The FReeper Foxhole Remembers The Battle of the Crater (7/30/1864) - Aug. 19th, 2004

www.civilwarmuster.org ^ | Mark Engi

[SAMWolf]

Lord,

Keep our Troops forever in Your care

Give them victory over the enemy...

Grant them a safe and swift return...

Bless those who mourn the lost.
.

FReepers from the Foxhole join in prayer
for all those serving their country at this time.

...................................................................................... ...........................................

U.S. Military History, Current Events and Veterans Issues

Where Duty, Honor and Country
are acknowledged, affirmed and commemorated.

Our Mission:

The FReeper Foxhole is dedicated to Veterans of our Nation's military forces and to others who are affected in their relationships with Veterans.

In the FReeper Foxhole, Veterans or their family members should feel free to address their specific circumstances or whatever issues concern them in an atmosphere of peace, understanding, brotherhood and support.

The FReeper Foxhole hopes to share with it's readers an open forum where we can learn about and discuss military history, military news and other topics of concern or interest to our readers be they Veteran's, Current Duty or anyone interested in what we have to offer.

If the Foxhole makes someone appreciate, even a little, what others have sacrificed for us, then it has accomplished one of it's missions.

We hope the Foxhole in some small way helps us to remember and honor those who came before us.

To read previous Foxhole threads or
to add the Foxhole to your sidebar,
click on the books below.

The Debacle of the Crater

One day late in June, Lt. Col. Henry Peasants, commanding officer of the 48th Pennsylvania Volunteers, assembled his officers in an underground room near the front. "That goddamned fort," he said "is the only thing between us and Petersburg. I have an idea we can blow it up."

Pleasants knew what he was talking about. In civilian life, he had been an engineer who worked for the Pennsylvania Railroad and participated in the construction of a 4,200-foot tunnel through the Alleghnenies. The men he commanded were, for the most part, coal miners from Schuykill County, Pennsylvania.

Lt. Col. Henry Pleasants, Commanding Officer of the 48th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment which dug the Union tunnel under the Confederate line.

He made a sketch of his idea and took it to the commander of the 2nd division, Brigadier General Robert Potter. A few days later, the two of them presented the idea to the commander of IX Corps, Major General Ambrose Burnside.

Burnside was well liked by the men of IX Corps, although this feeling did not extend to the rest of the Army of the Potomac. During of a brief stint of commander of that army, he had almost destroyed it in a frontal assault against an entrenched Army of Northern Virginia at Fredrickburg. For all Burnside's faults, however, he was open to innovation. The plan described to Burnside by Potter and Pleasants. A tunnel could be dug under Confederate lines, filled up with explosives, and detonated to breach Lee's defenses. This breach being properly exploited, the siege could be brought to an end. He said that he would take the idea up with Meade, but that Pleasants should begin work on his mine immidiately.


General Ambrose E. Burnside

Meade was never completely sold on the idea of the tunnel. However, perhaps due to the influence of Grant, he allowed the project to go forward. During the entire project, Meade would not offer any help to it whatsoever. Grant appears to have been more supportive of the idea. The Lt. General was no doubt attracted to the idea that seemed the only possible way to avoid a protracted siege.

Setting the Stage for Disaster

Pleasants never got any help in his project. Meade's engineering staff told him this plan would be an impossibility. No such tunnel could be longer than 400 feet, due to the air supply problem. This tunnel was projected to extend for more than 500 feet. Pleasants had to work with what he could get.



Denied issue of picks, he had to make his own with the help of the regimental blacksmiths. He had to send off to Washington to get an astrolabe to measure where the precise location of the powder chamber had to be. Meade's engineers had plenty of these tools, but denied him any requisitions. Lacking any other method to haul away dirt, he used empty hardtack boxes. An abandoned lumbar yard became a source for planks to hold up the sides of his tunnel. To get around the air supply problem, an air shaft was constructed 100 feet into the tunnel, just behind federal lines. With these ingenious field expedient methods, Pleasants had the shaft completed on July 17. They then began digging side-to-side to build the chamber which was to hold 320 powder kegs weighing 25 pounds each (initially, Pleasants had asked for 520 kegs, but Meade ordered the charge reduced).

Grant, finally gaining some enthusiasm about the mine, had decided to expand the operation. Immediately after the explosion, there would be a barrage from 144 artillery pieces. In addition, Hancock was to launch a diversionary attack north of the James. This attack was defeated, but did succeed in drawing defenders away from the scene of main effort.



Burnside had by now developed his plan of attack. He would first send in the most recent addition to IX Corps, the fourth division. Made up of two all African-American brigades, it was not only the newest but the most numerous of his divisions. For a week before the eruption, the two brigades drilled in advancing along a narrow front and deploying on both sides of what was expected to be a tremendous crater.

It was here that the operation went awry. On the afternoon before the attack, Burnside received notice that the fourth division would not be leading the assault, on orders from Grant and Meade. They felt that, should the operation fail, the two commanders would be accused of callously sacrificing black soldiers to be slaughtered. These are understandable concerns, but the timing of the order left Burnside forced to choose which of his three other divisions, none of which had undergone the training the fourth had, would lead the assault.


Brig. Gen. James H. Ledlie

Burnside's method of dealing with this problem can only be described as bizarre. He had his three other division commanders draw straws to see who would lead the assault. General James H. Ledlie, commanding the first division, drew the short straw. Ledlie was a notoriously horrible commander who led the most ate-up division in the entire corps. Burnside himself described the men as such, "They're worthless. They didn't enlist to fight." However, since Ledlie had drawn the position, he was to have it. Murphy's Law had been proven once again.

The Battle of the Crater

Shortly after midnight on July 30, Burnside had his divisions in position. At 3:15 AM, the fuse was lit. Half an hour passed with no explosion. At 4:00, Pleasants sent in a couple of men to identify the problem. Finding the fuse burned out at the splice, they relit it and ran out of the tunnel as quickly as possible.


The explosion of the mine.

At 4:45, an event which has claim to be the greatest man-made explosion up to that point occurred. First, there was a slow, deep rumbling, then, a massive swelling of the ground, followed by a tremendous rising, lifting the fort and its garrison high into the air. The fort then came crashing down. Confederate losses due to the explosion numbered 287.

Now a barrage of 110 heavy cannon and 55 mortars opened up, with shells falling on either side of the crater. Ledlie's division began to advance, but were stropped by an unexpected obstacle. Burnside had ordered the Union defensive works to be cleared, but, while trying to determine who would lead the upcoming assault, had neglected to see if his orders had been carried out. Thus, although the Confederate works had been removed by the explosion, the Union works remained intact.


