National Republican., 1881-09-10
vIRGINIA'S CRATER.
PETERSBURG IN DAYS OF PEACE,
A City ia the Suburbs Of which Are Half Dozen
Places OF Battle-The Crater aud Its
Odd Appearanee-Forts He'll
and Dnmnation.

and there is that in the air here whereby the stran
ger recognizes the Virginia capital In miniature.
In Richmond however, there may be felt the snap
and dash of a lively new South while at this an.
Client point OF trade there i hint OF Dixie, not nj
together unadullcrated but sill pleasantly sugges-
tive of the land Of 'cinnamon seed and sandy
bottom" Though the town is surrounded by the
ruins OF numerous forts, and though many of the
people served IN the trenches, find them avese
TO talking about the siege. Furthermore, those of
whom l asked questions apparently fail TO
Ter ofbaitlc. fields Very likely ii is because they
have them at their doors and the old story ofthe
weather prophet who Is not without success save
ful II st. Peter has ceased TO admire the golden
hinges Of his big gate and no doubt the devil fails
TO appreciate the Interesting section over which lie
presdes.
ON THE JERUSALEM PLANK.
"Whercll | find the Craterg asked, coming
out from the builtu up part of the town, and omerg
ing upon Jerusalem plank road. a.
Feth an nm thnkin' ye be aithcr gettin' yer
null av the cratlpr boyant there IN Jimmy
TO a Sign whereon sold Rye" NX Ale" and
things ofthat kind blazingy figured.
" lie don't mean that crater: some other crater
chimed in a small boy; he means the big C-r.n-
Grilnths field"
'Och belasus, tho't yo was manin' the livin'
liquid herself;' and as drove on / left the boy
telling the citizen how Burnside had wasted his
Passing along the Jerusalem rond for more than
mile came 70 road that branchcd on into field
of peanut plants. Al the side OF the gateway was
the sign: "To the Crater, o. cents ahcd" At the
end oithe field road, a few hundred yards from
the sign saw large, roundish bank Of red earth
topped by shrubs and small trees Near by is n
two-story frame house In which lives 4. X. Grif.
nth The owner the farm aud the guardian Of
The historic hole. Mr.. Grfilh led me up the side
ofthe Crater, explaining as he brushed The weeds
from the path that for sell.prolcctiou he WIS
obliged to charge fec, as Otherwise his visitors,
after the reckless manner of Sunday sight-sccrs,
would trample down his cotton and kill his corn.
WHAT THE CRATER LOOKS LIKE.
4, me land within half mile In every direction
y clear OF woods and at this time Is chvckcrCd by
helds of corn, cotton, and peanuts aud patches of
ground that are iallow Looking to the north the
neIas s9pS downward and So with the strip to hc
the Federal line. To the west and south is rising
ground, with the city cemetery on the ridge aud
abandoned reservoir, ofuneven banks and irregu.
lar bottomy overgrown with clumps of brars aud
bushes. 1t is lC0 feet long, sixty feet wide, aud
twenty yfve feet deep. The earth Is brown, with
red botches, being clay subsoil. The parnpet
of!he fort remains and serves as the rim and Dor.
der Of tho pit. Pine, peach apple, and ailnnthus
bushes, and fruitless briars, grow thckly in the
hollows, which look MS If u herd of wild boars
with hundred horse power snous had rooted them
out dozen years ago. Extending from the north
eastern corner of the Crater In straight line down
sunken, narrow ditch like sink in the earth. This
Is the surface line ofthe tunnel dug by schuylkill
County soldiers, who had been brought up in
mines and who wormed their way from the ravne
until they stored thousands OF pounds of powder
peach tree and look at the points of the eid, now
little changed from the day when 1t was the scene
ofa wonderful episode in war, the picture comes
vividly up
HOW TEN TONS OF POWDER SPOKE.
II is not yet SUNRISE and the defenders are asleep
among the traverseS and under the guns of the
fort. A match, a touch a kissing fuse and what a
thing Of mould and force Internal Is now lei
loose. 1t is as though young volcano. held In
natures mystery underground, has burst its bonds
flashes through broken clods OF earth that fly to
mid-air two hundred feet above. Sand, stones
So%n Tin ss peaS EsSe hal S wssbs He
ton Is sent whiring over the parapet for hum
dred yards. Young Chandler, who an instant be.
