Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 25.djvu/85

 Tin Chr|>^, 16.529

Ninth Corps, - 10,700

Tenth Corps, - 13,362

Eighteenth Corp-. n,333

Total, 66,536

Add to these the losses on the 3Oth, as reported in the

War Records, Series i, Volume XI, Part i, page 167, 4,400

Making a total of 70,936

This army held the inner and outer line of the Confederate works from a few minutes after the explosion until about 8:45 o'clock A. M. with only artillery between it and the coveted city of Petersburg.

A GREAT VICTORY.

The heroic achievement of the artillery corps, in keeping this army checked until reinforcements arrived, deserve equal share in the great victory of that day.

Mahone's Old Brigade and part of the Georgia Brigade, deployed, covered the enemy's front from about the centre of the Crater to their right. The silken banners of the enemy proudly floated on the breezes, supported by countless bayonets glistening in the sunlight, might on an ordinary occasion have daunted our little band and made them forfeit a trial of arms; but they were desperate and de- termined, and reckoned not the hosts that confronted them. I recol- lect counting seven standards in front of our regiment alone, and said to my soldiers, " We must have those flags, boys! " Our col- umn was deployed in the valley before mentioned, in full view of these hostile thousands. As the soldiers filed into line, General Ma- hone walked from right to left, commanding the men to reserve their fire until they reached the brink of the ditch, and after delivering one volley to use the bayonet. Our line was hardly adjusted, and the Georgians had not finished deploying, when the division of ne- groes the advance line of the enemy made an attempt to rise from the ditch and charge. Just at that instant, about 8:45 o'clock, A. M., a counter charge was ordered. The men rushed forward, offi- cers in front, with uncovered heads and waving hats, and grandly and beautifully swept onward over the intervening space, with muskets at trail. The enemy sent a storm of bullets in our ranks, and here and there a gallant fellow would fall, but the files