A contemporary sketch by Waud showing the Union charge to the Crater.

While hacking out a passage through the Union lines, all order in Ledlie's division was lost. Upon arriving at the tremendous hole measuring sixty feet in width, one hundred seventy feet in length, and thirty feet in depth, they ran into the crater, rather than around it. Rallying quickly, the Confederates moved to the mouth of the crater and began pouring fire down into the pit.

No one had thought to bring ladders, and the sides of the crater were far too steep to climb. However, the first division still might have been able to rally had its commander been present. Ledlie spent the entire battle safely behind the lines in a bombproof shelter with a bottle of rum.

Phase Two: The Supporting Attacks



Burnside sent his remaining divisions into the fray. However, they continued to storm right into the crater, where they soon found that the walls to too steep to climb out. General Ord attempted to launch an attack in support of Burnside, but found that way barred. Ferrero's fourth division was sent in at 0700. The deployed as they had been drilled, however, Confederate defenders had by this time established a firm presence on the rim of the crater and pushed the attacking black infantry into the crater. They, too, were without their commander. Ferrero had stopped off in Ledlie's bombproof to share a drink.

Phase 3: The death trap

The plan had failed long before Burnside had stopped sending troops into the fray. His behavior was reminiscent of his performance at Fredricksburg. He sent wave after wave into the death trap, expecting a breakthrough where none was possible.


Brig. Gen. Edward Ferrero

Meade ordered a general withdrawal at 9:30. However, this was easier said than done. Federal troops were packed so close together, they could not even use their weapons. When some units attempted to break out and retun to their lines, they were mauled by Confederate infantry. Men began surrendering in vast numbers. Black soldiers who surrendered found themselves cut down by fire from the angry southerners. Cries of "Take the white man-kill the nigger!" were heard as the Confederates charged into the crater. Seeing that black soldiers were shot on sight, some officers lied about their units. Lt. Lemuel Dobbs of the 19th U.S. Colored Infantry was so angered by this practice that, when asked what unit he was assigned to, said "Nineteenth Niggers, by god!"

Union Losses: 3,793
Confederate Losses (including those killed by the blast): 1,182


Brig. Gen. Robert B. Potter

Ledlie was sent home on sick leave, never to return again.

Ferrero was transferred to Benjamin Butler's command. What was the idea here? That all the worthless commanders should be gathered in one place, insuring they do the least amount of damage?

A court of inquiry report on the battle was so damaging to Burnside that he requested a leave of absence from which he never returned.

[SAMWolf]

The Battle of the Crater, July 30, 1864

At several places east of Petersburg city the opposing lines were extremely close together. One of these locations was in front of Elliott's Salient, a Confederate strong point near Cemetery Hill and old Blandford Church. Here the Confederate position and the Union picket line were less than 400 feet apart. Because of the proximity of the Union line, Elliott's Salient was well fortified. Behind earthen embankments was a battery of four guns, and two veteran South Carolina infantry regiments were stationed on either side. Behind these were other defensive works; before them the ground sloped gently downward toward the Union advance line.



This forward Union line was built on the crest of a ravine which had been crossed on June 18. Through this ravine, and between the sentry line and the main line, lay the roadbed of the Norfolk and Petersburg Railroad. The front in this sector was manned by Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside's IX Corps. Among the many units which composed this corps was the 48th Regiment, Pennsylvania Veteran Volunteer Infantry. A large proportion of this regiment had been coal miners, and it seemed to have occurred to one or more of them that Elliott's Salient would provide an excellent place to use their civilian occupation. Lt. Col. Henry Pleasants, the commanding officer of the 48th and a mining engineer by profession, overheard one of the enlisted men mutter, "We could blow that damned fort out of existence if we could run a mine shaft under it." From this and similar remarks came the germ of the idea for the Union mine. This is what the 48th Regiment proposed to do: dig a long gallery from the bottom of the ravine behind their picket line to a point beneath the Confederate battery at Elliott's Salient, blow up the position by means of powder placed in the end of the tunnel, and, finally, send a strong body of troops through the gap created in the enemy's line by the explosion. They saw as the reward for their effort the capitulation of Petersburg and, perhaps, the end of the war.

After obtaining the permission of Burnside and Grant, Pleasants and his men commenced digging their mine shaft on June 25. The lack of proper equipment made it necessary constantly to improvise tools and apparatus with which to excavate. Mining picks were created from straightened army picks. Cracker boxes were converted into hand barrows in which the dirt was removed from the end of the tunnel. A sawmill changed a bridge into timber necessary for shoring up the mine. Pleasants estimated both direction and depth of the tunnel by means of a theodolite (old-fashioned even in 1864) sent him from Washington. The outmoded instrument served its purpose well, however; the mine shaft hit exactly beneath the salient at which it was aimed.

A lithograph of the Battle of the Crater, Petersburg, Virginia, where the Connecticut Black Regiments first saw action.

One of the most remarkable features of the gallery was the method devised to supply the diggers at the end with fresh air. The longer the tunnel grew, the more serious became the problem of ventilation. It had been considered impossible to dig a tunnel for any considerable distance without spacing shafts at regular intervals in order to replace the polluted air with a fresh supply. This problem had been solved by the application of the simple physical principle that warm air tends to rise. Behind the Union picket line and to the right of the mine gallery, although connected with it, the miners dug a ventilating chimney. Between the chimney and the mine entrance they erected an airtight canvas door. Through that door and along the floor of the gallery there was laid a square wooden pipe. A fire was then built at the bottom of the ventilating shaft. As the fire warmed the air it went up the chimney. The draft thus created drew the bad air from the end of the tunnel where the men were digging. As this went out, fresh air was drawn in through the wooden pipe to replace it.

Work on the tunnel had been continuously pushed from the start on June 25. By July 17 the diggers were nearly 511 feet from the entrance and directly beneath the battery in Elliott's Salient. The Confederates had become suspicious by this time, for the faint sounds of digging could be heard issuing from the earth. Their apprehension took the form of countermines behind their own lines. Several of these were dug in an effort to locate the Union gallery. Two were very close, being sunk on either side of where the Pennsylvanians were at work. Although digging in the countermines continued throughout the month of July, Confederate fears seemed to quiet down during the same period. There were many reasons for this. One was the failure of their tunnels to strike any Union construction. Another major reason, undoubtedly, was a belief held by many that it was impossible to ventilate a shaft of any length over 400 feet without constructing air shafts along it.

