THE BATTLE OF THE PETERSBURG CRATER.
559
In the engagements of the 17th and 18th of June, in order to obtain theposition held by the Ninth Corps at the time of the explosion, the three whitedivisions lost 29 officers and 348 men killed; 106 officers and 1851 menWounded; and 15 officers and 554 men missing,— total, 2903. From the 20thof June to the day before the crater fight of July 30th these same divisions lostin the trenches 12 officers and 231 men killed; 44 officers and 851 men wounded;and 12 men missing,— total,
1150. These casualties werecaused by picket and shell fir-ing, and extended pretty evenlyover the three divisions. Thewhole of General Willcox’s di-vision was on the linefor thirty days or morewithout relief. GeneralPotter’s and General Led-lie’s divisions had slight re-liefs, enabling those officersto draw some of their menoff at intervals for two orthree days at a time.
In the engagement of July30th the four divisions ofthe Ninth Corps had 52 offi-cers and 376 men killed;
105 officers and 1556 menWounded; and 87 officers
and 1652 men captured,—total, 3828.
It was provided in Gen-eral Meade ’s order for themovement that the cavalrycorps should make an as-sault on the left. Twodivisions of the cavalryWere over at Deep Bottom.
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RELICS IN THE CRATER MUSEUM.
1. Musket -barrel with bullet-hole atthe muzzle. 2. Musket burst by twobullets meeting in the barrel, a bullet having. ! "/ entered the muzzle as the gun was discharged.
3. Musket struck by six bullets, one embeddingitself in the barrel near the bayonet. 4. Musket bent after having been cocked and capped. 5. Musket -stock coveredwith blood, found in a bomb-proof. 6. Sword found in a bomb-proof.7. Broken sword. 8. Lining of a cartridge-box. 9. Canteen perforatedby bullets. 10. Shovel having bullet-holes, found on the Union picketline in front of the crater. 11. Frying-pan having bullet-holes; takenout of the crater.
They could not cross theriver until after the Second Corps had crossed, so that it was late in the daybefore they came up. Indeed, the head of the column did not appear beforefhe offensive operations had been suspended. As General James II . Wilsonbad been ordered to be in readiness, and in view of the unavoidable delay°f General Sheridan, orders were sent to Wilson not to wait for General
totter and fall. A number of officers and menimmediately lifted him, when he cried out, “ Putme any place where I can sit down.” “But youar e Wounded, General, aren’t you?” was the in-
quiry. “ My leg is shattered all to pieces,” said he.“ Then you can’t sit up,” they urged; “ you’ll haveto lie down.” “Oh, no!” exclaimed the general,“ it’s only my corlc ley that’s shattered! ” —W. H. P.