The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1882-02-25
BATTLE OF THE CRATER.
PETERSBURG. JULY 80, 1864.

Thomas H. Cross late OF Co. A, Six tenth Va ln in
Philadelphia Times.
The morning of July 80, 1864, was bright but
the air was filled with an intense heat that
brought little refreshment to the soldiers of the
opposing armies which occupied the lines around
Petersburg Few save the generals of the Fed
eraI army knew, and certainly few save the gen.
erals of the confederate army suspected that be-
meath one of the confederate batteries which
formed a re-entrant in the confederate lines lay
the dormant power Of many tons of powder
which would soon rend the earth and air and
bring death to many a.sleeping soldier At the
point selected for the explosion the lines so
near to each other that during the night desul-
tory fire was kept up on each side to prevent
surprise from the opposite party, and the conted-
crate line Just here formed an angle which was
covered by fort. To blow up this fort and thus
cause breach in the lines seemed a compare
lively feasible plan of gaining the crest of the
hills In rear of the confederate line, and distant
from the Federal lines about five hundred and
fifty yards. In executing any movement in which
cooperation of many persons is essential there is
of course, unavoidable delay, and the explosion
of this mine was exception to the general rule.
Cured at half past 4, took place just twelve
minutes after, when the defective fuse, having
been repaired or replaced, brought the spark to
the powder, and the event for which thousands
of ewes and ears were watching and waiting pro-
claimed itself to the world as an accomplished
fact. amid fire. smoke death and desolation.
The First division of Federal troops under, COM
mand of Brigadier-General Ledlie was assigned
bv lot to the hazardous duty of filling the deadly
breach, and Immediately following the explosion
thev leaped their own defenses, swept across the
short space dividing the lines and gained the
federate lines before the latter troops could fully
realize what had occurred could rally from
the inextricable confusion into which the event
had thrown them. Ledlie was supported by Gen
erals Potter and Wilcox, but the troops seemed
to look upon the chasm which had been rendered
bv the explosion rather as place of refuge than
as an initial point for making further assault
upon the town now almost within their power
1t is needless here to attempt to describe the dull
heavy thud produced by the explosion of many
tons of powder down in the bowels of the earth
The earth yawned as if just awakening and shak-
ing off the sleep of centuries heavy rumbling
noise pervaded space, perceptible quaking told
those al distance CnaC some unt0Ward event
was happening, the ground Immediately covering
the mine lifted and was thrown more than a
hundred feet into the air, while the lurid flames
shone from below through the awful assures in
the earth and lit up a scene at once grand and
appalling A heavy veil of smoke stood for q
moment over the wreck as if reluctant to disclose
the destruction which the hand of man had
caused, and then, stirred by the early morning
breeze. it foated slowly away in the great mass
ofsmoke which was now pouring from the throats
of all the available guns in both armies The
grand chorus of artillery which Immediately sue
ceeded the explosion was such roar as would
ftly herald the introduction OF fends from thu
lower regions and was played by an orchestrs
that combined in its awful diapasOn all the notes
from the stEiIl treble of the whlstllng shell II
the heavy bass of the Dahlgren or mortar
On the confederate side, men quietly sleeping
were hurled into eternity, no moment OF waking
reflection or preparation, while their places were
hlled by the legions of invading soldiery. Blu
with the Federals what was apparently plain sail
ing soon began to be difficult problem, and a
line after line of troops pressed into the breach
confusion naturally followed and an unmanage
able mass OF men huddied behind the very work.
which were intended only as place of rest anC
alignment This point reached, they seemed t,
have felt that glory enough for one day had beer