The next step in the Union plan was to burrow out into lateral galleries at the end of the long shaft. Accordingly, on July 18 work was begun on these branches which extended to the right and left, paralleling the Confederate fortifications above. When completed, these added another 75 feet to the total length of the tunnel which now reached 586 feet into the earth. It was about 20 feet from the floor of the tunnel to the enemy works above. The average internal dimensions of the shaft were 5 feet high, with a base 4 1/2 feet in width tapering to 2 feet at the top.

Digging was finally completed on July 23. Four days later the task of charging the mine with black powder was accomplished. Three hundred and twenty kegs of powder weighing, on the average, 25 pounds each were arranged in the two lateral galleries in eight magazines. The total charge was 4 tons, or 8,000 pounds. The powder was sandbagged to direct the force of the explosion upward and two fuses were spliced together to form a 98-foot line.

Meanwhile, preparations for the attack which was to follow the explosion of the mine had been carried out. Burnside was convinced of the necessity for a large-scale attack by the entire IX Corps. His request was acceded to by Meade and Grant with but one important exception. It had been Burnside's hope that a fresh and numerically strong (about 4,300) Negro division should lead the charge after the explosion. Meade opposed this on the grounds that if the attack failed the Union commanders could be accused of wanting to get rid of the only Negro troops then with the Army of the Potomac. Burnside was not informed of this decision until the day before the battle, July 29, and he was forced to change his plans at the last moment. Three white divisions were to make the initial charge along with the colored troops. Burnside had the commanding generals of these three divisions draw straws to see which would lead. Gen. James F. Ledlie of the 1st Division won the draw.

Despite these eleventh-hour changes, a plan of battle had been evolved. During the night of July 29—30 the bulk of the IX Corps had assembled in the ravine behind the mine entrance. Troops from other Union corps were sent to act as reinforcements. A total of 110 guns and 54 mortars was alerted to begin their shelling of the Confederate line. A Union demonstration before Richmond had forced Lee to withdraw troops from Petersburg. Only about 18,000 soldiers were left to guard the city.

At 3:15 a. m., July 30, Pleasants lit the fuse of the mine and mounted the parapet to see the results of his regiment's work. The explosion was expected at 3:30 a. m. Minutes passed slowly by, and the men huddled behind the lines grew more apprehensive. By 4:15 there could be no doubt but that something had gone wrong. Two volunteers from the 48th Regiment (Lt. Jacob Douty and Sgt. Harry Reese) crawled into the tunnel and found that the fuse had burned out at the splice. They relighted it and scrambled to safety. Finally, at about 4:45 a. m., the explosion took place. The earth trembled as men, equipment, and debris were hurled high into the air. At least 278 Confederate troops were killed or wounded in the tremendous blast, and 2 of the 4 guns in the battery were destroyed beyond repair. The measurements of the size of the crater torn by the powder vary considerably, but it seems to have been at least 170 feet long, 60 to 80 feet wide, and 30 feet deep.

The awesome spectacle of the mine explosion caused a delay in the Union charge following the explosion. Removal of obstructions between the lines caused further delay. Soon, however, an advance was made to the crater where many of the attacking force paused to seek shelter on its steep slopes or to look at the havoc caused by the mine. The hard-pressed Confederates tallied quickly and soon were pouring shells and bullets into their opponents. Union reinforcements poured into the breach; but, instead of going forward, they either joined their comrades in the crater or branched out to the immediate right and left along the lines. By 8:30 that morning a large part of the IX Corps had been poured into the captured enemy salient. Over 15,000 troops now filled and surrounded the crater.

By prompt action and determined effort the Confederates had stopped the attack. The attention of three batteries was soon directed on the Blue-clad men in the crater. Repeated volleys of artillery shot and shell raked the huddled groups of increasingly demoralized men. In addition, mortars were brought to within 50 yards of the crater and started to drop shells on the soldiers with deadly effect.

Successful as these devices were in halting the Union advance, Lee was aware that an infantry charge would be necessary to dislodge the enemy. By 6 a. m. an order had been sent to General Mahone to move two brigades of his division from the lines south of Petersburg to the defense of the threatened position. Then Lee joined Beauregard in observing the battle from the Gee house, 500 yards to the rear of the scene of strife.

In spite of the Confederate resistance, most of the Northern Negro division and other regiments had, by 8 a. m., advanced a short distance beyond their companions at the crater. Shortly after 8 o'clock Mahone's Confederate division began to arrive on the scene. The men fled into a ravine about 200 yards west of the crater and between it and Petersburg. No sooner had they entered this protected position than, perceiving the danger to their lines, they charged across the open field into the mass of enemy soldiers. Although outnumbered, they forced the Northerners to flee back to the comparative shelter of the crater. Then they swept on to regain a portion of the line north of the Union-held position. Again, at about 10:30 a. m., more of Mahone's troops charged, but were repulsed. Meanwhile, the lot of the Northern soldiers was rapidly becoming unbearable. The spectacle within the crater was appalling. Confederate artillery continued to beat upon them. The closely packed troops (dead, dying, and living mixed indiscriminately together) lacked shade from the blazing sun, food, water and, above all, competent leadership. Meade had ordered their withdrawal more than an hour before the second Confederate charge, but Burnside delayed the transmission of the order till after midday. Many men had chosen to run the gantlet of fire back to their own lines, but others remained clinging to the protective sides of the crater.


Maj. Gen. William Mahone, Confederate leader at the Battle of the Crater.

The last scene in the battle occurred shortly after 1 p. m. A final charge by Mahone's men was successful in gaining the slopes of the crater. Some of the Union men overcome with exhaustion and realizing the helplessness of their situation, surrendered; but others continued to fight. At one point where resistance centered, the Confederates put their hats on ramrods and lifted them over the rim of the crater. The caps were promptly torn to shreds by a volley. Before their foe could reload, Mahone's forces jumped into the crater where a desperate struggle with bayonets, rifle butts, and fists ensued.

Soon it was all over. The Union Army had suffered a loss of over 4,000 in killed, wounded, or captured as against about 1,500 for the Confederates. Again, as on June 15—18, a frontal assault had failed to take the Confederate citadel.

[SAMWolf]

The Battle Of The Crater
( Originally Published 1932 )

The battles of Manassas, Fredericksburg, Spotsylvania and Cold Harbor had been fought. Lee was defending the Confederacy behind a line of earthworks stretching from Richmond to Petersburg. Against this wall pressed the tremendous forces of the Union. In the summer of 1864 Grant concentrated his efforts against Petersburg, regarding it as the key to Richmond. He planned to capture Petersburg and to divide Lee's army, and thus end the war then and there.



