and artillery immediately above the
mine were hurled into the air. An opening, one hundred and fifty feet
long, sixty feet wide, and thirty feet deep, suddenly appeared, where
a moment before had extended the Confederate earthworks; and the
Federal division, selected for the charge, rushed forward to pierce
the opening.

The result did not justify the sanguine expectations which seem to
have been excited in the breasts of the Federal officers. A Southern
writer thus describes what ensued:

"The 'white division' charged, reached the crater, stumbled over
the _debris_, were suddenly met by a merciless fire of artillery,
enfilading them right and left, and of infantry fusillading them in
front; faltered, hesitated, were badly led, lost heart, gave up the
plan of seizing the crest in rear, huddled into the crater, man on
top of man, company mingled with company; and upon this disordered,
unstrung, quivering mass of human beings, white and black--for the
black troops had followed--was poured a hurricane of shot, shell,
canister, musketry, which made the hideous crater a slaughter-pen,
horrible and frightful beyond the power of words. All order was lost;
all idea of charging the crest abandoned. Lee's infantry was seen
concentrating for the carnival of death; his artillery was massing to
destroy the remnants of the charging divisions; those who deserted the
crater, to scramble over the _debris_ and run back, were shot down;
then all that was left to the shuddering mass of blacks and whites in
the pit was to shrink lower, evade the horrible _mitraille_, and wait
for a charge of their friends to rescue them or surrender."

These sentences sufficiently describe the painful scene which followed
the explosion of the mine. The charging column was unable to advance
in face of the very heavy fire directed upon them by the Southern
infantry and artillery; and the effect of this fire was so appalling
that General Mahone, commanding at the spot, is said to have ordered
it to cease, adding that the spectacle made him sick. The Federal
forces finally succeeded in making their way back, with a loss of
about four thousand prisoners; and General Lee, whose losses had been
small, reestablished his line without interruption.

Before passing from this incident, a singular circumstance connected
with it is deserving of mention. This was the declaration of the
Congressional Committee, which in due time investigated the whole
affair.

The