The National tribune., 1904-08-18
THE NINE FIASCO.
The Drsary Question Of Responsibility for
the Failure Of Most Promising Rntsr-
prise


| EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: I have
been greatly interested in reading Cam
paigns of the Army of the Potomac" July
80 was the 10th anniversary of the Peters
burg Mine explosion. The memories OF
that awful fiasco are indelibly impressed
upon my mind. Gen. Grant said of this
failure. II blame every commanding Off
Ger from myself down. for the failure te
| take the city that day. All the excuses
have ever read or heard leave the impres
sion OH my mind that somebody in author
ity was determined that the movement
should fail.
! Some 20 years ago Col. VIM. Humph
of the Ninth Corps, told me that every
brigade commander had been taken ny
into the lookout and shown the exact po
sition his brigade should occupy. Fol
some unexplained reason. on the night be
fore, everything was changed. and no one
knew what was expected of him.
At that time the morale of the army
| was not of the best. Men swore they
would never make another charge: yet all
they needed was the inspiration of hopeful
chances. On that bright Summer morn
ing, had the word been given, men would
have rushed over the breaStwOrks from
the Crater to Fort Hell (Sedgwick), be-
cause they saw chance to win opened
before them. l firmly believe that there
was not force enough between us and
Petersburg to have stopped our division
alone. had the charge been ordered; and
visit two years ago confirms me in that
opinion. Hour after hour passed in the
utter helplesNess of incompetency, COW
ardice or jealousy, or all combined. The
golden opportunity was lost, and we saw
the banners of rebellion come down the
slope. and the bearers swOOp down on ouI
| helpless comrades at the Crater. 1t was
rarely the privilege of the man with the
mnsket to see n battle in which he par
| ticipated; this battle was in that respec,
an eNception-to the men Of our brigade
at least, for we lay where we could view
| the entire line, from the Crater to Fort
Malone. Our position was to the left
and not far from Fort Rice; and l think
| the Goth Me. lay between our regiment ant
| the Ninth Corps. We were then in the
Third Brigade of Griffin's First Division
Of the Fifth Corps.
In his foot note (2) in Issue of July a
SwintOn states location of mine): This
was the position secured by Griffn's Divi
sion of Warrens Corps in the attack OF
18th of June" The position was taken
by the command of which our regimen,
formed part, being the Second Brigade
The advance was made after dark, and, as
near as | am able to learn our regiment
must have advanced over the ground
where the entrance to the mine was located
We were soon relieved, and moved n little
to the left, occupying a very exposed posi-
ton, and from which point the three
men present left us for home and muster
out.
Afterward the orphans of the regimen;
were put into the 1st Mich, and helped
to build the permanent works beyond
Fort Rice, including a little work on Fort
Scdgwick.
Mr. Swinton says: Burnside occupied
a position very close to and within 15O
yards OF the enemy's line"
l think Mr.. SwintOn is certainly in er-
the mine, but it does not give the distance
between the opposing lines. After the sur
render Serg't Ely Reynolds and obtained
twOdays' pass from City Point. visiting
Petersburg and Richmond. At that time
| paced from the line of abatis and found
the distance just 20 PAGES. The lines were
then complete. In October, 1902, l visited
the spot. The rebel works were still
standing, but those on the Union side
were leveled. and the ground was covered
with luxurious crop of peanuts. The
be readily traced by the yellow soil which
had been thrown up. then paced across
the rows Of peanuts and found the dis
tance So PAGES. Doubtless there are Off
cial measurements which will decide
whether Mr.. Swinton's $50 yards or my
50 paces-Or yards-is correct.
1t is almost inconceivable that armies
should lie in such close proximity from
June IS until April 3. day and night, sew