The National tribune., 1903-06-25
Horror. Following the Ba..l. of the Crater.

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| EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: In your
issue of June l gave ycu our version OF
the causes that led to the failure at the
battle of the Crater. As IN eyewitness, l
will now endeayor to portray the horrors
of that 3Oth OF July, 1864, and the two
following days.
| The battle and the repulse werevirtually
over by noon of the Both. and the lines re-
stored on either side, but heavy cannon
aiding and rifle firing was kept up during
the afternoon. The day was intensely hot
and the sufferings of tie hundreds OF
wounded. lying in plain view between the
two lines, must have been terrible. But
there was no relief for them. Any who
We're able to attempt to escape to our lines
were shot dead by the enemy. Situated as
we were, in the front line, next on the
right of the Ninth Corps, we could look
right up between the two lines of works.
and the whole scene was in plain view.
Without being enabled to give any assist
ance, l witnessed many instances of
wounded men, unable longer to bear their
sufferings, who would attempt to struggle
to our lines and were Immediately shot and
killed. During the night of the Both many
wounded did manage to crawl and roll to
our line, where they were taken in.
At about the hour of noon on the 3lst
| flags of truce met among the dead and
wounded, about half way between the
1
wounded and burying the dead. AS Lieut.
Col. Royce. Brigade Commander, on whose
staff / was, proposed going out to where
the flags of truce were, | went with him.
Just after passing over our works, sol
dier of the Ninth Corps called to me and
asked if he could go out to body that
| lay some 10 yards away. He said: 1T
is my brother; he called to me until mid
night last night and l fear he is dead"
told him L had no authority to let him
go, but to 20 ahead, and if no one stopped
him it would be all right. l watched him;
he went to it, looked at it a moment, then
spread blanket over it and came away.
We soon arrived at the flags of truce. The
firing had ceased on both sides, and, look
ing back and front. the two lines of works
presented, probably, the strangest scene
ever witnessed in the wars of the world.
The lines were from 40 to 300 yards
apart, and as far as the eye could reach to
the right and the left the soldiers of both
armies were standing up on their works,
without arms, and large portion in their
shirtsleeves. The dead and wounded COM
menced near our works, but increased rs
the Confederate line was approached, un-
til near the Crater, where the enhlading
fire had been the heaviest, they were thic!;
as they could lay, and often We're piled
on each other. They We're both white and
colored, but very few Confederates among
lHeI1- Anu no" Il oDSeENeu Il vi
Confederate soldiers come down off their
works and give both white and colored
wounded water from their canteens, and
saw them put sheltering blankets over
both alike. BY this time those killed the
preceding morning were terribly swollen
; and black, and it was difficult to distin'
guish the white from the colored dead.
For some reason, which We could never
learn, the truce arrangement was not eff
fected at that time; the white flags return
ed to their respective sides; the soldiers
jumped down behind their works, and the
incessant firing was renewed. The truce
was not effected until near noon of Aug
, l, and those fearfully wounded men were
compelled to lie there in plain sight of their
fellOw-soldiers for two days and half and
two nights, with no attention, no provis-
ions. no water-only what was furnished
a few when the white flags first met. Many
died from the exposure, and many lost
limbs that could otherwise have been
, saved.
And this IS only one incident of many
similar that occurred after the great bat
, ties of the war. Its fearful memories will
cling to me to my dying day.-D. L. WAY
First Sergeant and Ado, Jacksonville
Fla.