The Confederates held the heights beyond Petersburg around Blandford Church, the Federals being, in places, only seventy-five yards down the slope and in possession of the valley and hills beyond the James. Acting on the suggestion of Colonel Pleasants of Pennsylvania, a mining engineer, Grant determined to plant a great mine under Elliott's salient in the Confederate defenses and open a breach through which to rush a tremendous force for the capture of Petersburg. Beginning in the valley behind his advanced positions he ran a tunnel 510 feet to a point under the salient which was in reality an artillery fort of great strength. Here two mines of four thousand pounds of powder each were laid. Sixty-five thousand men and 161 guns were massed for the thrust.

The defenders, however, had secured information of the design, and prepared somewhat to frustrate it. Efforts were made to locate the mine by counter-shafts, still plainly visible, and several batteries were placed to sweep the corner.


Mahone's CounterAttack

On the night of July 29, 1864, all was ready, and regiment after regiment waited for the zero hour. At 3:30 the fuse was lighted, but after a fearful hour no explosion had occurred. Two privates entered the tunnel and relighted it, and shortly thereafter the greatest battlefield explosion in history, prior to the World War, rent the fort, forming a gigantic crater between the outer and inner lines and bringing death to the defenders within and near by. Up the slope, wave upon wave advanced the Union soldiers, only to plunge headlong into the abyss, victims of its depth and the deadly fire of the rallying defenders. Four Confederate batteries secured perfect adjustment on the point and swept it with a terrific cross fire. Regiment after regiment pushed up the hill until the Crater was literally filled with dead and dying, over whom the later attackers passed across the main line and into the Confederate territory.

Meanwhile, Mahone's Brigade, Petersburg troops, had been brought up, and in the famous Crater charge cleared the field, driving the enemy back into the fort. A dreadful fire was concentrated on this inferno until Saunders and his Alabama brigade reestablished the original lines, cutting the Crater off from further fire.

Within a few hours five thousand men perished on this tragic point of earth. Because some. one failed in his duty—a magnificent chance to end the war resulted in a stupendous failure.

Additional Sources:

www.civilwarmuster.org
members.aol.com/siege1864
www.oldandsold.com
www.oldgloryprints.com
www.cr.nps.gov
www.hartford-hwp.com
cineclub.de
www.spiegel.de
www.civilwarphotos.net

[SAMWolf]

'The disaster on Saturday...was the saddest affair I have witnessed in this war. Such an opportunity for carrying fortifications I have never seen and do not expect again to have.'

U.S. Grant to Henry Halleck. August 1st, 1864

'It was a stupendous failure...all due to inefficiency on the part of the corps commander and the incompetency of the division commander who was sent to lead the assault.'

From Personal Memoirs of U.S. Grant 'Surely such a lot of fools did not deserve to succeed.'

Col. Charles Wainwright, U.S. Army

(Union losses at the Crater, among the Ninth Corps and the Army of the James troops and associated artillery engaged, were officially reported as 504 killed, 1,881 wounded, and 1,413 missing, for a total of 3,789.

The most recent estimate of Confederate losses at the Crater, among the troops of Mahone's, Johnson's and Hoke's divisions, Elliott's Brigade,and associated artillery, suggests these figures as miniums: 361 killed, 727 wounded, and 403 missing, for a total of 1,491)

[SAMWolf]

SUPPORT FOR UPCOMING ELECTION

If you support the policies and character that our current President, George W. Bush, stands for, please drive with your headlights on during the day this coming Sunday.

If you support John Kerry, please drive with your headlights off at night.

---

John Kerry told the world we were war criminals who raped, tortured and murdered in Vietnam. Now, thirty-three years later, we will tell America the truth.

Join us at the rally we call:

What: A peaceful remembrance of those with whom we served in Vietnam - those who lived and those who died.
We will tell the story of their virtues and how that contrasts with the lies told by John Kerry.

When: Sunday, Sept. 12, 2004 @ 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM EDT

Where: The West Front of the U.S. Capitol Building, Washington, DC

All Vietnam veterans and their families and supporters are asked to attend. Other veterans are invited as honored guests. This will be a peaceful event--no shouting or contact with others with different opinions. We fought for their rights then, and we respect their rights now. This is NOT a Republican or a pro-Bush rally. Democrats, Republicans and independents alike are warmly invited.

Our gathering is to remember those with whom we served, thereby giving the lie to John Kerry's smear against a generation of fine young men. B.G. "Jug" Burkett, author of "Stolen Valor," will be one of our speakers. Jug has debunked countless impostors who falsely claimed to be Vietnam veterans or who falsely claimed awards for heroism. Jug recommends that we refrain from dragging fatigues out of mothballs. Dress like America, like you do every day. Dress code: business casual, nice slacks, and shirt and shoes. No uniform remnants, please. Unit hats OK.

Selected members will wear badges identifying them as authorized to speak to the media about our event. Others who speak to the media will speak only for themselves.

The program will be controlled in an attempt to stay on-message. Speakers are encouraged not to engage in speculative criticism of John Kerry but (1) to stick to known and undisputed facts about John Kerry’s lies while (2) reminding America of the true honor and courage of our brothers in battle in Vietnam.

Send this announcement to 10 or more of your brothers! Bring them by car, bus, train or plane! Make this event one of pride in America, an event you would be proud to have your mother or your children attend.

Contact: kerrylied.com

---

Veterans for Constitution Restoration is a non-profit, non-partisan educational and grassroots activist organization. The primary area of concern to all VetsCoR members is that our national and local educational systems fall short in teaching students and all American citizens the history and underlying principles on which our Constitutional republic-based system of self-government was founded. VetsCoR members are also very concerned that the Federal government long ago over-stepped its limited authority as clearly specified in the United States Constitution, as well as the Founding Fathers' supporting letters, essays, and other public documents.

---

Actively seeking volunteers to provide this valuable service to Veterans and their families.

---

UPDATED THROUGH APRIL 2004



The FReeper Foxhole. America's History. America's Soul

Click on Hagar for
"The FReeper Foxhole Compiled List of Daily Threads"

[snippy_about_it]

"FALL IN" to the FReeper Foxhole!



Good Thursday Morning Everyone



If you would like to be added to our ping list, let us know.
If you'd like to drop us a note you can write to:


The Foxhole
19093 S. Beavercreek Rd. #188
Oregon City, OR 97045

[snippy_about_it]

Ferrero had stopped off in Ledlie's bombproof to share a drink.

My goodness. These two and Burnside prove to be idiots. Glad to see that at least two of them never commanded again.

Good thread Sam. Thanks and good night.

[SAMWolf]

Thanks Snippy. Good Night.

[alfa6]

Sure Happy It's Thursday Bump for the Foxhole

Can't wait to read about the first battle on the MOON

Nights are fun

Regards

alfa6 ;>}

[Aeronaut]

Good morning Snippy.

[Cannoneer No. 4]

. . . accounts of Medieval sieges make it very clear that the most effective means of capturing a castle, other than starving it into surrender which could take a long time, was by sapping and mining. Sapping involved attacking the base of a wall or the corner of a keep or tower to dislodge the lower courses of stone so causing the wall above to collapse. This was done either by using a battering ram or by gangs of men using crowbars; both operations being conducted under the protection of a movable penthouse (or cat) which was a large timber shed, again covered with hides and mounted on wheels. Groups of archers would be positioned close by, behind mantlets (wooden screens) to give covering fire.

Mining required the digging of a tunnel below the foundations of the castle wall. Once these were reached, a large chamber was created underneath the foundations by excavating the soil; the wall above being temporarily supported by wooden props. Between these props the miners placed combustible material. Once the chamber was deemed to be sufficiently large, the combustible material was set on fire and the miners withdrew. The supporting props eventually burned through and the wall collapsed into the chamber. At this point, the attackers would rush the resulting breach in the castle wall. It is evident from contemporary accounts that mining was very much feared by the beseiged. Once a mine was begun, the only defence against it was counter-mining; i.e. the defenders would dig their own tunnel hoping to break in to that of the beseigers and halt its construction. To prevent mining, a castle required a wide and deep moat.

[E.G.C.]

Good morning, Snippy and everyone at the Freeper foxhole.

Upon turning on my computer this morning, The Automatic Update popped up to offer a download of XP SP 2. I unchecked the box and clicked close and then OK.

[Cannoneer No. 4]

Sap -- v. t. 1. To subvert by digging or wearing away; to mine; to undermine; to destroy the foundation of. [imp. & p. p. Sapped ; p. pr. & vb. n. Sapping.]

2. (Mil.) To pierce with saps.

3. To make unstable or infirm; to unsettle; to weaken.

v. i. 1. To proceed by mining, or by secretly undermining; to execute saps.

n. 1. (Mil.) A narrow ditch or trench made from the foremost parallel toward the glacis or covert way of a besieged place by digging under cover of gabions, etc.

Sap fagot (Mil.) a fascine about three feet long, used in sapping, to close the crevices between the gabions before the parapet is made.

Sap roller (Mil.) a large gabion, six or seven feet long, filled with fascines, which the sapper sometimes rolls along before him for protection from the fire of an enemy.

The term "sapper" has been associated with engineers for many generations. The origin of this term lies in the French word "sape," meaning undermine and the Middle French word "sap" that was a spade or a hoe. The dictionary defines a "sap" as a trench that is prolonged by digging away the earth from within the trench itself.

In medieval times, when armies laid siege to a fortification, one of the common methods of breaching the defenses was to dig a trench, or "sap," up to the base of the castle wall. A tunnel would then be dug under, or into, the wall. Prior to the introduction of explosives, a breach of the defensive wall would be accomplished by replacing blocks of stone with wooden supports. The supports would then be burned causing a section of wall to collapse. In the French Army, digging a trench under fire was known as "driving a sap" and the men who did this were known as "sapeurs." Thus, the terms "sappers" became associated with engineers. After the discovery of gunpowder, an explosive "mine" was used to breach the wall. This task was, of course, also the responsibility of the engineers.

[Cannoneer No. 4]

Maj. Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside

[Cannoneer No. 4]

Petersburg, Va. Confederate fortifications with chevaux-de-frise beyond

[Cannoneer No. 4]

Petersburg, Va. Entrance to mine in Fort Mahone, intended to undermine Fort Sedgwick

[Godebert]

26th South Carolina Volunteers
(my g-g-grandfather's regimental flag)

The 26th South Carolina was positioned on the left flank of the crater with Elliot's Brigade. The unit lost 72 men in the initial mine blast. My g-g-grandfather was the first sergeant of Charlie Company and was promoted to 2nd Lt. after the battle. He continued the fight until he was shot and captured near Appomattox, Virginia on April 9th, 1865. His leg was amputated due to the wound but he survived and lived for another 33 years until 1898.

[Cannoneer No. 4]

Petersburg, Va. Interior view of Confederate works

[Cannoneer No. 4]

Petersburg, Va. Heavy gun mounted on inner line of Confederate fortifications

[The Mayor]

August 19, 2004

Grace And Glory

Read: Psalm 84:5-12

The Lord will give grace and glory; no good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly. —Psalm 84:11

Bible In One Year: Psalms 103-104; 1 Corinthians 2

---

There's a circular path in the park where I walk behind our home in Boise, Idaho. When I've walked three times around, I've gone 1 mile.

It's easy to lose count of the laps on my 3-mile walk. So each morning I pick up nine small stones and put them in my pocket, discarding one each time I finish a lap.

I always feel good when there's one stone left in my pocket. It puts spring in my step. I pick up the pace.

It occurs to me that my walk through life is a lot like those daily walks. I've completed three-score and ten years and don't have far to go. That too puts spring in my step.

I'm in no hurry to leave this life, but my times are in God's hands. As the body is breaking down under the weight of the years, there is a grace within that sustains me. I go now "from strength to strength," and in good time I will appear "before God in Zion" (Psalm 84:7,11). That will be glory for me.

Our Lord gives "grace and glory," the psalmist says—grace for our earthly walk and glory when we have finished it. "No good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly" (v.11).

Do you need grace today? God gives it with both hands. All you have to do is take it. —David Roper

When all my labors and trials are o'er,
And I am safe on that beautiful shore,
Just to be near the dear Lord I adore
Will through the ages be glory for me. —Gabriel

God gives grace for this life and glory in the life to come.

[Tax-chick]

Imagine the rats!

[Cannoneer No. 4]

Tunnellers

[Cannoneer No. 4]

The rats got fat feeding on dead men. Too big for cats.

[Tax-chick]

That's a cheerful thought before breakfast!

This reminds me of the book "The Great Escape" - source for the outstanding movie. And also of a Confederate saltpeter mine that my father and I visited some years back. The miners, mostly invalid soldiers, crawled almost 100 yards through a crevice 3-4 feet high to reach the mineral face. Just dreadful.

[Valin]

On This Day In History


Birthdates which occurred on August 19:
1631 John Dryden 1st poet laureate of England (Absalom & Achitophel)
1646 John Flamsteed 1st astronomer royal of England
1785 Seth Thomas pioneer in mass production of clocks
1815 John Porter McCown, Major General (Confederate Army), died in 1879
1831 Stephen Gano Burbridge, Bvt Major General (Union volunteers)
1858 Edith Nesbit England, children books author (Railway Children)
1859 Charles Comiskey 1st basemen/manager (Chicago White Sox)
1860 John Kane Scottish-born US primitivist painter (Self-Portrait)
1870 Bernard Baruch financier/presidential adviser
1871 Orville Wright aviator
1878 Manuel Quezon 1st president of Philippine Commonwealth (1935-42)
1890 H.P. Lovecraft, author of horror tales.
1892 Alfred Lunt Broadway actor (Emmy 1965)
1902 Ogden Nash Rye NY, humorous poet (I'm a Stranger Here Myself)
1906 Philo T Farnsworth Beaver Utah, inventor (electronic TV)
1915 Ring Lardner Jr Chicago, screenwriter (Woman of the Year)
1919 Malcolm Forbes publisher (Forbes Magazine)
1921 Gene Roddenberry executive producer (Star Trek)
1924 William Marshall Gary Ind, actor (Blacula, Something of Value)
1931 Willie Shoemaker jockey (In 1956 he won $2 million)
1933 Debra Paget actress (Anne of the Indies, Love Me Tender)
1934 Dr Renee Richards trans-sexual tennis player
1935 Bobby Richardson SC, 2nd baseman (NY Yankees)
1935 F Story Musgrave Boston, MD/astronaut (STS 6, 51-F, 33, 44)
1938 Diana Muldaur actress (McCloud, Star Trek Next Generation, LA Law)
1939 Ginger [Peter] Baker England, drummer (Cream-White Room)
1940 Jill St John [Oppenheim], LA Calif, actress (Diamonds are Forever)
1940 Johnny Nash Houston, Tx, rocker (I Can See Clearly Now)
1942 Fred Thompson, senator (R-Tenn)/actor (In the Line of Fire, Law and Order)
1943 Billy J Kramer Liverpool, rocker (The Dakotas-Bad to Me)
1945 Ian Gillian heavy metal rocker (Deep Purple-Knocking at Backdoor)
1946 Charles F Bolden Jr Columbia SC, astronaut (STS 61C, 31, STS 45)

1946 Bill Clinton 42nd US President. (Former Little Rock Attorney)

1947 Gerald McRaney Collins Miss, actor (Simon & Simon, Major Dad)

1948 Mary Elizabeth Aitcheson. In 1970 became "Tipper" Gore. Wife of Al Gore US Vice President.

1951 Randi Oakes Randalia Iowa, actress (Officer Bonnie Clark-CHiPs)
1952 Jonathan Frakes actor (Actor: Commander Will Riker in "Star Trek Next Generation", Director: "Star Trek: First Contact")
1956 Cindy Nelson US, skier (Olympic-bronze-1976)
1957 Darby Hinton Santa Monica Calif, actor (Israel-Daniel Boone)
1960 Ron Darling Hawaii, baseball pitcher (NY Mets)
1965 Kevin Dillon actor (Heaven Help Us, Remote Control, Platoon)
1969 Christian Slater actor (Legend of Billie Jean)
1970 Matthew Perry actor (Sydney)
1971 Tricia Ann Luedtke Oostburg Wisc, Miss Wisc-America-1991
2335 William T Riker, Valdez Alaska

---

Deaths which occurred on August 19:
0014 BC Octavian [Augustus] Roman general, dies at 48
1493 Frederick III Innsbruck Austria, German Emperor (1440-1493)
1580 Andrea Palladio, architect/writer (Il Redentore, Venice), dies at 71
1876 George Smith, English assyriologist (script), dies at 36
1929 Sergei P Diaghilev Russia, dance master (Imperial Ballet), dies at 57
1962 Kerstin Hesselgren 1st woman in Swedish parliament, dies at 90
1976 Alastair Sim, actor (Christmas Carol, Green for Danger), dies at 75
1977 Julius (Groucho) Marx NYC, comedian (Marx Bros), dies in LA at 86
1994 Linus Pauling, Nobel prize scientist (Vitamin C advocate), dies at 93

---

Reported: MISSING in ACTION

1968 COLLINS THEOTHIS ASBURY PARK NJ.
1968 HOFFMAN TERRY ALAN DANVILLE IN.
[REMAINS RETURNED BURIED 1994]
1969 BOHLIG JAMES RICHARD CROCKETT CA.
1969 FLANIGAN JOHN N. WINTER HAVEN FL.
[REMAINS RETURNED 1989, ID'D 06/26/97]
1969 MORRISSEY RICHARD THOMAS UNIONDALE NY.
1969 SMITH ROBERT N. TRUCKSVILLE PA.
1972 BEHNFELDT ROGER ERNEST DEFIANCE OH.
[REMAINS RETURNED 09/24/87]
1972 SHINGAKI TAMOTSU MAUI HI.
[03/29/73 RELEASED BY DRV, ALIVE IN 98]

POW / MIA Data & Bios supplied by the P.O.W. NETWORK. Skidmore, MO. USA.

---

On this day...
0440 St Sixtus III ends his reign as Catholic Pope
1071 Battle at Manzikert: Seldjuken sultan Alp Arslan beats Byzantine King
1099 Crusaders beat Saracens in Battle of Ascalon
1263 King James I or Argon censors Hebrew writings
1399 King Richard II of England surrenders to his cousin Henry
1561 Mary Queen of Scots arrives in Leith Scotland to assume throne after spending 13 years in France
1619 The first group of twenty Africans is brought to Jamestown, Virginia.
1787 W Herschel discovers Enceladus, a moon of Saturn

