Laird & Lee's guide to historic Virginia and the Jamestown centennial ..Full statistics and itinerary .. . surprised by Grants movementupon Petersburg, and many precious hours were lostbefore he could be convinced that the Federal troopswere concentrating upon Petersburg. The Federals decided to mine the entrenchmentsand fortifications of the Confederates, and with thisend in view, the most elaborate preparations weremade. Not the smallest detail was neglected, and thetunnel was completed several hundred feet before theConfederates had their suspicions aroused by the con-centration of Federal
Laird & Lee's guide to historic Virginia and the Jamestown centennial ..Full statistics and itinerary .. . surprised by Grants movementupon Petersburg, and many precious hours were lostbefore he could be convinced that the Federal troopswere concentrating upon Petersburg. The Federals decided to mine the entrenchmentsand fortifications of the Confederates, and with thisend in view, the most elaborate preparations weremade. Not the smallest detail was neglected, and thetunnel was completed several hundred feet before theConfederates had their suspicions aroused by the con-centration of Federal troops at certain points andtheir withdrawal from other positions. Even thenthey were led to believe it could not be possible, as — 96 — Grants army was over five hundred feet from theirlines at the nearest point and the longest mine everconstructed was not much over four hundred feet would not be possible, the Confederates argued, toventilate a tunnel of 500 feet, but by a simple systemof box flues and a bonfire to create a draught, theFederals easily overcame that difficulty. Their sus-. UATTLEFIELD OF THE CRATER, PETERSBURG. picions growing, the Confederates commenced tocountermine, but three hundred and seventy-five feetof tunnel were constructed and no Federal mines werediscovered. The best modern machinery of warfare in possessionof the Union army was concentrated upon the pointwhere the explosion was to take place. Orders wereissued and every detail provided for, so that thetroops would charge with the greatest celerity. — 97 — July 30, 1864, the main fuse connected with twosubsidiary fusts was ignited, but after burning to themain fuse,,it went out. Another attempt was made toignite, this time successfully. Suddenly, withoutwarning, a detachment of Confederate soldiers, num-bering 272, were precipitated into the air with terrificviolence, destroying a battery and tearing open theearth for 135 feet long, 90 feet wide and 30 feet the smoke partia
Size: 1820px × 1373px
Photo credit: © The Reading Room / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bo, bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, bookpublisherchicagolairdlee
