Civil War 150. Early in the siege of Petersburg, General Grant agrees to a novel plan to break the stalemate. Troops from Pennsylvania, coal miners in civilian life, dig a 500-foot long tunnel from their lines to a vulnerable spot under the Confederate defenses, the end in which they fill with explosives. The tunnel takes a month to dig. During that time a unit of US Colored Troops undergoes specialized training for the assault. On July 30th an explosion tore through the Confederate line, creating a crater 170 feet long, 100 feet wide, and 30 feet deep. What appeared to be certain breach in the formidable Southern defenses turned out to be anything but. Prior to the detonation, General Meade, wary of the skills of the black troops and afraid of political repercussions if the attack failed, ordered the Colored Troops to be replaced by untrained white soldiers. Although the explosion killed 300 Rebels outright, and caught the rest by surprise, the Union soldiers wasted valuable time wondering what to do. When they did attack, they charged right down into the crater where they became trapped by its walls on all sides. Recovering Confederates poured retaliatory rifle fire into the crater. The botched assault cost the lives of almost 4,000 Federals. What started out as a chance to break the siege, ended up having no effect. Petersburg would hold out for another eight months. The battle dramatized in the opening scene of the movie Cold Mountain is the Battle of the Crater. The Crater is still visible today.
Posted on: Fri, 01 Aug 2014 03:14:48 +0000
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