The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1899-02-09
THE BATTLE OFTHE CRATER
A WHOLE COMPANY BURIED.

| a WHOLE COMPANY BURIED.
Graphic Description of tho Fright
ful Carnage that Followed The
Famous Explosion.
One Of the most notable and heart
rcn6lng events Of tho war between the
States WAS the explosion OF Il mine by
| tho Fcderals on tho lines near Peters.
burg In 1864, which is vividly described
by Capt. George B. Lake, Of Edgetiold,
who has been styled tho hero OF 1.-The
Crater His account is rs follows:
Tho evening bcforo tho mine was
| fore, Colonel David Fleming, in com
mand of tho Twcnty-sccond South
Carolina rogiment--l do not know
| whether by command Of General Ste
phcn Elliott or not--ordered.me 20 move
my company, "Compauy B, Twenty
second South Carolina, into the rear
| line, Immediately In rear Of Pegram's
| four guns. | had in my company one
officer, Lieutenant w. J. Lake, OF New
| berry, S. c., and thirty-four enlisted
! men. This rear limo was SO construct.
ed that could fire over Pegram's men
on the attacking enemy.
The enemy IN our front had two
lines OF works. He had more men in
his line nearest our works Than we had
in his front. From this nearest line to
Us ho tunnelled to and under Pcgram's
salient, and deposited in a magazine
prepared for it not less than fOur tons
Of powder, some Of their Oil GERS shy it
WAS six tons. We knew the enemy
were mining and we sunk shaft on
each side Of the four gun battery, ten
| feet or more deep, and then extended
the tunnel some distance to our front.
We were on a high hill, however, and
the enemy $40 feet in our front, where
| they began their work, cOnseQ uently
their mine was far under the shaft we
sunk. AT night, when everything was
still, we could hear the cnemy's miners
at work. While war means to kill, the
| idea OF being blown into eternity with
out any warning was anything but
pleasant.
THAT TERRIBLE SATURDAY MORNING..
On that terrible Saturday morning,
July 80, 1864, before day had yet
dawned, after the enemy had massed q
| largo number OF troops in front of our
guns, the fuse which WAS to ignite the
| mine was fired. The enemy waited
fully an hour, but there WAS only one
explanation, the fuse had gone out.
brave Federal officer, whose name / do
not know, volunteered to enter the
tunnel and fire 1T again, which he did.
A minute lator there was q. report
which was heard for miles, and the
earth trembled for miles around. A
| crater one hundred and thirty feet
long, ninety feet in breadth and
thirty feet deep, was blown out. O.:
the brave artillery company, p OFFICERS
and men were killed and wounded,
most OF them killed. Hundreds Of
tons Of earth were thrown back on tine
! rear line in which my command was.
Here was the greatest loss suffered
by any command on either side in the
war. myself, my only lieutenant, W.!Jl
Lake, and thlrty-four enlisted men
we're all buried, and OF that little band
thirty-one were killed. Ltcatcnant
Lake and myself and three enlisted
men were taken out OF the ground two
New Workers. These men worked ilbc
beavers, great portion OF the Time
under perpetual ire.
Colonel Dave Fleming and hlg ad-
jutant Dick Quattlcbaun, were also IN
tho car line only q few feet TO my. lcft,
and were buried thirty feet deep; their
bodice arc eth there. J 40 not kno"
how many OF the Federal trOops storm
cd the wOrkB, but / do know the Con-
tcdcratcg capturcd from them nineteen
iiaps. The attacking columns were
cOnpOscd OF white men and negroes
.Ober men and men who were drunk
brave men and towards.
One OF the latter was an officer high
In command. | have lost his name, II
ever knew 1t. He asked mo no"
many lines OF works we bad between
the crater and Petersburg, when ! re-
plicd "Thrce." He asked mo II they
were ell manned. | said Ycs.' nc
, then said Don't you know that
know you are telling q d lic?' saio
/ 10 him, "Don't you know that ] am no'
going TO give you inf0rmation that "li
3 be OF any scrvicc to you hc Iicl
r threatened TO have nc shot, ana DC
licvc but for the interfcrcnce OF
} Federal officer he would have donc s'
I had just seen several OF our olhccr'
! and men killed with bayonets aitc'
2 they had surrendered, when the
/ enemy, who had gone through the era
, tor towards Petersburg, had been re
| pulgcd, nnd foil back In tho crater lol
, projection. There was not room II
. tho crater for another man. IL wa'
Z death to 70 forward or death TO retrca
0 To LheIr 3wn liucs. 1t ID said there
1. wero threo thousand Yankees In ant
r atound tho crater, besides those iE
J.. portions OF our works adjacent there
:. Thon tho Coshorp mortars OF the
n brave Mnior Haskell, and other com
r manders OF batteries turned loose the il
o sholls on tho crater. Tho firing wa'
n rapid and accurate. Some of these
o mortars were brought up Is near a.
n fifty yards to the crater. Such seen.
o has mover before and never will be
& Witnessed again. Tho Yankees at the
a. same time woro using ono hundred