The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1865-02-17
The Petersburg Disaster.
Report Of the Committee on the Con.
duct Of the Wvr.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 6, 1865.

the 30th of July last. 1t covers fifty pages
of foolscap and is accompanied by large
quantity of evidence. 1t appears from
the report that the idea of the mine orig
mated with COL Henry Pleasant, 9Th
Pennsylvania volunteers, and met with
the approval of his superior officers, Act
ing Major General Patten and Major Gen.
eral Burnside, commanding the corps.
The Committee say that Lieut.. Colonel
Pleasant labored under disadvantages in
the successful accomplishment of this i'm.
portant work, which would have deferred
man of less energy. 1t was not merely
the evident lack of faith in the success of
the enterprise shown by all the officers of
high rank, but his division and corps COM
msnders, but that lack of faith was 40
companied by an entire failure to furnish
the assistance and implements necessary
to the success of the undertaking within
q reasonable time. st H'.i fsa. E
The testimony of Lieut.. Col. Pleasant
shows he had to dig the mine with only
the men Of his own regiment, and that
the dirt had to be carried out in cracker
boxes strung between poles for the lack
of wheelbarrows, and that he was even
refused the use of an instrument at head
quarters wherewith to make the necessary
triangulation, and that Gen. Burnside had
to send to Washington for an old-fash-
toned theodolite. " a3.s, sa''a .:3ba3T
Gen. Meade and Maj. Duane, Chief En-
gineer of the Army of the Potomac, said
the thing could not be done; that it was
all olaptrap and nonsense; that such q
length of mine had never been executed
in military operations, and could not be.
Gems. Burnside and Patten were the only
high officers who believed in it. Under
these Instantaneous circumstances, the
main gallery was dug five hundred and ten
feet in length, the left lateral gallery was
thirty.seven feet in length, and the right
lateral gallery was thirty eight feet in
length. The magazines were placed in
the lateral galleries. The average size Of
the gallery was four and a half feet high
and four feet wide: After reviewing the
different orders for the movement, and
narrating the final failure, with loss of
between 1000 and 6, 600 in killed, wound
ed and missing, the disaster is thus sum-
med up; - - -r.'. r,i I'D
Your committee cannot, from all the
testimony, avoid the conclusion that the
first and great cause of disaster was the
charge made in the afternoon preceding
the attack, in the arrangements of Burn
side to place the division of colored troops
in the advance. The reasons assigned by
Gen. Burnside for not taking one of his
divisions of white troops for that purpose,
was fully justified by the result of the
attact Their previous arduous labors
and peculiar position, exposed continually
to the enemys fire, had, as 1t we're, trained
them in the habit of seeking shelter, and
true to that training they sought shelter
the first opportunity that presented itself
after leaving our liues, and it is not un-
reasonable to suppose that the immediate
commander Of corps is better acquainted
with the condition and efficiency of partio-
ular divisions of his corps than one further
removed from them. The conduct of the
cOlored troops when they were put into
action, would seem to fully justify the con
fdence that Gen. Burnside reposed In
them. And Gen Grant himself, in bis
testimony expressed the belief that if
they had been placed in the advance, as
have been successful, although at the
time the colored troops were ordered up,
the white troops were in confusion, and
had failed in the assault, upon the crest
beyond the center, and the fire of the enc
my had become exceedingly destructive.
The cologed troops advanced in good or
der, passed through the eneiny's lines and
beyond, over disorganized troops, then
stopping but short time to reform,
they made the charge as directed, but the
FIRE by the enemy was too strong, and
some other of our troops hurrying back
through their lines, they were thrown into
confusion and forced to retire.
The committee disapprOved of Gen.
Burnside's deciding by lot whether the
division of Potter, OF Wilcox, or of Leddie
should lead the assault but there was but
little time for selection after Gen. Meade
had changed the programme.
Gen. Burnside testified that teach OF
the division commanders, as well as every
other officer in the command, who had
given his attention to the subjec. in the
least degree, was fully aware of the condi-
ton of the white troops, a. had previous
~ SC8CcU IL W Otu medue, anu were luIly
impressed with the conviction that the
oolored troops we're in much better condi-
ton to lead the attack, and the wisdom of
using other white troops :. as support.
There was no time to be lost, however,
and I decided that would allow the lead
ing division to be decided by lot. -
The committee dwelt on the fact that
the order of attack, as proposed by Gen.
Burnside, was also changed by direction
of Gen. Meade, with the approval Of Gen.
Grant. They also show by the testimony
that when the order to withdraw was Civ
en- by Gen. Meade against the represents
tons made by Gen. Burnside, orders were
also issued by Gen. Meade for the often
sive to cease on the right and left Of Burn.
sides position, and general order to the
troops on the west at the came time to
withdraw from the position where they
had been placed, in support of the Ninth
corps. asssg.i sst u --...-. lee nj .,-....
The enemy were thus left enfirelv frao