The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1882-01-21

| ~ '4s'iohn. ASdlu, negro VINO had
oeen within Burnside's lines reported
seeing the shaft, but the men supposed
the federals were digging a well.
When the mine had been finished
Grant suddenly discovered that it was
a grand thing and certain to work,
! though during its progress "Burnside's
Tunnel" was as much jeered at as
Buffers Dutch Gap Canal. Powder was
brought up for it and carefully carried
through the long, dark hole until eight
tons were heaped under the fort. Then
a single sentinel held the place until
Grant should be ready.
| Grant was ready on the Both OF
August. He had sent a force to the
north of the James to compel Lee to
draw off some Of his force from the
Petersburg lines, and every federal fort
the length of the long line was ordered
to open fire from every gun at a given
signal. 1t was hoped that this terrific
fire would keep the confederates from
rally1ng to repulse the column of assault
at the fort to be blown up.
| At haif-past o'clock on the morning
of the Both it would be break of day. 1t
would also be the hour when even
watchful soldiers would regard the
dangers OF the night as passed and feel
| sleep tugglng at their eye-lids. Long
| before that hour Marshall's brigade OF
Ledhe's division had marched silently
| down from the pine forest and drawn up
IN column for assault, within half-pistOl
| shot of the fort; other brigades followed,
| and IN the gray of morning there stood
| BuTnslde's whole corps in battle line,
every mau knowing of the mine and
every man believing that success was
sure. The last regiment down had been
| standing in line half an hour when the
stars paled, dim light crept over the
fields, and men whispered to each other
that they could see the flag on the fort.
The moment had come for the explosion
and a whole corps was trembling with
excitement.
Men who had planned, excavated and
| placed the powder could surely be
trusted to lay the fuse and hght it, but
| either fear or carelessness upset the
| whole plan. The fuse burned little
way and then the fire died out. Daylight
came faster and grew broader From
being barely able to discern the flag fly
ing over the sleeping fort, the soldiers
could, at length, see the roofs and spires
| of Petersburg, a mile and half away.
Reveille was sounded all along the CON
federate lines when a 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 fame
and smoke, and the ground shook for a
mile around. Even before the sods and
dirt had ceased falling the New York
! Fourteenth ArtiIlerymeu were dashing
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 the
crater. The burned and blackened and
mangled bodies of nearly 200 coGfeder-
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 p 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. 1t was d mob in the
/ Crater-a shouting, struggling mob, and
/ when one got out three fresh men
charged in as the assaulting columns adj
vanced.
1t was q 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 thanking forts were so dumb
founded and dazed by the shock that not
a gun was fired 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 receiv-
ing bullet
At fredericksburg, when Burnside
found his assaults upon Mary's Hill re
sulting only III 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 its horrors by urging forward
other columns. The space between the
fort and the thicket was then a plowed
field, barren of even a brush. This
space was soon covered by the guns OF
the confederates, and after the ground
had been heaped with dead there was 6
general retreat to cover. The brigades
which had hanked the crater had not
come prepared with axes to tear away
the cheuaur- de- frise protecting the
earthworks, and as a consequence not 6
man passed it. 1t seems almost past
belief at this day that after 5000 mel
had been slaughtered in and around the
| Crater, and while at least a Thousand
living ones were cooped up in the pi
ard unable to get out, Burnside ordered
up the negro troops and piled them IL
on top of the veterans who had gone be
fore. Such was the case, however, apt
/ black, private and officer were mixed to
gether in a terrified mob and held pris
) oners in the hole until Gen. Bartlett