Record #:

22164

Author(s):

Gerard, Philip

Abstract:

During the fighting at Petersburg, the Union Army hatched a plan used in medieval siege warfare. Using Pennsylvania miners, engineers dug a tunnel under the nearest Confederate installation, Elliott's Salient--a battery of four 12-pounders manned by 20 gunners and supported by 300 infantrymen. The tunnel was packed with four tons of black powder. On July 30, 1864 the mine exploded, wiping out the Salient and opening a path for the Union attack. Gerard describes what happened when Union regiments charged into the Crater instead of around it and how the Confederate army responded.

Source:

Our State (NoCar F 251 S77), Vol. 82 Issue 2, Jul 2014, p144-146, 148, 150-152, 154, il

Subject(s):

Petersburg Crater, Battle of, Va., 1864