Civil War History - The Eastern TheaterDiscuss any and all battles, movements, and events occuring in the Eastern Theater here! This includes any actions in tha area east of the Appalachian Mountains in the vicinity of the river capitals of Richmond and Washington D.C.
Following the excellent replies I got to my questions on the stone wall at Fredericksburg, I have a question on the Crater. The Confederates were aware that the Union troops were digging a tunnel. This is clear from the fact that they dug two 'counter tunnels'. But what I cannot understand is that these two tunnels were started in front of their own lines. How did men come and go from these tunnels which were in full view of the Union trenches? The Confederate tunnels do not seem to have been very deep, so it would appear that only a half hearted effort was made. Did they not fully appreciate the danger? The end of the Union tunnel was not visible, but the ventilation shaft in no mans land would have been. A fire burned at the bottom of the shaft to draw in air from the tunnel entrance. Smoke would have been rising almost continuously.
Methinks the "front" was further forward than thought. Your logically in starting a countermine in your own trench and not in front of it as your sappers would be exposed is correct.
As far as I can tell, Cold Mountain gave a faithful glimpse at the fighting. In prepping for the explosion, Burnside had been training colored troops for the attack and it was specifically stressed that they were not to rush into the anticipated crater. Meade thought that looked politically incorrect, Grant agreed, and tired, unsuspecting troops were substituted. Burnside and his officers were cashiered and no mention was made of Grant's and Meade's meddling.
Re: Smoke from the vent hole. It is quite possible to make a suitable fire that smokes very little or not at all. Small sticks of dry hardwood make a hot, virtually smokeless fire (which is all that was needed to make the air rise).
Have you reference as to how that was done? Confederate opinion was that the length of the tunnel made it impossible to complete as there was no way to ventilate the head. But Pleasonton and the miners doped it out. They dug the vertical shaft from a point to the side of the horizontal shaft -- about halfway. They partititioned the main tunnel so the fire couldn't draw air from the mouth of the tunnel. From that partition they built a small wooden tunnel that extended to the head. When the fire was lit, it drew air from the tunnel head via the little wooden tunnel to the mouth. The head had fresh air so long as the fire burned!
Ole
__________________ I never knew a man who wished to be himself a slave. Consider if you know any good thing that no man desires for himself. A. Lincoln
The inaccurate scene in the Crater Battle was the deployment of Union troops ahead of their trench lines. They were inside the trench lines and had to go over the top after the explosion. Also, the Confederates in the blown section of the line were South Carolinians and not Tarheels but hey, Hollywood is for entertainment, not education. If you want an educational movie, may I recommend, "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" or "The Life of Brian." In the latter you can even learn some Latin.
The Confederates were aware that the Union troops were digging a tunnel. This is clear from the fact that they dug two 'counter tunnels'. But what I cannot understand is that these two tunnels were started in front of their own lines. How did men come and go from these tunnels which were in full view of the Union trenches? The Confederate tunnels do not seem to have been very deep, so it would appear that only a half hearted effort was made. Did they not fully appreciate the danger?
Blockaderunner:
I have no expert answers, but I will give you my impoverished understanding of the situation. Sound travels in dirt as well as in air and water. There's no way the Confederates wouldn't have known there was a tunnel coming. (In a similar incident in Vicksburg, the Rebs knew what was up and, when the digging stopped, they beat it; post haste -- but just far enough to get out of the blast zone.) Have no idea why they didn't at Petersburg.
But in dirt, sound travels erratically. There's no way to tell exactly where the sound begins. Kinda like refraction in a pond, but you can adjust for that. In soil, you can't. That would explain the tentativeness of the Confederate counter-digging.
As to the Confederate tunnels being started in front of their works, I suppose that could be logical -- no sense waiting until the tunnel got under you. The Union tunnel was 400 feet from the its beginning to the works. It is conceivable that an occasional, random Reb digger could get to his tunnel without drawing the interest of a Federal Sharpshooter.
Finally. Let's consider that the group that dug the tunnel were northern miners. They knew how to dig quickly, efficiently, and safely. Do you suppose that Lee had the equivalent? Any deeper than an outhouse pit and these boys were out of their element. (No pun intended.) They were simply incapable of digging a counter-tunnel. No reflection on the Southern Boys, they just had no wherewithal for counter-measures. Why they didn't kinda move aside for a while, I can't say.
Ole
__________________ I never knew a man who wished to be himself a slave. Consider if you know any good thing that no man desires for himself. A. Lincoln
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The Crater at Petersburg 
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