The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1876-11-02

-LOuucl 5skebs zScLlctSIy I'LL III plhiH VIEW,
naked OF men, and hard beyond the brave
old town nesting whitley in its wealth Of
green.
:. Silence still relgned along the, Confede.
rate lines, yet Ledlie's men did not advance,
and now the supporting brigade OF the same
division, running forward over the crest and
with an incredible folly crowding in upon
their comrades, already huddled together
in the shelving pit, all regimental and COM
pany organization was lost, and the men
speedily passed from the control OF their
officers"
After referring to the delay OF the Fed.
erals to move forward, Captain McCabe
said: ~
"Grifin, it Is true, in obedience to the or
ders to advance straight for Cemetery Hill,
had during this time attempted several
charges from his position north Of the Cra-
ter, but his men displayed little spirit, and
breaking speedily under the artillery fire,
sought their old shelter behind the traverses
and covered ways"
TIE CRISIS.
"The rest OF Potter's division moved out
but slowly; and it was fully so'cloek-more 8
than three hours after the eXpIosion-When
Ferrero's negro division, the men beyond
question inaarned aoith drink, burst from the
advanced lines, cheering vehemently, passed
at double-quick. over the crest under
heavy fire, and rushing with scarce check
over the heads OF the white troops in the
Crater, spread to the right, capturing more
than two hundred prisoners and one stand
OF colors. at the same moment Turner, OF
the Tenth corps, pushed forward a brigade
over the Ninth corps parapets, seized the
Confederate line still further to the north,
and quickly disposed the remaining bri-
gades Of his division to. confirm his success.
"NoW was the crisis Of the day, and for
tunate was it for maiden and matron Of
Petersburg that even at this moment there
was filing into the ravine between Cemetery
Hill and the drunken battalions Of Ferrero
stern array OF silent men. clad in faded
gray, resolved with grim resolve to avert
from the mother-town a fate as dreadful
as that which marked the three days sack
OF Badaios.
Storms Of case-shot from the right min
gled with the tempest OF bullets which
smote upon them from the front; yet was
there no answering volley, for these were
veterans whose fiery enthusiasm had been
wrought to finer temper by the stern code
of discipline, and even in the tumult the
men did not forget their orders. Still press
ing forward with steady fury, while the
enemy, appalled, by the ineXorable advance,
gave ground, they reached the ditch of the
inner works. Then one volley crashed
from the whole line OF the Sixth and Six
tcenth, while the sharpshooters, clutching
their empty guns and redoubling their fierce
cries, leaped over the retrenched cavalier,
and all down the line the dreadful work OF
the bayonet began. How long it lasted none
may say with certainty, for in those fierce mo-
ments no man needed time; no man asked,
no man gave, quarter but IN an Incredibly
brief space, as seemed to those who looked
on, the whole OF the advanced line north OF
| the Crater was retaken, the enemy in head
long flight, and the tattered battle-fass
planted along the Darapets from left to right
| told Lee at the Gee house that from this
nettle, danger, valor had plucked the flower,
safety for an army. ~...
Redoubling the sharpshooters on the
right, Malone kept down all fire from the
Crater, the vast rim OF which frowned
down upon the lower line occupied by his
troops.
THE SCENE OF THE PIT.
| And now the scene within the horrid pit
was such as might be portrayed only by the
pencil of Dante, after he had trod. "nine-
circled hell" From the great mortars to
the right and left huge missiles, describing
graceful curves, fell at regular intervals
with dreadful accuracy and burst among
the helpless masses huddled together, and
every explosion was followed by piteous
cries, and often times the very air seemed
darkened by flying human limbs. Haskell,
too, had moved up his Eprouvette mortars
among the men Of the Sixteenth Virginia
so close, indeed, that his powder charge
was but one ounce and half-and without
! intermission the storm OF fire beat upon the
hapless men imprisoned within.
| Mahone'S men watched with great inter-
est this easy method of reaching troops
behind cover, and then, with the initiative
ingenuity of soldiers, gleefully gathered up
the countless muskets with bayonets liked
which had been abandoned by the enemy
and propelled them with such nice skill
that they came down upon Ledlie's men
like the rain OF the Norman arrows at
Hastings.''
At 1Os O'Clock the Georgia brigade ad-
yanced and attempted to dislodge Wilcox's
men, who still held a portion OF the lines
south OF the Crater, but so closely was every
inch OF the ground searched by artillery, SO
biting was the fire Of musketry, that OBJ
liquing to the left they sought cover be-
hind the gorge-lines Won by the Virginia
brigade-many officers and men testifying
by their blood how gallantly the venture
had been .essayed. .fj"
Half an hour later the Alabamians, under
Saunders, arrived, but further attack was
postponed until after O'Clock, in order to
arrange for cooperation from Colquitt on
the right. Sharply to the minute agreed
upon the assaulting line moved forward,
and with such astonishing rapidity did
these glorious soldiers rush across the inter-
yening space that ere their first wild cries
subsided their battle-fags had crowned the
works.
The Confederate batteries were now or
dered to cease firing, and forty volunteers
were called for to assault the Crater, but so
MANY of the Alabamians offered themselves
for the service that the ordinary system OF
detail was necessary. Happily, before the
assaulting party could be formed white
handkerchief made fast To ramrod was
projected above the edge OF the Crater, and
after short pause motley mass OF prison
ers poured over the side and ran for their
lives to the rear.
In this grand assault on Lees lines, for
which Meade had massed $4,000 troops, the
enemy suffered loss OF above 5000 men,
| including 1,101 prisoners, among whom
were two brigade commanders, while vast
quantities of small arms and twenty-one
standards fell into the hands OF the yictors.
Yet many brave men perished on the Con-
federate side.
Captain McCabe then rapidly ran oyerthe
notable events OF the remainder OF the
siege. "Thenceforward the campaign mar.
roWed itself to continuous effort to turn