The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-11-17

torical editor at an early uate'
 In view of the awakened discussion as to whether Virginia or Alabama troops are entitled to the distinction Of having taken the Crater, the scene of the most sanguinary struggle of the war, we give a brief account of the battle.
 After Cold Harbor. Grant moved to cap- ture Petersburg, and the first assault was made on June 15, 1864, by General Smith with his division. The town was garri- soned by force of artillery. supported by the old men and boys of Petersburg. but the guns were handled so effectively that General Smith, although partially successful, suspended the attack to bring up his columns from the rear. General Hancock was ordered to support Smith, but did not join him until night and fur ther action was postponed tntil morning. Had they attacked at once Petersburg General Lee crossed the James River on the 18th. and by a night march was in the entrenchments of Petersburg n the morn ing of the 18th. Another attack was made on the 17th and Grant ordered a general assault on the 18th, but failed to break the Confederate lines. From then until July 30 attack after attack was repulsed with such heavy loss that the Federal generals decided that the only hope of success lay in making breach by means of a subterranean mine under one of the forts. General Burnside. who conducted that work. gives this description of 1t:
 
 hundred and twenty-two feet in length. the side galleries about forty feet each. My suggestion is that eight magazines be placed in the lateral galleries. two at each end. say a few feet apart at right angles to the side gallery and two more in each of the side galleries, similarly placed by pairs, situated equidistant from each other and the end of the galleries. pro- posed to put in each of the eight maga- zines from twelve to fourteen hundred pounds of powder, the magazines to be connected by trough of powder instead of fuse"
 Eight thousand pounds of powder was the charge actually used.
 About daybreak on July 30. the mine was exploded. and several cannon, three hundred men and great masses of earth were hurled into the air. The entire Fed eral batteries opened fire, and the assault ing columns rushed forward into the opening, or crater, made by the explosion. This was about one hundred and fifty feet long sixty feet wide, and thirty feet deep. The Confederates rallied from the confusion into which they had been thrown. and then ensued the terrible scene so well depicted by John Esten
 The white division charged, reached the crater, stumbled over the debris, were suddenly met by merciless fire of artillery enhlading them right and left and of infantry fusilading them in front; faItered, hesitated were badly led, lost heart, gave up the plan of seizing the crest in the rear, huddled into the crater man on top of man, company mingled with company. and upon this disordered, Gnstrung, quivering mass of human be- ings, white and black-for black troops had follewed-was poured a hurricane of shot, shell, canister, musketry which made the hideous crater a slaughter pen. hor- rible and frightful beyond the power of words. All order was lost; ali idea of charging the crest abandoned Lees ir fantry was seen concentrating for the carnival of death; his artillery was mass ing to destroy the remnants of the charg ing divisions those who deserted the era ter to scramble over the debris and run back were shot down; then all that was left to the shuddering mass of blacks and WhlIes Tn the pit was to shrink lower, eVade the horrible mitraille and wait for. or surrender" ''' prisoners. ,r,. Up pon reading the following article in ! ne veteran. patriotic Alabama ,Da9ughter" being as she says, very Jealous for the fame and deeds of our Alabama soldiers" wrote to Colonel Louis w. Johnson, and receivedsAhis rerly which