1812 US warship Constitution defeats British warship Guerriere

1826 Canada Co chartered to colonize Upper Canada (Ontario)
1839 Details of Louis Daguerre's 1st practical photographic process are released in Paris
1849 NY Herald reports gold discovery in California
1888 1st beauty contest (Spa, Belgium), 18 yr old West Indian wins
1891 William Huggins describes astronomical application of spectrum
1903 Phillies suffer record 9th straight posponed game
1909 1st race at the Indianapolis 500 Speedway
1914 - German army executed 150 Belgians by firing squad
1917 Sunday benefit baseball game at the Polo Grounds results in John McGraw & Christy Mathewson's arrest for violating Blue laws
1919 Afghanistan declares independence from UK
1934 Plebiscite in Germany approved sole executive power to Adolph Hitler
1942 Gen Paulus orders German 6th Army to conquer Stalingrad
1942 1,000 Canadian & British soldiers killed raiding Dieppe, France
1942 1st American offensive in Pacific in WW2, Guadalcanal, Solomon Is
1944 Paris police strike against nazi occupiers
1944 Polish 1st Division occupies Hill 262 (Mont Ormel), Normandy
1950 ABC begins Saturday morning kid shows (Animal Clinic & Acrobat Ranch)

1951 Bill Veeck (Browns) sends Eddie Gaedel, a 3'7" midget, to pinch-hit

1954 Ralph J Bunche named undersecretary of UN
1955 Hurricane Diane kills 200 & 1st billion $ damage storm (N.E. US)
1957 NY Giants vote to move their franchise to SF in 1958
1958 NAACP Youth Council begin sit-ins at Oklahoma City Lunch counters
1959 Doctor X beats Wilber Snyder in Omaha, to become NWA wrestling champ
1960 Francis Gary Powers convicted of spying by USSR (U-2 incident)
1960 Sputnik 5 carries 2 dogs, 3 mice into orbit (later recovered alive)
1962 Homer Blancos plays the finest round in golf, shooting a 55
1967 Beatles' "All You Need is Love," single goes #1
1976 Pres Gerald R Ford won Republican pres nomination at KC convention
1978 422 die in an arson fire at a movie theater in Iran
1979 Crew of Soyuz 32 returns to Earth aboard Soyuz 34 aft 175 d flight
1980 Saudi Arabian Lockheed Tristar crashes on landing at Riyadh, 301 die
1981 2 US Navy F-14 jet fighters shot down 2 Soviet-built Libyan SU-22
1982 Renaldo Nehemiah of US sets record for 110 m hurdles, 12.93 sec
1982 Soyuz T-7 launched, Svetlana Savtiskaya 2nd woman in space
1983 LSU footballer Billy Cannon sentenced to 5 yrs for counterfeiting
1985 Japan launches its 2nd probe of Halley's Comet, Suisei
1988 Iran-Iraq begin a cease-fire in their 8-year-old war (11 PM EDT)
1989 Tadeusz Mazowiecki, elected 1st non-communmist president of Poland
1990 NY Yankee Kevin Mass is quickest to reach 14 HRs (approx 128 at bat)
1991 Coup in Russia deposes Mikhail Gorbachev
1993 Mattel and Fisher Price toys merge
1996 Former Arkansas Gov. Jim Guy Tucker was sentenced to four years probation and Susan McDougal sentenced to two years in prison on Whitewater charges.
1997 NY Yank 3rd baseman Wade Boggs pitches a scoreless inning vs Anaheim

---

Holidays
Note: Some Holidays are only applicable on a given "day of the week"

Ethiopia : Buhe
US : National Aviation Day (1939)
Hawaii : Admission Day (1959) (Friday)
Mich : Montrose-Blueberry Festival (Friday)
Weird Contest Week (Day 4)
Breastfeeding Month

---

Religious Observances
Orth : Transfiguration of Our Lord (8/6 OS)
RC : Memorial of St John Eudes, confessor/priest (opt)

---

Religious History
1099 The armies of the First Crusade defeated the Saracens at the Battle of Ascalon (an historic Palestinian city on the Mediterranean), one month after they had captured Jerusalem.
1775 Anglican clergyman and hymnwriter John Newton wrote in a letter: 'We are never more safe, never have more reason to expect the Lord's help, than when we are most sensible that we can donothing without Him.'
1886 The Christian Union was founded by Baptist clergyman Richard G. Spurling (1858-1935) in Monroe County, Tennessee. In 1923, this pentecostal denomination changed its name to the Church of God. Headquartered today in Cleveland, Tennessee, its current membership is nearly 500,000.
1934 English Bible expositor Arthur W. Pink wrote in a letter: 'It is not words which God pays attention to, but heart-groans and tears!'
1953 Israel's parliament conferred Israeli citizenship posthumously on all Jews killed by the Nazis during the years of the Holocaust (1933-45) in Europe.

Source: William D. Blake. ALMANAC OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. Minneapolis: Bethany House, 1987.

---

Thought for the day :
"The cure for boredom is curiosity. There is no cure for curiosity."

---

Excuses For Missing Work...
I just found out that I was switched at birth. Legally, I shouldn't come to work knowing my employee records may now contain false information.

---

Top 10 Difference Between Cats & Dogs...
10. Dogs come when you call them. Cats take a message and get back to you.

---

You Might Be An Engineer If...
Your spouse keeps tripping over the wire you strung -- temporarily-- three years ago

---

Dumb Laws...
United Kingdom:
The severest Penaltys will be suffered by any commoner who doth permit his animal to have carnal knowledge of a pet of the Royal House (enacted by George I)

[Mudboy Slim]

"We Are the RightWing!!"
(To be sung to Kid Rock's "I Am The Bullgod")

Right is the Future...Right is FRee...
Follow me...Right's all 'bout Liberatin'!!
Right's gonna win you!! LeftWing's fer FOOLS!! Right's gonna save you!!

Right's like a train...we roll hard, FReepin' fer our dreams!!
We watch FoxNewsChannel and Limbaugh FReeps...maybe!!
We reject Left's fools...RATS ain't FRee!!
But Right be whuppin' butt 'gainst Leftist Tyranny!!
Right gotz soul...like the Gip!!
Back in '96, man, I was FReepin' 'gainst Slick!!
'Cuz Right can rumble...FarRight, hit the bricks!!
Fer our righteous dreams, we shall never quit!!
Press, ask REAL questions...know John Kerry lies...
RATS are weak and STOOOPID with blood shot eyes...
Slick spanks the sink...Right shall next RE-IMPEACH!!
We'll CONVICT Slick Willie...Bill's a Prison Queen!!
'Cuz Right's like bulldogs...we gotta plan!!
Left's illegitimate scourge of man...
RATS' S-O-P is vile Tyranny...
FReep the G-O-P fer more Liberty!!
Folks, we're FReepin'...unh unh...yes, we're FReepin'!!

We are the RightWing...we are FRee!!
And we FReep...watch the Right reawaken!!
Right's gonna help you!! Reject Left's fools!! Right's gonna win you!!

