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1864.

trenches, meanwhile, was diligently kept up, while an extraordinary labor was being performed in the construction of a mine leading to a formidable fort of the enemy's, in front of Burnside's line, and about 2,000 yards southeast from Petersburg. The required length of the mine, to reach the point proposed, was about 500 feet. The work, in which many difficulties in the way of water, marshy grounds and quicksands had been overcome, was completed by the 25th of July, a month after its commencement, and some four tons of powder were placed in it ready for use.*

On the night of the 26th of July, the 2nd corps and two divisions of the cavalry corps, and Kautz's cavalry, were crossed to the north bank of the James River, and joined the force which Butler had succeeded, on the 21st, in placing at Deep Bottom, and in connecting by pontoon bridges with Bermuda Hundred. On the 27th of July, the enemy was driven from his entrenched position, with the loss of four pieces of artillery. On the 28th, our lines were extended from Deep Bottom to Newmarket Road; but in getting this position the enemy attacked in heavy force. The fighting lasted for several hours, and resulted in considerable loss. The

* Lieut.-Col. Pleasants, of the 48th Pennsylvania, an experienced engineer, was the constructor of the mine. In its inception and always it was highly approved by Gen. Burnside; but at headquarters it was ridiculed rather than approved, and does not at any time seem to have been looked on with favor. Gen.

Meade, however, in an order, August 5th, speaks of

"the valuable services," "the skill displayed by Col. Pleasants," etc., and praises the devotion and steadi.

ness of the men in prosecuting the work to its completion.

effect, however, of these movements was to induce Lee to withdraw, on the 28th and 29th of July, some 15,000 or 20,000 men from Petersburg to the defence of Richmond, in the direction of Malvern Hill. Grant thereupon determined to take advantage of the di version thus made, by an assault upon Petersburg, before Lee could get his force back there. He accordingly with drew one division of the 2d corps, on the night of the 28th of July, and mov ed it during the night to the rear of the 18th corps, in order to relieve that corps in the line, with reference to the assault to be made. The other two divisions of the 2d corps and Sheridan's cavalry were crossed over on the night of the 29th of July, and moved in front of Petersburg.

Everything was now in readiness, and it was determined to try the effect of blowing up the mine, which contain ed some four. tons of powder, and of an assault immediately thereafter. The troops forming the assaulting column were notified that the explosion would take place between three and four o'clock on the morning of July 30th, and they were required to be fully prepared to move forward at a moment's warning. They were to They were to sweep the hos tile line, right and left, and then seize upon the crest beyond, known as "Cemetery Hill," which commanded and would secure the fall of Petersburg. At 4.42 in the morning, just as the dawn was beginning to light up mine exploded. "A solid "A solid mass of earth, through which the exploding powder blazed like lightning playing in a bank of clouds, arose slowly some

the scene,

the

(H. XI.]

MINE EXPLOSION AT PETERSBURG.

200 feet in the air, and, hanging visibly for a few seconds, it subsided, and a heavy cloud of black smoke floated off."* Immediately the artillery opened along the whole line, and the assaulting column, under Gen. Ledlie, advanced to the charge. On reaching the site of the fort, there was found a huge crater, 150 feet long, sixty feet wide, and about twenty-five feet deep. Here the column sought shelter, instead of instantly dashing forward and securing the ridge above alluded to. This could, at that time, have been readily done, for the rebels were paralyzed, and so remained for more than half an hour. Recovering, however, from their sur prise, they took prompt measures to prevent our success, and by forming their infantry in a ravine to the right, and planting their artillery on both the right and left of the crater, they succeeded in repulsing the various efforts made by our troops for an advance. "It was now seven A.M.," says Swinton, in a rather highly colored account of the "mine fiasco," as he calls it, "more than two hours after Ledlie occupied the crater, yet he made no advance himself, and obstructed the efforts of other officers. In this state of facts, the more troops that were thrown in, the worse was the confusion; yet Gen. Burnside threw forward the black division to essay an assault. Passing beyond the crater, the colored troops made an advance towards the crest, when, encountering a fire of artillery and infantry,

* In this fearful explosion, not only huge masses of earth, mingled with cannon, caissons, and camp equipage were thrown up, but there were also mingled with these the bodies and limbs of more than 200 men who were on garrison duty in the fort

