Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-04-09
WAR INCIDENT RECALLED
MAJ. A. S. PERTAINS ADDRESS
BEFORE SOLDIERS UNION.
Declares That Failure of Petersburg
Mine Explosion Was Due to Gen.
eral Meade's Mistakes.

A meeting of the Soldiers Union was held
last night at the First CONGREGATIONAL
Church, 10th and streets northwest at
which George c. Potwin presided. The
meeting. which was held in the lecture room
of the church, was attended by a large
number of the members, their relatives and
friends.
After a short business session the presi-
dent introduced Maj. A. s. Perham who de-
livered lecture on Petersburg Mine EX-
plosiOns, July 80, 1864" He illustrated his
lecture with two large maps one showing
all the Union and Confederate works, ex-
tending sixteen miles from the Appomattox
river to Hatchers run. The other map rep
resented the immediate vicinity of the
mine.
The speaker gave a graphic description
of the explosion of the mine and the subse-
quent operations of the forces on both sides.
He stated that he in the 9th Army
Corps. which supported Gen. Burnside. He
showed that the failure of the operations
was not due to either the officers or men,
bers Of the 9th Army Corps, but to Gen.
Meade. All the plans of the officers of the
9th Army Corps. he said, were set aside by
the commander of the Army of the Po-
tomac who substituted his own plans.
which, it is claimed, proved impossible of
execution.
Maj. Perham said:
MEADE, who was a mile and half from
the battlefield, did not see the field,
but directed the movements Of the troops
and allowed the officers on the field no dis
erection as to the method of handling their
men,"
Maj. Perham showed under what disad-
vantage Col Peasants ran his 511-foot
mine and the acknowledgements placed in his
way. "Col. Peasants could not obtain
theodolite without sending to Washington,
although there was a very good one at the
headquarters of the army. Col. Peasants
said: Gen. Burnside told me that Gen.
Meade and Maj. Duane, his engineer, said
the mine could not be run. If l had had
proper tools l could have excavated the
mine In a quarter to one-third the time
Gen. Burnside said: The 10Th, not far
from noon, the major general commanding.
called upon me at corps headquarters, say
ing that it had been decided not to allow
Gen. Ferrero's division to take the advance,
neither did he approve of the formation
which was proposed, after the attacking di-
vision should have passed over the breach
In the enemys lines
Meade vetoed the plans of Burnside not
only to make the assault with the negro di-
vision in the lead. but also as to the method
of clearing away the enemy from the right
and left of the crater-simultaneously with
the advance on the crest and Cemetery
hill.
Orders Issued.
"Meades orders were given to move d.
rectly to the crest and not make any side
movements only fifteen and one-half hours
prior to the explosion of the mine. Meades
general orders contemplated that Warren
should support the left of the 9th Army
Corps and Ord the right Warren did not
support. while Ord did not receive his
orders to move until am. and it was
M.
Union lines.
Various divisions and brigades of the 9th
Army Corps were sent into the crater by
Meade's orders. and he continued TO send