Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1882-01-18

being barely able to discern the flag fy-
ing over the sleeping fort, the soldiers
could, at lsngth, see the roofs and spires
of Petersburg, q mile and half away.
Reveille was sounded all along the con-
federate lines when volunteer descend
ed the shaft, replaced the fuse, and
made sure of his work.
There first came slight heaving of
the earth, then sinking down, and all
at once the fort rose in a cloud of flame
and smoke, and the ground shook for a
mile around. Even before the sods and
dirt had ceased falling the New York
Fourteenth Artillerymeu were dashiug
into the cloud OF smoke, closely followed
by whole brigade.
As the men rushed for the spot where
the fort had stood they found the ugly
hole which had since been known as tue
crater. The burned and blackened and
mangled bodies of nearly 200 coufeder-
ates were lying in and about the pit,
some half buried in the dirt, some gasp
ing in agony, and some crushed to pulp
under the heavy guns which had fol-
lowed them into the air and fallen back
to the earth with an awful thud. The
fort had been swept away, and here was
the gap, but to pass through Lees lines
the federals must jump down those
ragged banks, Chamber over that horrible
debris, and scramble up a height of
twenty-five feet and reform. Those who
had planned the destruction of the fort
had not planned this horrible death-trap
for federal soldiers, but it was to prove
one just the same.
Wild with excitement the officers cried
forward !" and company after COM
pany and regiment after regiment after
regiment tumbled into the pit on one
side and tried to climb out on the other.
All organization was at once lost, and
the horrible sights in the pit dampened
all enthusiasm. It was mob in the
Crater-a shouting, struggling mob, and
when one got out three fresh men
charged in as the assaulting columns adj
vanced.
It was surprise to the confederates,
even when SO many were awake and day
break had come. Had this explosion
taken place as planned Lees lines would
have been broken. As it was, the men
in the two aanking forts were so dumb
founded and dazed by the shock that not
gun was fred until the rumble of
Grants cannon had gone clear down his
lines and back and the Crater was full
of federals. Then the confederates
realized the situation and acted quickly.
The fort was gone, but the parallels had
not been disturbed. Moving to the
threatened point from right and left they
soon had force enough to hold the gap.
Indeed they soon held the pit with its
mob of disorganized soldiers, and not q
man could raise his head without receiy-
ing bullet.
At Fredericksburg, when Burnside
found his assaults upon Mary's Hill re
sulting only in horrible slaughter, he
appeared to grow wild and reckless. Al
the crater, when he found his columns Of
assault checked by the pit, he continued
to add to it's horrors by urging forward
! other columns. The space between the
fort and the thicket was then plowed
field, barren of even a brush. This
space was soon covered by the guns oil
the confederates, and after the GROUND
had been heaped with dead there was .
general retreat to cover. The brigade
which had fanked the crater had no
come prepared with axes to tear ava,
the chevaur de:trise protecting tn
earthworks, and as consequence not {
man passed it. It seems almost pas
belief at this day that after 5000 mel
had been slaughtered in and around tn
Crater, and while at least thousan,
living ones were cooped up in the pi
and unable to get out, Burnside ordere,
up the negro troops and piled them il
on top of the veterans who had gone be
fore. Such was the case, however, an
black, private and officer were mixed to
gether in a terrified mob and held pris
oners in the hole until Gen. Bartlett
raised the white flag and surrendered t.
the confederates.
After the confederate fire had bee
trained upon the space between tn
thicket and the crater, those who al
tempted to retreat from the latter me
certain death. Some of the killed O.
this spot had four bullets in them. Th
confederates at length crept close enoug
to shoot into the crater itself, and the
occurred the slaughter among the negr
troops. They had come in last, an
were consequently most exposed.
When Bartlett surrendered there wer
700 or 800 corpses in the crater, wit
over 1000 muskets and q wagon-load {
other accoutrements. All were burie
out of sight by caving in the banks t
fill up the pit and re-establish the line
In that narrow space, scarce fort
rods square, the federais lost nearl
1900 men and the confederates owe
1000. On Sunday morning when Gran
sent in flag of truce and asked permis
sion to bury his dead, he found the1
corded up on each side of the trenche
and waiting for him. Hardly a corps
was handled by the burial party whic
was not hit more than once; and man
of them were struck five and six times
There are now on exhibition at the crs
ter by the owner of the farm musket
with three or four bullets imbedded i
the stocks, gun-barrels with Aattene
bullets welded to them, and dozens {
other evidences to prove the truth of til
words of one of the federals who cam
out alive:
:" If there is any hell hotter than you
old rebel crater I don't want to get will
in million miles of it. - y
r. An Experiment. n
fFrom the New York Hersld.1
1t is said that if you have presence !.
mind enough to face q raging bull, an
look straight into his eyes he is powe
less to hurt you. We tried this exper
ment once and found it worked admir-,
bly,. The fierce animal tore the groun
with his feet and beloved with all h
might; but something seemed to ho1
him back ike magic and he did us no il
jury. Perhaps we ought to add, in o
der to be correct historically, that Il
bull was on the other side Of the fenc
We never try an experiment Of that kir
without taking the proper precautiol
beforehand.
PrrsBuRa shipped 8, 9SS, 600 bushe
Of coal In one day recently.