20 far that his bruised body falls within the Union
lines. Men die in the air, never knowing in what
unwonted and in what suphurous guise death has
enwrapped itself Answering TO the quake that is
felt as far as Richmond, aud that shakes the
steeples at Norfolk, hundred miles away, come
the roll and roar OF Grants artillery. Iii redan
and redoubt Lees men are benr.lbed and shrink
lest the old mole has toothed his blind path undel
other forts, and lest instantly now other death.
bolts shall start up from the depths. Lees batteries
TO the right and left deserted the outburs has
broken his line, and into i a wedge that may end
the war in week can now be driven. The mine
itself is wonder. II does its work with the swim
flight ofan electric streak that Sig,zags across Q
hank OF clouds in summer time rendering the
thunderous acclaim OF Its own success.
IN THE DEATH-TRAP
But II is in the driving of the wedge that the
gain becomes loss Whnt thus fur has been an
immense success now turns to that which is worse
than iailnre. What is needed is that the wedge
shall be driven with Grants best sledge -hamme
promptly home. mass OF Boosting black men
whose batte-ery of No quarter!" comes us an
echo from Fort Pillow, are sent under o
leader to accomplish what only the pick O
the army could hope to do. A whole houl
is given Malone IN which TO throw himsefintC
the breach. Lees artillery Is again manned and
hoty begins 10 work. Poor devils of black mel
from shouting "No quarter" now shrek wild
prayers for pity. Boosting becomes beseechinS
and shot down by the foe. Without head or orde
the entrapped victims hudde close about the gar
in the ground, seeking shelter behind heaps q
yalnly with the bodies OF dead comrades. Tho
Crater Is death trap. From many batteries wher,
lnrid CLEANS come through shrouds of smoke sho
and shell are hailed incessantly and what was
spot of triumph Is now a slaughter. pcn-a place o.
torn earth, soaked in the blood of -four thousanC
men.
FORTS HELL AND pAMNArIoN.
=, The Crater Is the main object Off interest ON III,
lines Of lortiIieatlons, and II Is more frcqucut
wick, which lie within sight To the north and casi
There are traces of Fort McGilvcr not far beyont
Fort steadman, and the outlines of the latter ar
just as distinctly marked. All the traverscs hav
been removed aud all the covered ways destroyed
for Fort Hell, as the armies iiicknamcd the Stead
man rcdonbt, is now garden wherein truck
raised for the Petersburg market. A inrm-hous
has been erected ~ the enclosure, aud o. /
Hare now peacefully dwells where GOrloi
and havoc once swept along Fort Haskell 1
IN better preservation than any other Of III
around the enclosure, and both the innerand quite
works, with a little use of the shovel could b
mhue nS iOrmluhnle as IN the days OF death. Man
of the oaks in the vicinty contain bullets, nor !
II unusual 10 pick up rusty reminders of b9ttl
anywhere along the line from that point south
ward 10 Fort Sedgwck. Only halt Of that iamou
place of strength now remains. II was built acros
the Jerusalem road on two plantations. The pnr
on Mr.. Grigers farm was long ago levoled and |
now n corn. but the half on the east side OF tn
rond slill stands, Mahone's Fort DamnatiOn show
many remnants. Fort Davis Is in good condition
aud Fort Rice has suffered little frOr
the wear and tear OF time. In this wa
the curious visitor might follow the line
OF deonse and cOntrayallation down to Hatcher
Run and the Five Forks field. Whcreve
the land was cultivated before the war the work
have been leyelcd but where the lines passe
through woods the works are very much as the
were when abandoned. In the high aud rollin
lands the woods contain white oak. red oak, popla
pines ash, elm, and buttonwOOd. At points wher
INK IN the chain of fOrtiiications is missing tn
lne may be traced by the color OF the sobsoi
Where the land is titled most of the shells and bit
OF lead have been picked up, etevery rain wash,
out Mlnle balls and grape on all the farms betwec
the lines.
PINK BLOSSOMS AND WHITE
There Is n delightful thing about Petersburg thu
never before has been mentioned in prlnt I'll
city Is bordered In It's suburbs by long belt ,
pGSSiie pSis Sessow ITees which ~ 6e spring turn myra
beautiful girdle to the place once trussed vii
bands 0tirop and cortohs of steel, In that lon
and weary year of watchfillneSs the Southern sol
ders were glad 10 get frnil, and the best thinp
that came to them from the Carolinns wei
peaches, whereof the pink flesh was Sweeter tina
honey-dew. The kernels were dropped upon In
battle-ground; the army tramped soreiy o
TO AppOmatloX winter came again. and the
from the trenches sprang fruit trees that hay
lourished 10 this day. Down In the Sunny Soul
there Is a kiud OF peach that shows white but
Elsewhere the blosSpm Ia touched with pink. A
other peach trees around Petersburg have the pin
flower. and the battle -held peach thus keeps 4
marx aud proud distinction. So now, startin
from the river AT the north. Lees line may
traced Or stx miles or more by the 9r-reeohin