THE BATTLE OF THE PETERSBURG CRATER.

55 1

that an officer had gone into the gallery to ignite it again, and that thee xplosion would soon take place.

. I returned immediately, and just as I arrived in rear of the First Divi-sion the mine was sprung. It was a magnificent spectacle, and as the mass ofe arth went up into the air, carrying with it men, guns, carriages, and timbers,a nd spread out like an immense cloud as it reached its altitude, so close werethe Union lines that the mass appeared as if it would descend immediatelyl; pon the troops waiting to make the charge. This caused them to break andscatter to the rear, and about ten minutes were consumed in re-forming forthe attack. | Not much was lost by this delay, however, as it took nearlythat time for the cloud of dust to pass off. The order was then given for thea dvance. As no part of the Union line of breastworks had been removed(’which would have been an arduous as well as hazardous undertaking), thetroops clambered over them as best they could. This in itself broke theVa nks, and they did not stop to re-form, but pushed ahead toward the crater,a hout 130 yards distant, the debris from the explosion having covered up thea batis and chevaux-de-frise in front of the enemy’s works.

Little did these men anticipate what they would see upon arriving there :a n enormous hole in the ground about 30 feet deep, 60 feet wide, and 170 feet' 0li g, filled with dust, great blocks of clay, guns, broken carriages, projectingtimbers, and men buried in various ways—some up to their necks, others totheir waists, and some with only their feet and legs protruding from theea rth. One of these near me was pulled out, and proved to be a secondtieutenant of the battery which had been blown up. The fresh air revivedhhn, and he was soon able to walk and talk. He was very grateful and saidthat he was asleep when the explosion took place, and only awoke to findhimself wriggling up in the air; then a few seconds afterward he felt him-Se lf descending, and soon lost consciousness.

The whole scene of the explosion struck every one dumb with astonish-ment as we arrived at the crest of the debris. It was impossible for theHoops of the Second Brigade to move forward in line, as they had advanced;atl d, owing to the broken state they were in, every man crowding up to lookmto the hole, and being pressed by the First Brigade, which was immediatelym rear, it was equally impossible to move by the flank, by any command,a )’ound the crater. Before the brigade commanders could realize the situa-

l0 n, the two brigades became inextricably mixed, in the desire to look intoth e hole.

However, Colonel Marshall yelled to the Second Brigade to move forward,ai )d the men did so, jumping, sliding, and tumbling into the hole, over thee bris of material, and dead and dying men, and huge blocks of solid clay,hey were followed by General Bartlett’s brigade. Up on the other side ofae crater they climbed, and while a detachment stopped to place two of the

f & Sergeant Henry Rees entered the mine and^at the fuse had died out at the first splic-0l ~” . He cut the fuse above the charred portion;“ ls w ay out for materials he met Lieutenant

Jacob Douty, who assisted in making a freshsplice, which was a success.— Editors.

4- Immediately following the explosion the heavyguns along the line opened a severe fire.—W. H. P.