
! over them, followed by brigade Of white men
! one thousand two hundred strong.
THE CHARGE on THE NINE.
Up they went TO where the mine had beei
blown. aud which on the rebels front line
meeting no resistance save a few shells rathe
/. wildly thrown from rebel batteries on the hanks
I Forward thew went, and planted their coors Of
the second line
THREE HUNDRED REBELS RoUT THREE THOUSAND
| NIGGERs.
When they reached the second line mer
squad of three hundred rebels made their appear
snce, and the niggers. without firing a singl
shot, by showing to the left, pushed the on
thousand two hundred white men on their LET
into the mine, and then turned tail and ran ava
till they got clear back into our lines. Thes
sonc thousand two hundred men drove back twic
these three hundred. first by themselves and the
when they came down reinforced. For these on
thousand two hundred men there was no retreat
Their position was in rear of the rebel main line
so that the rebels were between them and us
Their position was thus: