Akron daily Democrat. [volume] (Akron, Ohio) 1892-1902, 1902-06-30
"THE CRATER"
AT,PETERSBURG
Interesting Description by Mr.. K. l..
Russell, Formerly of Akron.

they see II. and hold on to the dollar
till the eagle yells" and this man is
content TO let this valuable spot go
without any endearor to make IT in
teresting by marking 1t with even
wood. while the ''old boys" are here to
tell the spots.
He could not even furnish bite to
eat. but we finally succeeded In get
| ting some buttermilk. II one OF our
Northern men with little energy
would take his position with little or
no cash, he would have a place there
that would make him rich. for the spot
grows more valuable year after year.
| 1t would amaze you to see the museum
| he has. II mean the place he keeps it
I I'M for ii is not as good as our old
smokehouse on the farm. while the
relics of that awful battle are truly
worth fortune. A few of the things
| he has are: \ Yankee and Johnnie
shoe with the foot bones still in them.
bullets stuck together that met in mid
lair. gun that burst by having ball
J come into it while apother was going
out at the muzzle. shells. bursted and
,yhole, bones and skulls. sabres. toys
! found that were made by the soldiers
plantation hoes with bullets through
them. cannon carriages. and last, but
not least. boxes and barrels of mimic
balls. This is very small part Of the
collection.
| A bit OF history Is necessary to tell
OF my trip. AS many know. Grant.
after the Wilderness, Cold Harbor
and Spottsylvania. ran Lee into and
around Petersburg in ga. Then COM
| ing UP from the south ri Petersburg.
he drove the Confederates from three
Entertainments until the one was
reached that resulted in the mine.
The works around Petersburg are 40
miles in length. The Confederates.
for the rost rart were entrenched on
one ridge. and the Union army on an
other ridge. with a small creek divid-
ing. and tile Norfolk & Petersburg
railroad between them. Burnsides.
wiz the Ninth corps. succeeded in
getting his troops down into this ra-
vine between The two entertainments
by means of a zig-Zag ditch in the
Snaps of rail fence, which was dug
~ feet ono way and then 20 feet an
other at an angle of about 25 degrees.
This ditch was originally about II feet
deep and fully protected the troops
from the Confederates in their effort TO
get down into this ravine. while they
were still further protected by rise
in the ground on the side of the creek
next to the Confederates.
Here was concocted the plan of min
ing Elliott's salient, Elliott's brigade
of Johnson's division being entrenched
there. The mine was the product of
Lieutenant Colonel pleasants. Forty
Eighth Pennsylvania. regiment chief
~ composed of miners from Schuyl-
kill County. Pa. Starting from the
above ravine they tunnelled 511 feet
up To and under this red3n with two
lateral galleries of 81 and IS feet re-
spectively. and in the night they threw
up advance lines of entertainments
within one hundred yards of the Con-
federate redln to be mined. (They
say it was no uncommon thing for the
two lines to talk to each other at this
point) Everything being in readiness.
the mine was set to be sprung at $50
a. M, July 80. 1864. but owing to defect
in fuse. it did not explode till 4:4O.
History tells us that it fell to the lot
ot General Ledlie to make the assault.
His total unfitness. it says. should
have been known by General Burn
sides. if not Y General Meade. while
legend has it that they drew cuts as
tn who would make the first assault
AT any rate General Ledlie's division
made the assault. while. as history
tolls us. General Ledlie lay in bomb
proof in the above ravine. and legend
has it that General "Barleycorn' was
not only in the bomb proof. but also
.n Lcdlie. toe.
The mine not only overwhelmed FL
liott's battery in the salient. but wiped
out a large number of their troops,
causing an abandonment of the en-
trenchments for several hundred yards
on each side OF the mine. General
Ledlie's troops without leader pour
cd pei. into the cavity caused by
the explosion. became confused by the
fast Increasing musketry fire from the
Confcderarts. and at this iuncture
General Frirero's colored troops were
ordered out OF the Ninth corps loca-
ton in the aforesaid ravine without
a leader, for Ferrero. like Ledlie. was
ia another Gomb proof. Perhaps Jack
Barleycorn" was keeping company
with him, too. The colored troops. being
more or less raw troops. naturally
made the confusion all the worse. Can
uncle of mine. by marriage. was in
command of one of these colored regi-
, ments. and was one OF the few officers
, who came out dlive.l
} The action of these two leaders en-
, abled Lee TO get Malone on the scene
and recaptured all that had been taken
. and slay hundreds of the Union troops
in and around the crater while they