Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1902-02-03
MAHoNE'S BRIGADE MADE
FIRST CHARGE IN RE-
CAPTURING CRATER
Editor Atlanta Journal:

Editor Atlanta Journal: 4-.
notice In The Journal of the 4th in
slant a communication from member of
the Tenth Alabama Volunteers, in which
he seems to claim the honor of the retak-
ing of the Crater for his regiment.
1t has been long time since the battle
of the Crater, and to the average mind
the facts of the case are necessarily more
or less dimmed. 1 write from memory, the
actual occurrences as saw them on that
memorable day.
After the springing of the mine by Cen
eral Grant the federal forces rushed in
and occupied something like 300 yards of
our works. The Confederate lines at this
point were intersected at intervals of 30
or 40 yards by traversies, to protect the
men from an invilading fire, which the
enemy were able to pour into them from
some batteries on the right. 1t was nee
essary to state this fact in order to make
clear what is to follow.
Mahone's old brigade made the first
charge in recapturing the works, and from
what /. saw afterwards, I presume they
retook something like one-half of the
space occupied by the enemy; those Of the
enemy not being killed or wounded run
ming over the breastworks or into the
traversies still occupied by their friends.
The second<charge was made by Wright's
Georgia brigade Wright's brigade did not
charge in a body. but by regiments, the
space being too small to handle the whole
brigade at one time. The brigade had
moved up the ditch left in front and the
Sixty-fourth Georgia was the first to
charge. could not see the result Of this
charge nor the charge Of the Twenty
second Georgia. The next regiment to
charge was the Forty-eighth Georgia.
This charge was in plain view of where
stood, and I noticed that they recaptured
and held the space of one terrace. The
- -. =
was made by the Third Georgia Our regi-
ment undertook to retake two terraces,
but only succeeded in holding one; the
men on the right being so overpowered by
numbers that they were compelled to give
back and to come into the terrace occu-
pied by the balance of the regiment. This,
according to the best of my recollection,
left two terraces still occupied by the en-
eng
had been wounded soon after the
charge of my regiment, and at the first
lull in the firing had gone to the rear.
Several houRs after / had gone back to
the field hospital, which was on the road
between the Crater and the city and be-
tween one-fourth and one-half a mile
from the former, the Alabama brigade
passed by going to the Crater. The charge
of the Alabama regiment finished the
fight but the brunt of the battle had been
won several hours before.
I think I have given the charges and
the results about as they occurred, and
that my statements will. in the main, be
borne out by eye-witnesses. / could not
see the casualties in my regiment as we
charged, but IL looked to me as If the
Forty-eighth Georgia lost One-fourth of
her men in charging a distance of IS or
100 yards. My company went in that morn
ing with twenty-four men and came out
in the afternoon with eleven men in COM
mand of Second Sergeant McCrutchen.
We passed that morning a member of
Mahone's brigade who had in his posses
sion four stands of Yankee colors and in
his body seven holes made by mimic balls.
If he recovered from his wounds and is
still living 1 would be glad to have his
autograph. c. M. SANDERS,
Co. c, Third Ga, Regiment.
Penield Ga.