Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1882-04-20

ance of small number of the Twenty-siXth
regiment, with the cooperation of Wright's
battery, prevented Grant from entering Peters
burg that day and capturing the whole OF
| Beauregard's army.
Pegram's salient, where four guns, under
Captain Pegram, of Richmond, forming part
of Major Colts battalion, was in the centre OF
Elliott's brigade. The brigade was arranged
in the following order, from left to right
Twenty-sixth, Seventeenth, Eighteenth, TWen-
ty-second and Twenty-third regiments.
Grant had massed $4,000 men opposite this
brigade. Beauregard's whole force in the line
was only three-and-a-half brigades. The the
ory of the assault, as stated by General Meade,
in the Court of Enquiry, held by the Federals
soon after, was for General Burnside, with
$1,000 men, to rush in the opening made by
the explosion, and dash over to Cemetery Hill,
five hundred or six hundred yards to the rear ;
this corps to be followed by General Ord with
10000 men. He states that he had 10000 to
so 600 for the attack of the place, and to rush
in the rear of the Confederatelines.
The mine was exploded one-quaIter of A.
NJ, Both July, 1864, with eight thousand
pounds of powder. 1t overwhelmed the bat
terry, the whole of the Eighteenth, three COM
panies of the Twenty-third and part of compa-
ny A, Seventeenth regiment. For some min
utes there was the utmost CONSERVATION among
our men. Some scampered out of the lines !;
some, paralyzed with fear, vaguely scratched
at the counter-scarp as if trying to escape.
Smoke and dust filled the air. A few minutes
afterwards General Ledlie's division began to
charge. This aroused our officers they began
to cheer, and our men bounded on the ban
quette and commenced firing on the ranks Of
men who were rushingin without firing gun.
BY this time some of the men of the gallant
Eighteenth, who extricated themselves from
the bank which covered them, came rushing
down the trenches, and us many as could picked
up guns and began firing. For considerable
time the firing was done entirely by the infant
ly. In few minutes afte: the explosion Maj.
Colt. who commanded the most effective artil-
lery on our side, came up to see if any OF his
guns were uninjured. AS soon as he could
reach Wright's battery. of four guns, in the
ravine to the rear of Ransom's brigade, which
was at least half an hour after the explosion,
he began to fire, and shot six hundred balls in-
to the divisions of Potter, Wilcox and Ferrero,
which succeeded Ledlie's division. These
guns were the only ones on our lines which, be-
sides enflading the enemy at close range, could
also fire on the crater and part of oar lines.
Major Gibbes, who had only one gun on the
right of the Confederate line capable Of enfa-
ding the enemy, began with this gun about one
hour after the explosion, and killed many Of
the enemy. One or two hours later, Major
Gtbes and Major Haskell moved their mortar
batteries and dropped number of balls in the
crater and lines.
In fifteen or twenty minutes after the ex-
plosion General Elliott came up through the
crowded ditch, followed by Colonel Smith OF
the Twenty-siXth regiment, with a few OF his
men, and ordered the Twenty-sixth and Sew
enteenth to form a line on the crest of the
hill, and charge the crater. He and a few men
gallantly jumped up on the crest of the hill,
about fifty yards of the crater, he pointed out
the line, and was in less than five minutes shot
down and brought back. The command then
devolved on your Colonel, who countermanded
the order to form on the crest of the hill, which
was utterly impracticable, and formed some of
the men in the bitches, which went to the rear
and commanded some yards in the rear of the
crater. Courier after courier was sent to the
division commander, and one courier to the
regiments on the right of the crater. 1 order
ed Colonel Smith to take his regiment, with
three companies of the Seventeenth, under
Captain Crawford (which then were larger
than the Twenty-sixth regiment) to form in
the ravine in the rear of the crater, and cover
up the gap, there to lie down and to rise up
and fire Whell necessary, SO as to prevent the
enemy from rushing down the hill and getting
in the rear of our lines. This order Was
promptly executed, and gave the remainder OF
the Seventeenth in the main trench more room
to use their guns.
The damage done-let the enemytell. Gen.
eral Meade says the assault came principally
from his right (our left) of the crater. The
enemy brought gums from all points and threw
shells into the crater. General Potter began
his movement towards the crest, and was met
1,,, al nff fhn o,,61
PEELED to fall back.
General Potter says "The next fire l saw
came from the right there was battery be-
hind some timber, which it was very difficult
for our batteries to reach. I ordered my own
batteries to turn their whole attention to that
one, but they apparently produced no effect. {"
Many officers testify that repeated assaults
were made to secure the crest some say they
saw them make two distinct charges early in
the morning, but were repelled by men who
rose up in the ravine. One fixes the number
of these men at 200, some as high as 800.
These me1, who repelled these charges were the
Seventeenth and part of the Twenty y-sixth.
The negroes, numbering 4,300 muskets, un-
der General Ferrero, rushed to the mine at s
O'Clock, and one distinct charge, as alleged,
occurred soon after. Some Of the officers al
lege their men got 200 yards towards the crest,
Which was 500 yards to the rear, but this is a
clear mistake None ever advanced so yards
beyond, for l watched their efforts with great
anxiety up to about o'clock, as l believed the
fate of Petersburg depended on it. The Off
GERS frequently attempted to urge their men
forward, and some would rush across a few
yards and then run back. Colonel Smith in
formed me after the battle, that the enemy
made u charge, and upon his men rising and
pouring III a volley, they did not make the at
tempt again. Captain Crawford, who COM
manded the detachment of the Seventeenth,
says, the Federal officers succeeded in getting
about 200 men, three different times, outside
of the crater, and they never advanced more
than 30 yards before his men drove them back.
We saw at one time fourteen beautiful BAN
ners waving in the crater and gallant officers,
| tryngto urge their men on in the direction of
Cemetery Hill. Bnt all efforts to reach this
point, from the rear of the crater, failed by 8
O'Clock. And they then attempted to effect
their purpose by taking the lines north of the
crater which would secure them chance to
reach the point of their destination, by the
ravine which passed through Ransom's lines.
This. together with the conformation of the
ground necessarily forced the burden of the
battle on the Confederate line, north Of the
crater and in close proximity to it. And es-
pecially on Elliott's brigade the right OF
RansOm's brigade and the artillery under the
command of Major Colt.
! The enemy, thus having changed their tao