The National tribune., 1899-07-20
elk Of the salient. Hill went to our right

back of the salient Hill went to our right
for this purpose, leaving me in command
on the spot. Gen. Lee soon came to the
Cemetery. Then, observing the delay in
Your expected assault and seeing that
Elliott's remnant was doing well, | con-
ceived the idea of retaking the Crater
itself. ordered Weisiger to charge the posi-
ton, and sent for Wrght's Georgia Brigade
to come up from the right and support him;
also ordering the South Carolina Brigade
up from the rear--all to converge on the
Crater Having made these dispositions
Ireported and explained them 10 Gen Lee
as sooa as could reach him. He grasped
my hand and said: Gen. Malone, you
have saved Petersburg"
"By the time Gen. Lee was saying these
words TO me WeiSiger, with my old Nir-
,ginia Brigade 18th, 18th, 10th, 41st and
.61st, .Va,) was beginning to strike your
troops that had got into our first line, at and
to ON: left of-the Crater, and Elliott's rem
nant was ralhing spiendidly to Weisiger's
right: - ..
Leaving Gen. Lee" pursued Malone.
Il roaeto the coveredway. expecting to see
the head Of coiumn of Wright'sG Georgians.
but, they Had not arrived. They Were not
to blame, because they had started by
another route TO reinforce our second line,
pursuant 10 the original program of Gen.
Hill (cOalmaadiHg the corps. The result
was that they did not arrive i'll time 10
exert any material influence on the issue of
the battle 0nour side the whole work OF
any account was done by WeiSiger'S Brl-
gade. the remnant OF EIliott's and such of
the South Carolina Brigade as were able 10
get up from the rear before Your attack
collapsed, together with the magnificent
execution done by the two batteries | have
spoken of and two others that got up and
opened just before the finish"
CONFEDERATE LOSSES.
At the conclusion of the foregoing recital
I asked Gen. Malone what was the Con-
federate strength actually engaged at the
Crater
1T is not easy to say" he replied; "be-
cause there were. and still are. different
opinions among Confederate officers as to
what the words actually engaged there
should mean. Between noon and 1 p. m.
the efforts of y. p. Hill had resulted in con-
centrating about $500 to $500 men on that
part of the line, but many of these did not
pull trigger. The force that | brought to
bear on the Crater itself including Wright
1900 muskets. besides the artillery, and of
these Wright's Brigade-S5O to 300 mus
kets-got in. as | have said, too late to
materially affect the fortunes of the day
l then asked Malone what the Confed-
crate losses We're.
Not heavy" he replied. 81 never knew
Just how many We're involved in the eX-
plosion, but am sure the number was
within 200. The losses OF my old brigade, |
Elliott's remnant and the South Caro- |
finians were about $50, and the GeoTgians
may have lost 50-moStiy from your artil-
lery fire while coming up. Anyhow, |
think our loss, including the explosion
itself, was less than 500. which, according
TO reports since published. was about one
seventh of the loss suffered by your forces.
On another occasion Malone told me
that some days after the affair, when the
details had become known to the rebels,
Gen. Lee, in conversation with him, praised
the conduct Of the colOred troops and COM
pared itwith that of the white troops under
Ledlie, much to the disparagement of the
latter.
1t only remains TO be said that after the
Crater, disaster though it was, the phrase
"The colored troops fought nobody" fell into
disuse in the Army of the Potomac.