Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1865-02-16
RUTLAND HERALD.
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY o, 1866.
The Petersburg Mine.

Previous TO the breaking out of the
war, Lieut. Col. Henry Peasants, of the
4sth Pennsylvania Regiment had been
engaged in mining for coal Although
quite young, OF small stature, and mod
est, though gentlemanly bearing, he
probably possessed more practical
knowledge OF mining operations than
all the Major Generals ON the James
River. According to the recent report
OF the Committee on the conduct OF the
war, and as was well known before, Col.
Peasants first suggested the plan OF ex-
ploding o mine under one of the rebel
batteries, and after much entreaty was
allowed to commence the work. The
mine was begun on the 26th Of JuAe,
with the approval of Gen. Burnside, who
had had the best opportunity of know
ing the character and quality Of Col.
Peasants and il was finished on the 23d
OF July. The mine, if we rightly re-
member, was about five hundred feet in
length, and was carried forward under
disadvantages which would have deter
red man of less energy and determin-
alton.
He was not allowed wheelbarrows TO
remove the dirt from the shaft, nor in
struments necessary to take the bear
ings and distances. He had to send
abroad somewhere to get an old theodo
lite for that purpose,
In reply to a question asked by the
Committee why he could not get better
instruments, Col. Peasants replied
, "Gen. Burnside told me Gen. Meade and
Major Duane, the Chief Engineer Of the
Army OF the Potomac, said the thing
could notSbe done, that it was all clap
trap and nonsense, that such length
of mining had never been executed in
military operations, and never could be.
Gen, Burnside was the only officer of
high rank who favored the mine"
But the eworld moves" in spite of the
Pops4 tasdsthe mine moved forward to
completion in spite Of General Meade
and Major Duane. Gen. Burnside pro-
posed to place two brigades of colored
troops, who had been drilling with ref
erence to the attack some weeks, in the
advance Of the attacking column.
Gen. Meade objected, not because he
believed they would not do their duty
as well as white troops, but because
they had not been under fire. The mat
ter was referred to Gen. Grant, who de-
cided that white troops should lead the
assault He said in evidence: Gen.
Burnside wanted to put his colored di-
vision in front, and | believe if he had !
done so 1t would have been a success. |
Still j agreed with Gen. Meade in his
objection to that plan. Gen. Meade
said that if we put the colored troops
in front we had only that one division.
and if it should prove a failure, it
would then be said very properly that
we were showing these people ahead to
get them killed because we did not care |
anything about them, but that could |
not be said if we put white troops in
front. The order on the springing of |
the mine and mode Of attack was given
by Gen. Meade" s--
Gen. Grant here frankly admitted that
if Gen. Burnsides plan had been carried |
out, it would have been success. But
it seems that both he and Gen. Meade
had little Of that weakness with
which the rest of mankind" are more
or less afflicted we do, or we refrain
from doing, certain thing, not so much
in accordance with the dictates of our
own private judgment, as on account of
what we are apprehensive other folks
may say about it.
The Committee sum up the result of |
their Investigations in the following
conclusion
That in their opinion the cause Of the |
disastrous result of the assault of the |
Both of July last is mainly attributable
to the fact that the plans and sugges-
tions OF the General who had devoted
his attention for so long time to the
subject, who had carried out to a sue
eessful completion the project Of mining
the enemv's works, and who had care
fully selected and drilled his troops for
the purpose Of receiving whatever adj
vantages might be attainable from the
explosion of the mine, should have been
entirely disregarded by General who
had evinced no faith in the successful
prosecution of that work, had aided it
by no countenance or open approval,
and had assumed the entire direction
and control only when it was completed
and the time had come for reaping any
advantages that might be derived
from 1t.
BLOCKING THB WHKBLs.-A deficiency
bill Of large amount is now pending be-