Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1914-08-21

scene. and all the confusion given to
the enemy by the explosion was con-
fined to this handful.
The Confederate divisions manning
the works along the threatened crest
had been aroused during the night and
put under arms ready to mov at a
moments notice. 1t was well known
in Lees camps that Grant was up to
something in front of Cemetery hill.
He WIS reaching out for that height
and within the preceding twenty-four
hours had withdrawn heavy bodies Of
troops from the north side of the
James and concentrated them in the
vicinity of Burnside's lines. The ex-
istence of a mine being known to Lee,
much could be c~onjectured, and his
subordinates knew just what to do in
an emergency like that of July 30.
General Steven Elliott's South Caro-
lima brigade held the line at. the
salient. General II. A. Wise's brigade
supported Elliott's on the right and the
day before the attack General A. II.
Colquitt's brigade was placed in sup
port of Wise. On the Confederate left
of the line the division of General r.
#. Hoke stretched along the hills
toward Appomattox river, in front Of
Burnside's colored troops.
The explosion, when it came, actually
confused Grants soldiers more than it
did the troops of Lee.
The leader of the First brigade, Colo
mel Elisha G.. Marshall, leaped upon the
wall and, waving a signal to his men,
shouted Forward officers and men
to the number of a couple of hundred
Joined him instantly, climbing the bar
rier by help of their bayonets and on
one another's shoulders. The party
dashed forward to the pit and there
found a great smoking crater encircled
by a wall Of falling earth and debris.
First In the Crater.
Marshall's brigade, composed Of the
Second Pennsylvania and Fourteenth
New York artillery, One Hundred and
Seventy-ninth New York and Third
Maryland infantry, was quickly follow
ed by General w. f. Bartlett's, and by
the time the two commands had closed
up on the designated spot the lines
were hopelessly mixed. Astonishment,
mingled with curiosity, then took the
place of soldiery self control in a great
measure. However, in response to the
calls of their leaders the men dashed
into the pit and attempted to Chamber
up the side toward the Confederate
lines. Some avoided the pit and rushed
in among the bombproofs.
Successfully General r. b. Potter's
and General o. b. Wilcox's white divi-
sions and General Edmond Ferrero's
colored troops followed Ledlie's, and in
a short time the crater and the adjoin-
ing network of sheltering walls were
packed with men standing too thick to
move. Attempts were made by the Of
ficers to rally sufficient numbers to
charge out and capture Cemetery hill,
beyond the crater" but in every case
the brave men were driven back by the
pitiless fire.
Pandemonium and Heroism.
In point of fact. however, the Confed-
crates held back their very best fire.
They considered the Federals in the
breach as being hopelessly entangled
and virtually prisoners. Colonel Willie
Pegram's famous battery was dragged
by doubled up teams to a height COM
handing the crater and ordered to
stand ready with double shotted guns
to repel further advance. Rifemen
were likewise thrown around the
breach at a distance of 100 to 200 yards
with orders to keep down the heads"
of the Federals in the crater.
In the pit pandemonium reigned.
Men who were shot on the crest tum-
bled back upon the wounded already
lying in torture at the bottom. The
day was hot. Sulphurous gases escap-
ed from assures of the mine, and there
was no water to relieve the horrible
thirst. The way back to the Fedora,
lines was swept by canister and was
already corduroyed with Federal dead.