A lotta FReepers poke fun and that's alright...
But when I start pokin back, Gramps gits all uptight...Hunh!!
MUD can rap with this KidRock punk...
So just Devolve Power before DemRATS wake up!!
Yes, I'm a FReeper...my FRiends call me "MUD"...
And Ol' Slim, he ain't aFRaid...gonna mix it up!!
I'm gonna flood the world with my righteous thoughts...
Sweep the Left away...FReedom can't be bought!!
Unh!! FReepersUP!! Kerry's LYIN' SCUM!!
We gotta let sheeple know that LeftWing's DONE!!
So grab you a walkman and listen to Rush...
Or listen to Hannity or read Matt Drudge!!
'Cuz we're the RightWing...you'll understand...
We're a legitimate righteous land!!
RATS' S-O-P is vile Tyranny...
FReep the G-O-P fer more Liberty!!
Folks, we're FReepin'...yeah, we're FReepin'!!

We are the RightWing...we are FRee!!
The Worlds needs patriots liberatin'!!
Liberate US...yeah!!

RATS ain't nuthin'!!

FReeeeeeeeee....Yeah yeah yeah!!
Come on, get on up!! Come on, FReepersUP!! Come on, don't let up!!

We are the RightWing...we are FRee!!
This World needs more righteous liberation!!
We are the RightWing...we are FRee!!
And we feed on sweet Justice!!

I love my FReepin' fer Peace...gonna show what's Right!!
DemRATS say it ain't fair...Left just begs and whines...
Left's thoughts are scams...RATS make no sense...
Left abhors all that's Right...RAT-power's past tense!!
Raisin' Cain on the internet...
NooYawkSlimes, here we come, we're takin' stands!!
I've gotta band of gypsies, we're set to stun...
Listen to Limbaugh...havin' fun!!
DemLib'rals seem so odd...
Lefty's veins are popping, whinin' "Life's SOOO Hard!!"
I am the Mudboy, you'll understand...
Right here in my head is Right's Master Plan!!

Unhh!! Right's gonna FRee you!! LeftFReeaks fool you!!
Right wantsta help you...Right's yer future!!

Mudboy Slim

BTW...first "rap song" I've ever FReeped!!

[Lee Heggy]

Morning Sam and Snippy! The History Channel did a piece on The battle of the Crater. There are pictures at http://www.bjmjr.com/civwar/re_crater.htm

I don't think it has been reennacted very often. It's sort of in the same class as doing the Hunley or reennacting the Balloon Corps. Neither of which seem to draw much enthusiasm amongst reennactors.

[Cannoneer No. 4]

Re-enactors conduct firing demonstration at Field Fortifications Exhibit During "Civil War Weekend" at Pamplin Park.

There are a lot more land owners who will let you do a 2 day battle than there are who will let you fortify their hay field.

Reenacting is a spectator event, hence the unpopularity of submariner impressions.

[Cannoneer No. 4]

Selma

[Samwise]

G'morning everyone!

Internet Explorer seems to be working OK now. I need to see if the &*(*&(*!!bugsy comes back. It really annoyed me, but when it started screwing up Free Republic I really got honked.

Can I get some holy water for my PC?

[SAMWolf]

Morning alfa6

Can't wait to read about the first battle on the MOON

;-)

[SAMWolf]

Morning aeronaut.

[SAMWolf]

Morning Cannoneer

Thanks for the lesson on siege warefare. I knew about mining but didn't know about sapping.

[Soaring Feather]

Good morning everyone.

[SAMWolf]

Morning E.G.C. Mine popped up too, I think I'm gonna wait a bit before trying to install it.

[SAMWolf]

The term "sapper" has been associated with engineers for many generations.

I wondered if the term "sappers" came from the old siege warefare days when I read your previous post. I'm learning a lot today.

[SAMWolf]

Change the uniforms and equipment and these pictures could have come from the Western front in WWI

[SAMWolf]

Morning Godebert.

I thank your G-G-Grandfather for his service. Thanks for sharing some of his story with us.

Battles the SC 26th fought were:

Jackson Siege(July 1863)
Charleston Harbor (August-September 1863)
Bermuda Hundred (May 17-June 16, 1864)
Petersburg (June 1864-April 1865)
The Crater (July 30, 1864)
Fort Stedman (March 25, 1865)
Five Forks (April 1, 1865)
Appomattox Court House (April 9, 1865).

[SAMWolf]

Good Morning Mayor.

[SAMWolf]

With sanitation the way it was in those days, I'd bet there were as many rats as men in those trenches.

[Samwise]

I've not heard of this before. We have been to several Civil War cites around Petersburg, though. It was interesting. The saddest was row after row of unmarked graves.

[Tax-chick]

Birthdays: 2335 William T Riker, Valdez Alaska

I'll need to get this on my calendar so I don't miss sending a gift!

[Tax-chick]

My parents say Petersburg is a good park for bicycling.

[SAMWolf]

1944 Polish 1st Division occupies Hill 262 (Mont Ormel), Normandy

In May 1944 the First Polish Armoured Division was ready for combat. On 8th August, on reaching Normandy, the unit commenced combat operations east of Caen. This was when General Maczek said to his men, "And remember one thing, a Polish soldier fights for the freedom of many countries, but dies only for Poland."

In the days to come Polish soldiers were to play an important part in the Battle of Falaise, which the Allies won. Field-Marshal Montgomery described this battle saying that the Germans were forced as if into a bottle,and the Polish division was the cork used to close it up.

During the fighting, at times very heavy and costing severe losses, Maczek’ss oldiers managed to control the area of Chambois and Mont Ormel,thereby preventing the eastward retreat of a substantial German force.

In the course of this struggle, which lasted until 21st August, the First polish Armoured Division took over 5 thousand prisoners, destroyed 55 tanks, and over 200 other vehicles

[Tax-chick]

I can't think about 19th Century sanitation without feeling ill. Even the most wealthy people lived in unbelievable filth, especially in the cities, with everything being coal-burning. Yikes!

[SAMWolf]

Morning Mud.

Isn't "rap song" a contridiction in terms?

[Samwise]

I'm sure it is--if the bike is air conditioned. :^)

I darn near sweated to death the summer we went. Oh wait, women don't sweat, we glisten.

[Tax-chick]

I guess they went in the fall.

[SAMWolf]

Thanks for the link LH.

Any particular reason some events aren't popular among reenactors?

[SAMWolf]

Morning samwise.

I sent an "expert" to help out.

[SAMWolf]

Good Morning Feather.