Raynors 2020-05 Putnal
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 5/30/2020
War-date Confederate soldier Autograph Letter Signed by Dorsey W. Binion, Co. K, 48th Georgia Infantry, POW and paroled at Chancellorsville, 4pp. octavo, "In Line of battle near Petersburg, Va. Aug 1st 1864" with outstanding content, it reads in part: "...the 30th about 4 o'clock a.m the Yankees having under minded a portion of our works blew them up, destroying a span of 100 yards, killing near 150 men before the smoke and dirt was still the yank charged up and took six pieces of our works. The noise awoke our boys on the right and left who through excitement in the dark amdist the bursting of shell, grape and shot, the clashing of small arms our brave boys gone back and formed a line where they fought them and held their position until about 9 o'clock. Altho when our brigade and Gen. Mahones arrived to relive them and formed, charged them when we got to the works & was filled with Negroes and Yanks crying out No Quarter when a hand to hand conflict ensued with the britch of our guns and bayonets and you may depend we did not show much quarters, but slayed them. Some few negroes went to the rear so we could not kill them as fast as they past us. Our loss is heavy considering the number engaged. We succeeded in taking a portion of the works which we held about 2 o'clock for Gen. Saunders Brigade and a portion of ours charged the remainder of the work and captured them with great slaughter, though the yanks lost much more than we did. The whole force of the earth was litterly strewn with dead negroes, yanks and our men...The greatest slaughter that has ever befallen our brigade or our troops for the number engaged. Prisoners say that Grant is undermining our line at several points and aims to give us a blow up every day..." More. Fine condition. The Battle of the Crater was a battle of the American Civil War, part of the Siege of Petersburg. It took place on July 30, 1864, between the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia, commanded by General Robert E. Lee, and the Union Army of the Potomac, commanded by Maj. Gen. George G. Meade (under the direct supervision of the general-in-chief, Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant). After weeks of preparation, on July 30, Union forces exploded a mine in Maj. Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside's IX Corps sector, blowing a gap in the Confederate defenses of Petersburg, Virginia. From that propitious beginning, everything deteriorated rapidly for the Union attackers. Unit after unit charged into and around the crater, where soldiers milled in confusion. Grant considered the assault "the saddest affair I have witnessed in this war." The Confederates quickly recovered and launched several counterattacks led by Brig. Gen. William Mahone. The breach was sealed off, and Union forces were repulsed with severe casualties. Brig. Gen. Edward Ferrero's division of black soldiers were badly mauled. It may have been Grant's best chance to end the Siege of Petersburg. Instead, the soldiers settled in for another eight months of trench warfare. Burnside was relieved of command for the last time for his role in the debacle, and he was never again returned to command.
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