451

they retired in great disorder through the troops in the crater, and back to the original lines. After the repulse of

the colored division, all semblance of offensive efforts ceased; blacks and whites tumbled pell-mell into the hollow of the exploded earthworks-a slaughter pen, in which shells and bombs, raining from the enemy's lines, did fearful havoc. Failing to advance, it soon proved almost equally difficult to retreat, though parties of tens and twenties, crawling out, ran back as best they could. The enemy then made a sally towards the crater, but was repulsed. A second assault, however, shook the disjointed structure of the hapless mass, which, without head or direction, obeyed the instinct of sauve qui peut. Above 4,000 were killed or captured.”*

Grant's statement, in his report, is brief and expressive:-"On the morning of the 30th of July, between four and five o'clock, the mine was sprung, blowing up a battery and most of a regiment, and the advance of the assaulting column, formed of the 9th corps, immediately took possession of the crater made by the explosion, and the line for some distance to the right and left of it, and a detached line in front of it,

* Swinton's "Army of the Potomac," p. 523. This writer is very severe in his criticism, and attributes

the failure of the assault to the fact that, not the best picked men were chosen for this duty, but a portion

of the 9th corps, under Burnside, a corps which he es timates as anything but the élite of the army. As an offset to this, the reader will find it profitable to consult Woodbury's "Burnside and the Ninth Army Corps," chapters v. and vi., pp. 418-462, in which there is a full account of the mine, and of the inquiry and inves tigation resulting from the disaster on the 30th of July. Woodbury's narrative places Gen. Meade's conduct in no enviable light.

1864.

but for some cause failed to advance promptly to the ridge beyond. Had they done this, I have every reason to believe that Petersburg would have fallen. Other troops were immediately pushed forward, but the time consumed in getting them up enabled the enemy to rally from his surprise (which had been complete), and get forces to this point for its defence. The captured line thus held being untenable, and of no advantage to us, the troops were withdrawn, but not without heavy loss. Thus terminated in disaster what promised to be the most successful assault of the campaign."*

1864.

an oppressively hot day, both corps were
engaged in a forward movement upon
the enemy's entrenchments cov-
ering the road to Richmond
immediately in their front. Birney was
partially successful; but Hancock was
repulsed in an advance upon an advan-
tageous position of the enemy, our loss
of the day being estimated at least at
1,000. On the following day, there was
some heavy cavalry skirmishing on the
right where Gregg's division, guarding
the flank, reached the Charles City road.
On Tuesday, the 16th of August, the
weather still continuing oppressively
hot, fighting was renewed. The ene-
my's line was carried; but having ral-
lied, it was again retaken by them, the
contest continuing until evening. On
the night of the 18th of August, Bir-
ney's line was attacked by the rebels
in heavy force; but after half an hour's
fighting, they were repulsed with great
loss. Gen. Miles, with two brigades,
took part in the fight, attacking the
enemy on his right flank. Two days
later, Hancock returned, by way of Ber-
muda Hundred, to his old camp before
Petersburg. Our loss in this movement
was estimated to exceed 1,500 men.
The principal advantage was, the keep-
ing back troops under orders to march
for the Valley: and the capturing six
pieces of artillery and several hundred
prisoners.*

This last attempt on our part having met with so lamentable a failure, matters resumed their usual course in carrying on the siege against Petersburg. Grant learning by reports from various sources that Lee had detached a large body of troops to reinforce Early in the Shenandoah Valley, availed himself of the occasion to order a force to threaten Richmond from the north side of the James, in order to prevent Lee from sending off troops, and if possible to draw back those which had been sent. Accordingly, on the night of August 13th, Gregg's cavalry division and Birney's corps crossed the river on the pontoon bridge and joined Foster's brigade in its old position at Deep Bottom, while, at the same time, Hancock's corps, which had been ostentatiously sent down the river on transports, was secretly brought back and united with this force. The next day, August 14th, James River a strong working party was presently en

*Gen. Grant's "Report," p. 25. See also, on the subject of the mine at Petersburg, Coppée's "Grant and his Campaigns,' pp. 364-373.

The rebel commander, having withdrawn largely from Petersburg, in order

* About this date, August 10th, to the north of the

gaged, under cover of our advanced batteries on that side, in digging a canal across the peninsula at Dutch Gap, for the sake of securing a nearer base of opera tions against Richmond.

CH. XI.]

