Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 33.djvu/377

 Graphic Account of Battle of Crater. 373

we being sickened by the slaughter as well as awfully tired of the fight, granted them quarters. All that we had not killed sur- rendered, and I must say we took some of the negroes prisoners. But we will not be held culpable for this when it is considered the numbers we had already slain, and also the number of good men we were losing by the enemy's dreadful artillery fire. The shells were bursting in our midst all the time, killing men on both sides.

As soon as they surrendered we hoistered our flag upon the ramparts and took ten of their stands of colors down and sent them to the rear in triumph. Then a shout ran out along our lines from one end to the other. It is said that General Lee, who was looking on, when he saw we were successful pulled off his hat and waived it, and said: "Well done." I heard General Pendleton of the artil- lery say it was ' 'one of the most brilliant successes of the campaign, for the enemy expected great results from it, and had been caught in their own trap."

Our loss is about 1,000 in all. That of the enemy about 4,000 or 5,000. One thousand being killed dead and about 1,200 or 1,500 being taken prisoners, and the remainder wounded. We captured ten stands of colors, and a large number of small arms.

The fighting was kept up until near night from the breastworks, which was only distant about seventy-yards, and the wounded (en- emy's) had to lie out between the two lines all night. About two o'clock the next day (Sunday) they sent over a flag of truce, and one of our officers, Captain Clark, A. A. General, met the flag halfway and demanded the nature of it. He was told that the Federal general wished to communicate with General Lee, which was granted, and the correspondence was kept up until Sunday night. The wounded had to lie out another night and day, but on Monday the flag of truce again appeared and the terms agreed on. Then and there was one of the grandest sights I ever saw. Both armies, within seventy-five yards of each other, though invisible now, arose up out of the ground as if by magic, and it seemed that the world was filled with people in a moment. A centre line was established, and our men would carry their dead and wounded to the line and their men would bury the dead, and both armies met between the lines and were in conversation with each other all the time (four hours). They acknowledged we had whipped them badly and caught them in their own trap.