Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1899-02-16
HERO OF THE CRATER" Z"

Captain Geo. B. Lake, Of EdRefleld,
Vividly Describes the Explosion
and the Carnage that Followed.
[Nows and Courier.
The evening before the mine was
sprung, or possibly two evenings be-
fore, Col. David Fleming, in CON-
mand of tho Twenty.second South
Carolina Regiment don't know
whether 10y command Of Con. Ste
phen Elliott or not-ordered me to
move my company, "Company b."
Twenty second South Carolina, into
the rear line, Immediately in rear of
Pegram's four guns. l had in my
company one officer, Lieut.. w. j.
Lake, of Newberry, S. c., and 81
enlisted men. This rear line was 80
constructed that I could fire over
Pegram's men Oh tho attacking
enemy.
The enemy in our front had two
lines Of works. lie had more men
in his line nearest our works than we
had in his front. From this nearest
line ho tunnclled to and under Pc
grams salient, and deposited in
magazine prepared for it not less
than four tons of powder some of
their officers say 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 tho
tunnel some distance to our front.
We were on high hill, however,
and the enemy $40 feet in our front,
where they began their work, consc-
quontly 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 kill, the idea of being
blown into eternity without 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 onemy had massed
a large 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 but ono explanation, the
fuse had gone out. A brave Federal
officer, whose name l do not know,
volunteered to enter the tunnel and
and fire it again, which he did.
A minute later there was a report
which was heard for miles, and the
earth tromblcd for miles around. A
orator 130 feet long, 81 feet in
breadth and 80 feet deep, was blown
out. OF the brave artillery company
22 officers ana men were killed and
wounded, most of them killed. Hun
dreds of tons of earth was thrown back
on the rear line in which my command
was.
WHOLE COMPANY BURNED.
Here was the greatest loss suffered
by any command on either side Of
the war; myself, my only Lieutenant,
w. j. Lake, and thirty four enlisted
men were all buried, and of that lit
tle band thirty-one were killed.
Lieutenant Lake and myself and
three enlisted men were taken out of
the ground two hours after the ex-
plosion by some brave New Workers.
These men worked like beavers q
portion Of the time under perpetual
fire.
BURIED CIlIRTY FEET DEEP.
Colonel Dave Fleming and his Ad-
jutant Dick Quattlebaum, were also
in the rear line only few feet to my
left, and were buried thirty feet deep;
their bodies are still there. do not
know how many of the Federal
troops stormcd the works, but l do
know the Confedcrates captured from
J.. them nineteen flags. The attacking
columns were composed of white men
and negroes, sober men and men
who were drunk, brave men and
towards.
One Of the latter was an officer
high in command. I have lost his
name, if | ever knew it.. He asked
me how many lines OF works we had
between the crater and Petersburg,
'. len replied "Threo." lie asked
me If they were all manned. I said
eyes" He then said "Don't you
know that I know you are telling a
ID lie ?" I said to him: "Don't
you know that am not going to
give you information that will be of
any service to you?" lie then
threatened to have me shot, and
believe but for tho interference of a