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The Horrid Pit: The Battle of the Crater, the Civil War's Cruelest Mission | 
 enlarge | Author: Alan Axelrod
Publisher: Carroll & Graf
Category: Book
List Price: $26.95
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Avg. Customer Rating:  2 reviews
Sales Rank: 233423
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 352
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.2
Dimensions (in): 9 x 5.7 x 1.1
ISBN: 0786718110
Dewey Decimal Number: 973.737
EAN: 9780786718115
ASIN: 0786718110
Publication Date: July 19, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Sealed and New. In stock - Sent fast from British booksellers.
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Product Description
The story of one of the most violent yet least-known episodes of the Civil War — the daring excavation of the longest military tunnel in history.
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| Customer Reviews:
 It seemed like a good idea at the time....... November 8, 2007
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
And, really, it was not that bad of an idea. Problem is, it didn't work, and caused around 5,000 needless casualties. Let us not forget, though, that it almost did work, and that it was a Confederate victory, as well as a monumental Union blunder.
I saw this new release a couple of weeks ago, and had to have it...I work at the Army hospital at Ft. Lee, and, when not providing medical care for our troops, occasionally take groups of Soldiers to The Crater for military leadership training. Of course, the lessons are mostly basic, and negative. Half-hearted support of a subordinate, and being drunk behind the lines while your troops are getting slaughtered, are major failures of leadership. Mr. Axelrod has given us a very readable, well researched, concise, unvarnished, account of what US Grant called the saddest day he ever saw in the Army. I personally did not learn much new information, but I'm far from the average reader. I did learn that it was an even bigger mess than even I knew....
In the spring of 1864, the Yankees wanted to shortcut the siege of Petersburg, and end the Civil War....enter Lieutenant Colonel Henry Pleasants, a Pennsylvania mining engineer with a bunch of coal miners in his unit. Let's dig a 500' mine, charge it with powder, and blow up the Rebs...the plan got to Major General Ambrose Burnside, who sort of liked it [sort of--first problem]. Problem was, by 1864, Burnside was damaged goods [and probably too nice a guy to be a great general], not trusted by his superiors. He went to Major General George Meade, who gave too much credence to his engineer, Major Duane [failure of leadership], and then gave Burnside mere assent, while refusing him proper tools, and sufficient powder [HORRIBLE failure of leadership].
The mine got dug, with superb courage, and persistance...by late July, it was ready to blow. Then things REALLY went to hell...a division of fresh, rested, black troops under Brigadier General Edward Ferraro were trained, and ready to charge AROUND the hole, take Cemetery Ridge..... Meade and Grant vetoed the plan, either because they did not trust the blacks, or did not want the societal onus of slaughtering them. [BIG failure]. Burnside then DREW LOTS to see what unit would lead off, and the lot fell to James Ledlie, possibly the worst general in Army history. Axelrod calls him an incompetent, drunken, coward, which pretty much sums it up.
At 4:44 AM on July 30, 1864, the mine blew. BIG HOLE. After too much delay, Ledlie's troops charged INTO The Crater, while Ledlie himself went to a secure bunker behind the lines to drink rum. After they got hopelessly bogged down, Ferraro's men were sent in after them, while Ferraro joined Ledlie for a drink. Mr. Axelrod states that the Confederates had the good leadership the Yankees lacked....Robert E. Lee sent Major General Billy Mahone, and his deputy, Colonel David Addison Weisiger, to man the defense, and make a counterattack. Fish in a barrel....
In the aftermath, two courts of inquiry, one Army, one Congressional, were held....Burnside, Ledlie, Ferraro, and Meade were pretty well roasted, though Meade escaped punishment, which he should not have, and Grant escaped completely.....
If I disagree with anything, it is the author's assertion that a Union victory would have ended the war. That is far from a given...in April, 1865, President Davis wanted to go West, and continue the fight. In 1865, that was a tragic, silly, pipe dream...in July, 1864, it would have been a very viable option. Also, Mr. Axelrod tells what happened to the Yankee leaders...guess I'll have to tell about my side....Billy Mahone fought right to Appomattox, then settled in Petersburg. He founded the Norfolk & Western Railroad, and served one term in the US Senate. Due to his becoming a Republican, and supporting voting, and education, for blacks, he was a hated apostate. His money helped found Virginia State University, still a highly respected [mostly] black college. He died in 1895, and has a grand monument at The Crater. David Weisiger survived a bad wound, and became a Brigadier General. After the war, he was a banker in Petersburg, and an enemy of Billy Mahone. He lived till 1899. Both generals are buried in Blandford Cemetery, Petersburg. Both have living descendents in the area.
Whether you choose to read this as history, as adventure, or as leadership training , read it. It is now the absolute, definitive, word on a royal mess. Highly recommended.
 The Little Picture August 4, 2007
28 out of 32 found this review helpful
Alan T. Nolan in the Introduction to "Brave Men's Tears"says, "the little pictures must be examined in order for one to construct the big picture." This book should meet his idea of the "little picture". A good detailed tactical history of one of the smaller battles. A history that is well written, easy to read presenting a vivid picture of battle. This book has all of these things but contains some real drawbacks.
It is hard to find anything positive about the Battle of the Crater. This was one of the worst episodes of the Civil War. Political considerations overruled military considerations. The questions it caused about personal feelings and possible rivalries within the Union high command are still being raised. In addition, this battled exposed very real personal problems at the division and corps level in the Army of the Potomac. The Crater resulted in five thousand causalities, two inquires, a stain on Meade's record and was a major factor in the removal of Burnside from command of the IX Corps. The hole is still visible over 140 years later and cannot fail to move any student of the war.
This book has one map of the mine to the Confederate lines, which is not a problem. The battle is at close-quarters in and around the crater and in the adjacent trenches. The author's description is enough to convey the battlefield more vividly and completely than a series of maps would. This is one of the rare battle histories where maps are not required.
Alan Axelrod indicts General Meade for sabotaging Burnside's plan. He asserts this starts in 1862, when Burnside is Meade's commanding officer at Fredericksburg. Meade's rise to command and Burnside being placed under him are used to prove his contention. The author tries to demonstrate that Meade has no respect or confidence in Burnside and undercuts him at every opportunity. This theme is the main storyline, continually popping up in an attempt to convince the reader by repetition. The author should follow the format of "Plenty of Blame to Go Around", tell the story, present the controversy, give your view and let the reader decide. No one made good decisions here. However, assuming Meade's motivation is personal pique requires more than the author offers.
My second problem is the importance attached to this battle. The author feels that victory here would have ended the war saving tens of thousands of lives. He consistently overstates the importance of the battle and the benefits that victory could have produced. In doing so, he ignores every theater but Virginia and encourages the ides that the surrender of Lee's army ended the Civil War.
One the plus side, this book contains a good discussion of Civil War combat fatigue and how it is not being addressed by the high command. The treatment of the United States Colored Troops at the Carter is factual without being judgmental. The author simply states the problems and the results they produced without moralizing or condemning either side. This approach is more powerful and drives home the problems these men faced is the strongest possible manner. The description of the battle is vivid, direct and the best part of the book. Working with an excellent understanding of the tactical details, we are walked through what has to be one of the worst battles a Union solider could have been in.
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