Path: utzoo!utgpu!watserv1!watmath!att!cbnews!military
From: mcgrath@nprdc.navy.mil (James McGrath)
Newsgroups: sci.military
Subject: Re: Glory, strange tactics.
Keywords: civil war
Message-ID: <15577@cbnews.ATT.COM>
Date: 14 Apr 90 04:11:12 GMT
References: <15221@cbnews.ATT.COM> <15496@cbnews.ATT.COM>
Sender: military@cbnews.ATT.COM
Organization: Navy Personnel R&D Center, San Diego
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From: mcgrath@nprdc.navy.mil (James McGrath)

In article <15496@cbnews.ATT.COM> ssc-vax!shuksan!major@beaver.cs.washington.edu (Mike Schmitt) writes:
>
>
>  The best my 'research' has come up with in any detail is
>  at Petersburg (June 1864) where BG Ferrero's Fourth Division (Burnside's
>  IX Corps) consisting of two 'colored' brigades, about 4,300 men,
>  attacked through "The Crater" suffering terrible losses. 
>
   Actually, the black soldiers did not suffer heavy losses in the
battle of the crater because the attack plan was changed at the last
moment.  The black soldiers were designated to lead the attack when the
explosive-packed tunnel was detonated and they had been well briefed to
strike against the flanks to either side of the explosion point.  But
Washington authorities objected to the plan on the grounds that it would
appear that the Union army was using blacks as cannon fodder.  They were
withdrawn from the van and replaced by white soldiers.  It was because
the white soldiers had not been briefed and drilled on the lateral
movement that caused the fiasco.  They charged straight ahead into the
crater and could not get out.  When the Confederate defenders recovered
from the initial blast, they lined the rim and slaughtered the (white)
attackers trapped in the crater.  Ironically, if the well-prepared black
soldiers had been allowed to lead that attack, it probably would have
resulted in a spectacular success.