The Battle of the Crater

A stalled siege drives men underground; the 48th Pennsylvania (North) hand-digs a 511-foot gallery under Elliott’s Salient (South) and packs it with four tons of powder.

Ferrero’s (North) USCT drill the attack for two weeks; the day before, Meade (North) and Grant pull them from the lead over optics, and a straw hands it to Ledlie’s (North) untrained men.

The mine blows a clean breach; Ledlie’s (North) men pour into the crater instead of around it, and Mahone (South) seals the gap and rings the pit.

The USCT take the heaviest losses on the field, and surrendering and wounded Black soldiers are killed, confirmed by Confederate witnesses, not Northern accusation.

A 2.5-to-1 loss, a wasted breach, a court of inquiry, and the engineer of the mine the one man praised. Petersburg holds eight more months.