Conquest of Battles

Recently, I made two of the most wonderful connections with friends and family members that I haven’t had the opportunity to speak with in years. You see I live on the West coast and they live on the East Coast and seeing or even knowing what is going on in these people’s live is something that I have missed. I meant to keep up with them via mail but somehow the years slipped by and the busyness of having children; a home and a husband took over.

Well, I found my friends on face book. Excited, at the prospect of connecting with them again I sent a friend request and thanks to modern technology, I didn’t have to wait long for a reply. We frantically e-mailed each other and literally caught up with each other’s lives in a 100 words or less.

Of course it’s not the same having been in and out of each other’s houses, watched and helped raise each other’s children, or sampled each other’s cooking for the past 30 years, but it’s a great start to get the friendship going again, and I’m all for that!

One dear cousin wrote back to me and sent a picture of himself that I remembered from years ago. I commented on it. He said, “Yes it is from years ago but I don’t want to scare anyone with my current picture.” I remember this cousin’s remarkable sense of humor and in his two sentences I could see that it still existed. Wow, we don’t really change…we just grow older bodies!

Today I’d like to share with you one of the sights, that as a southern child, I drove by on a weekly basis, but never stopped in to see. It is of Crater Memorial Park.

As a parent, when I was visiting my Mom years later, we were driving past the commemorative park with my children, when I finally took the time to stop in and visit. I was truly moved that I could still look down through a glass floor that had been built over the battlefield to where so many of my Southern and Northern brothers died.

Here is a link to a write up and a picture that I found that tells about the battlefield: http://www.civilwaracademy.com/battle-of-the-crater.html

The Battle of the Crater was one of the most bizarre and truly ineffective Civil war encounters during the entire war. The brainchild of a highly intelligent and rather mole-like man, Lt. Colonel Henry Pleasants of the 48th Pennsylvania infantry, the crater was the result of a massive explosion that left an impression in the earth that can still be seen today. The goal of the Union army officers was to blast the bottom out from under the well-fortified Confederate troops that were manning the defenses after Petersburg, Virginia. The series of underground mines that were dug as trenches were some 400 feet long and not as wide as two men. The tunnels had to be dug using the most silent of means, a spade. The goal of the explosion was to break the rebel defenses around Petersburg, which would allow the Union

army to capture the city. On the morning of July 30th at 4:44am the Rebels never knew what hit them as simultaneously four explosions rocked their slumber killing upwards of 250 to 350 confederate soldiers. The blast was so massive that it could be felt 50 miles away.

Battle of the Crater

After the explosion Union troops were ordered to attack the gap in the rebel lines. Unfortunately the troops sent in the first wave had no training on how to make this assault. They decided it would be best for them to rush into the huge crater because it would offer them protection and concealment. This would not be the case. The confederates regrouped and sealed up their broken line. They moved toward the lip of the crater and began shooting down onto the men below with rifles and artillery. It was a turkey shoot. Other regiments were sent in to help however they did not fair much better, some troops went around the mine like they were suppose to others were forced to flee into the mine because of the intense rebel fire. Union troops were eventually forced to flee the crater and retreat from the attack. Although the idea was grand the execution of the plan was a disaster for the Union. General Burnside who was in over all command of this attack was relieved shortly after the failed assault.

As I reconnect with the people and the sights that I grew up with, I am delighted to share these memories with you. Today I am reminded that all battles are not equal but that friends and family members are the treasures of our lives worth fighting for.