Petersburg • East • Southeast • West • MonumentsMarkersFacts • Timeline


The mine was detonated early in the morning of July 30, blowing an immense crater into the Confederate lines and killing over 250 men of Pegram’s Artillery Battery and Elliott’s South Carolina Infantry Brigade.

Map of the situation in the middle phase of the fighting around the Crater on July 30, 1864

See more detail of the Battle of The Crater

The Union attack that followed was a disaster. Meade and Grant had forced Burnside to change his plans at the last minute, substituting an unprepared white division for the black division that had been rehearsing for the assault for several days. Many of the Union attackers were also stunned by the explosion. Officers herded their men forward but found it difficult to move through the crater and beyond into the maze of support trenches. Lacking direction, the attackers bunched up in the crater. (see ‘The Assault‘)

Confederate defenses recovered from the shock of the explosion. The break was cordoned off and Union advances into the maze of trenches behind the lines were stopped. Lee ordered Mahone’s Division from its reserve position to launch a counterattack. It hit just as the Federals were finally organizing an advance out of the crater. The Federals fell back into the pit, so crowded they could barely move, and a massacre began. (see ‘Counterattack’)

By this time Meade had ordered Burnside to call off the attack and retire to the Union trenches. But retreat from the crater was across an open slope swept by two Confederate artillery batteries, and many chose to surrender rather than join the growing carpet of bodies. Not all got the chance – many Confederates refused to accept the surrender of the black troops of Ferrero’s Division. The fighting was over by early afternoon.

For the next eight months Grant would work to outflank the Confederate defenses. He would not launch another direct assault on the Petersburg lines until their final collapse in April of 1865.

[previous battle map, July 29, 1864] [Main Timeline] [next battle map, August 18, 1864]