BATTLE AT REAM'S STATION.

to resist the movement above narrated, Grant determined to strike out on the left flank, which now rested within three miles of the Weldon Railroad. On the morning of August 18th, Warren moved from camp towards the Weldon Road, which he struck about noon at Six-mile Station. While Griffin's division remained there breaking up the road, Ayer's, with Crawford's and Cutter's divisions, advanced several miles beyond, and took up a position to the right and left of the railroad. Lee, aware of the vast importance of this road for his communications, order ed a determined assault to be made, and our men to be driven off. Hill's corps advanced, and charged with impetuous confidence. . At first, they were successful in the assault, but afterwards were repulsed. Again and again they renewed the assault; but were in each instance driven back; and at the close of the day, Warren was in possession of the road. Resolved to hold the important advantage thus gained, Warren at night threw up entrenchments in a heavy rain. The next day, while the new line was being strengthened and reinforced to connect with the old posi

tion before the city on the right, 1864. it was again assailed in the afternoon in the midst of a heavy rainstorm by A. P. Hill, and the two right divisions of Warren's corps were driven in, and a number of prisoners captured. Wilcox's and White's commands-about 2,000 in all of the 9th corps,* coming

* Gen. Burnside, after the disaster above detailed, was relieved from command of the 9th corps, on the 13th of August. He returned to Providence, R. L., and

was not called again into active service during the

war.

453

up at the opportune moment, and the ar tillery being effectively employed, the enemy was driven from the field, and the. Union lines re-established. Another desperate attempt was made by the enemy on the 21st of August, to break up the line now firmly established across the railroad. An attack was made in two heavy columns, both of which were repulsed, the enemy suf fering fearfully from their exposure to the fire from our works. The loss of officers on the field was large. The ag gregate loss sustained by Warren in these actions was, in killed, wounded, and missing, about 4,500.

While Warren was strengthening his position before Petersburg, a considerable body of infantry, with cavalry supports, was engaged in the destruction of the railroad below. They had been reinforced in this work in the vicinity of Ream's Station by the 2d corps, when, on the 25th of August, the enemy made a fierce and determined attack on Hancock's men. Twice the rebels were were repulsed, but as A. P. Hill resolved to carry the position at all haz ards, the attack was renewed about 5.30 P.M. "The enemy," says Hancock, in his report of Ream's Station, "formed in the woods, placed their artillery in position, opened a heavy cannonade, lasting about fifteen minutes, and then assaulted Miles's force. He resisted tenaciously, but the enemy broke his line. Some of Gibbons's troops were hurried over to repair the damage, and the enemy only gained a slight foothold. The fighting was continuous un til dark, the enemy being held in check by artillery, dismounted cavalry and

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POLITICAL CONDITION OF THE COUNTRY: ACTION OF CONGRESS.

Condition of the country

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Preparations for the presidential election - Apprehensions - Trials to be encountered - The Republican party at this date - Cleveland Convention, in May - Platform - Fremont and Cochrane nominated -The Union and Republican Convention at Baltimore, in June-Resolutions and platform - Lincoln and Johnson nominated - The Arguelles case — The forged proclamation - Journal of Commerce and World offices seized-Gen. Dix arrested - The Niagara Falls Conference - Longing desire for peace - Greeley and his efforts - The president's course in the matter-Raymond's remarks Democratic Convention in Chicago, in August — Its platform McClellan and Pendleton nominated Action of the Thirty-eighth Congress - Appropriations, loans, internal revenue, taxation, etc. -New enrollment bill Proposed constitutional amendment - Fugitive slave law repealed - Reconstruction of states in rebellion - Provisions of the bill - Not signed by Mr. Lincoln - His reasons, as given in a proclamation - Protest of Messrs. Wade and Davis-Day of fasting, humiliation and prayer appointed by the president.

In the history of every country where | field, and the discipline to which they war has been prevailing for a length of time, details of military movements, and their various ramifications, necessarily occupy the larger space, and it is apt to be forgotten that the narrative of military and naval operations, important as these may be and are, affords but a partial and imperfect view of the

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were subjected, in God's Providence, was testing them, in various ways, and teaching them to understand and appreciate, better than ever, the blessings and privileges of freedom under the Constitution and laws of the land. We shall, then, before resuming the narrative of the further progress of the war, take this opportunity of turning aside for a while, and of devoting a chapter to some other matters than the ensanguined battle-field, matters which, although not free from connection, more

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