The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1921-11-04
At CRATER
DISMAYS GEN. GRANT
]. Russell Wright Tells of Stirring
Events Abound Historic Pc
tersburg

Sometime ago l promised to give a
description of the springing Of the
mine at Petersburg, Va. The history
Of General Grants campaign by the
left flank from the Rapidan to the
defenses around Petersburg is too ia
miliar to. need any description. The
best equipped army ever marshalled
on American soil at that time crossed
the Rapidan on the End and 3rd' OF
May. 1854, with total roll of 141,-
100 men fit for duty in the field. TO
meet this vast force General Lee
could muster barely more than 50,-
1000 men. In the Southern Histori-
cal Papers," Vol. 6, page IA, there
appears the following statement:
i"Grant says he lost IL this campaign
from Wilderness to Cold Harbor,
$4,000 men but Swinton put the loss
at 10000 and says his real loss was
nearer 100000 men," From Cold
Harbor, where his men stubbornly
refused to go like dumb animals into
the jaws of death to the battle of the
Crater, General Grant in his official
report shows loss Of 2s,43S men,
making a total loss as admitted, of
6S,436, just about one-half OF the
vast army when he crossed the Rapi-
dan. Such tremendous losses to the
enemy meant of necessity irreparable
losses to our army, though General
Lee had repeled every assault and
succeeded in carrying large major
;ity of the aggressive movements
made by him.
/ In the light of such experience it
was not surprising that Grant sought
some other and different means of
assault than those ordinarily employ
ed. So he decided that mine under
our works should be placed and set
;off. The excavation was commenced
on June 25 and completed july Z8.
The main gallery of the mine was
/ 522 feet in length and the size of TIE
galleries was 4U feet each.
"Oficial Records" Series l. Vol.
part 1, pages 1877, 556, e53 says: "on
i! July 10Th General Grant issued an or
der that this general assault be made
on the next day, July 30th, leaving
all the details, including the spring
! ing of the mine, to Major General
Meade, ard he on the same day issued
instructions for the guidance of al
concerned. Among these Wee the
following: cat 3 80 on the morning
of July 30th Major General Burnside
(this is the man that General Lee
whipped to death at the battle of
Fredericksburg December 18th, 1862,
and ran his army across the Appoma-
tox river after night will set the
mine off and his assaulting columns
will Immediately move rapidly upon
the breach, seize the crez. in the rear,
and effect a lodgsncnt there. Upon
she explosion of the mine all the ar
tillery will open upon the enemy's
works"
But the mine was not exploded un-,
til 4:45, just one hour and fifteen
minutes after the appointed hour.
General Grant, on the next day af-
ter the explosion, after he had learn
ed of its complete failure but before
he was aware of how disastrous the
failure was, thus reported to General
Hallock, chief of staff: "Having
mine prepared running for a distance
of eighty feet, and twenty-five feet
below the surface of the ground
ready loaded with 85,0G0 rounds Of
powder, and covered w&ls made near
to the enemy's line was s%rlng at 5
O'Clock this morning tntaM iHa. I'D four