Explosion of the mine (in background)
The Battle of the Crater, aka "Burnside's Mine", took place on the 30th of July, 1864, near Petersburg, Virginia. With a siege of the city having just begun, a plan was devised to break through the Confederate lines by mining under a section of their defenses, and blowing it up with explosives.
The attack began at 4:44 am, when the mine exploded, leaving a 200 foot long, 50-60 foot wide crater in the line, some 25 to 30 feet deep in places. A division under General Ledlie led the attack, and marched straight into the hole in the line. They were to continue on towards Cemetery Hill, but were bogged down within the crater. Two other divisions followed them in, to occupy the grounds on both flanks of Ledlie, while he continued forward.
The attack began at 4:44 am, when the mine exploded, leaving a 200 foot long, 50-60 foot wide crater in the line, some 25 to 30 feet deep in places. A division under General Ledlie led the attack, and marched straight into the hole in the line. They were to continue on towards Cemetery Hill, but were bogged down within the crater. Two other divisions followed them in, to occupy the grounds on both flanks of Ledlie, while he continued forward.
Map of the Petersburg area, marking the forts and salients in 1864. The crater explosion is in center of map.
Several New Hampshire regiments were a part of the 2nd Division, 2nd Brigade, of the IX Corps: the 6th, 9th and 11th Infantry Regiments. They followed the 1st Division into battle, and went to the right of the crater, in an attempt to reach the high ground of "Cemetery Hill" (Blandford Cemetery).
The crater (marked with circle), and Cemetery Hill (red arrow)
It did not take long before the Confederates were able to recover from the explosion, and attacked the Union forces. With many of the troops still within the crater, and more marching into it, the soldiers were caught in a crossfire, with nowhere to go. Shortly after noon, the order was given to fall back to the Union lines. The losses for the day were around 4400 dead, wounded, and missing, all but 100 of them from the IX Corps.
Aylings Revised Register listed the number of killed and mortally wounded of the NH units as follows:
6th NH Infantry: 1 officer and 8 enlisted men
9th NH Infantry: 1 officer and 22 enlisted men
11th NH Infantry: 22 enlisted men
The 4th NH Infantry, which was part of the X Corps (attached to the XVIII), suffered 13 dead in the battle.
6th NH Infantry: 1 officer and 8 enlisted men
9th NH Infantry: 1 officer and 22 enlisted men
11th NH Infantry: 22 enlisted men
The 4th NH Infantry, which was part of the X Corps (attached to the XVIII), suffered 13 dead in the battle.
Further reading:
Jackman, Lyman and Hadley, Amos. History of the Sixth New Hampshire Regiment in the War for the Union. Concord, NH: Republican Press Association, 1891.
Lord, Edward Oliver. History of the Ninth Regiment, New Hampshire Volunteers in the War of the Rebellion. Concord, NH: Republican Press Association, 1895.
Cogswell, Leander W. A History of the Eleventh New Hampshire Regiment, Volunteer Infantry in the Rebellion War, 1861-1865. Concord, NH: Republican Press Association, 1891.
Websites:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Crater
http://www.civilwar.org/battlefields/the-crater.html?tab=facts
Jackman, Lyman and Hadley, Amos. History of the Sixth New Hampshire Regiment in the War for the Union. Concord, NH: Republican Press Association, 1891.
Lord, Edward Oliver. History of the Ninth Regiment, New Hampshire Volunteers in the War of the Rebellion. Concord, NH: Republican Press Association, 1895.
Cogswell, Leander W. A History of the Eleventh New Hampshire Regiment, Volunteer Infantry in the Rebellion War, 1861-1865. Concord, NH: Republican Press Association, 1891.
Websites:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Crater
http://www.civilwar.org/battlefields/the-crater.html?tab=facts
RSS Feed
