The Portland daily press., 1894-09-06
THE LOYAL LEGION.
Companion Burbank Tells of the Pet
erSburg Crater.

Good Attendance at the Quarterly Meeting
Last Eveniug-New Members Elected
Next Meeting in Bangor.
The regular quarterly meeting of the
Maine Commandery of the Loyal Legion
was held at the Falmouth Hotel last
evening. General George Varney of Ban
gor, the new commander, presided for
the first time
AT the business meeting preceding the
were elected: Henry Ripley Millett,
Lieutenant Colonel Fifth Maine, of Cor
ham; Edward Macoy Robinson, Chap
lain Fifth and Twelfth Maine, of Phil
lips: Arthur Chapln of Bangor, desig-
mated by will as the successor of Brvt.
Major General Edward W. Hines of
Massachusetts.
At the banquet, after the business
meeting, the following members and
guests sat down: Thomas 2. Beals, He
bron Mayhem, H. B. Sawyer, M.V.3.
Chase, H.C. Vaughan, Volney NJ. Cush-
ing, Charles o. Hunt, J. G. Rundlett,
Thomas J. Little. Joseph S. Smith,
George L. Beal. H.S. Melcher, George W.
West, Washington, DC, commander,
George Varney, Henry S. Burrage, John
Marshall Brown, k.G. Carter, sc. Cor
don, Horace H. Burbank, Edward Morse,
George, F. French, George Hamilton,
Charles W. Roberts, George W. Verrill,
William H. Green, Calvin l.. Hayes, J. H.
Knight, Charles H. Boyd, Harry r.. Vir-
gin, M. F. Wentworth, H. 6. Thomas.
Selden Connor, J.W. Spaulding, Charles
p. Mattocks. Nss
After grace had been said By Rev DR..
Burrage, registrar of the order, the din
ner was enjoyed. After cigars had been
lighted, Companion Horace H. Burbank
of Saco was introduced and gave a very
interesting account of his recollections
Of the . Crater" at Petersburg. The fol-
lowing will give an idea of
COMPANION BURBANK'S PAPER.
In June, 1854. the Army of the Poto-
mac sat down before Petersburg on it's
west. In Genera Robert B. Potter's di-
vision of the Ninth Corps were the
Thirty-irst and Thirty Maine
regiments, stationed in front of work
known rs .Elliott's, in Pegram's Solient,
defended by the 11Sth and 22d South Car
olina and 20 men of Pegram's battery.
This became "The Crater" From the,
Union line to this work the ground was
ascending, and the ascent continued be-
yond the fort to hill within the Con-
federate lines called Cemetery Hill,
which commaded Petersburg and adja-
cent cemetery. To the rear of the ad-
vance portion of the Union line was
railroad cut and creek which afforded
an admirable opportunity for starting
tunnel. which should penetrate the
ground intervening, and mine the Con-
federate work. Lieutenant Colonel Hem
ry Peasants, of the 4sth Pennsylvania,
an accomplished mining engineer. con-
ceived such an idea and carried 1t out,
although at Meades' headquarters there
was no faith in the scheme. The main
gallery was made $40 feet long and 1-2
feet high. At the inner end were dug two
lateral galleries, one extending 3s feet to
left. In these lateral galleries were
placed eight tons of powder. The work
which occupied month, was completed
July 23d.
The hour for the explosion was at
8. 30 a. M, July 80, and 1.-The Ninth Corps
were massed to charge through the gap
which should result A flaw in.the fuse
delayed the firing, and it was only after
Sergeant Henry Rees of the 4sth Penn
sylvania swith great heroism, had
crawled into the mine that :the fuse was
relighted. .
At 4.45 the explosion took place. Cap
tain Burbank describes it as scene of
startling magnihicence With a sullen
roar, earth. cannon and men were
hurled into the air in an immense and
chaotic mass. A gap 1876 feet long, 81
broad and 80 deep was opened. Into this
breach rushed Ledlies' division, the one
division in the Ninth Corps least fitted,
both as to commander and personnel for
such duty. The other divisions fol.
lowed. i he thirty-frst and Thiry-secondl
Maine, of rifin's brigade, skirted !"
Crater" on the right and reached the Con-
federate works there, whence they kept
up fire till ordered to retire. The
troops of Ledlie's poorly managed divis-
ion were in "The Crater" bewildered
and being slaughtered like sheep. Twice |
Grifdn's briagde charged up the crest of |
the hill, but were repulsed by the Con-
federates, who had by this time recoy- |
cred from their surprise.
Then the Confederates, in turn! /
charged, striking the men of Grifin's
brigade on the right. about O'Clock in
the evening. There was desperate con-
f1ict here, but the Union Iine, with, itsl
two Maine regimens, was broken up and 4
many of its men captured. Colonel |
Mark F. Wentworth (now appraiser. of
Portland) took about 15o men and
officers of the 32d, Maine into the fight
OF these, one officer, Lieutenant John
G. Written of Alfred. and nine men were
killed. Colonel Wentworth, Captain
James L. Hunt and Lieutenants W.
Whitehouse, James W. Goodrich and 7. |
Z. Chase with % men, were wounded |
The captured were Captains H. r. Sar-
gent of Portland. Isaac P. Fall of South