The Battle of the Crater Trivia Quiz

Answer: Miners

Most of the men from the 48th Pennsylvania Infantry worked in the mines in Schuylkill County. They had much knowledge and experience in tunneling and that led them to believe they could dig a nearly five hundred foot tunnel without being noticed by the Confederates.

Answer: Ventilation

Normally to build a tunnel ventilation shafts would be dug all along the length of the tunnel, but if the Union troops had dug ventilation shafts they would have been noticed by the Confederates. To solve this problem the men used the theory that hot air rises.

They ran wooden pipe along the length of the tunnel and sealed the entrance to the tunnel with an airtight canvas door. One ventilation shaft was dug far enough away that Confederate troops could not see it. Underneath the ventilation shaft the men built a fire which heated the air near and caused it to rise.

The rising of the hot air caused more, clean air to flow through the pipe, thus allowing the men to breathe. Tools were also a problem, but not that big of a problem. The men converted hardtack boxes into digging equipment. Manpower was not a problem as the men dug in shifts, so someone was digging at all times.

Answer: Henry Pleasants

Lieutenant-Colonel Henry Pleasants, the commander of the 49th Pennsylvania Infantry was in charge of the digging of the tunnel. He was said to be so dedicated that he wouldn't leave the mine. He was said to have slept and ate at the entrance to the mine.

Answer: true

The Confederate troops had suspicions that the Union troops were digging a tunnel. Though the Confederate advisors thought it was impossible to dig a tunnel so long they sent down counterminers when they thought they heard the Union troops digging. Soon after sending down the countermines the Confederate soldiers stopped hearing digging and assumed that a tunnel collapse had stopped Union troops from digging any further.

This was not true; in fact Union soldiers remarked that they could hear the Confederate soldiers walking around above them.

Answer: 511 feet

This was extremely impressive since Mead's advisors told him a tunnel longer than four hundred feet would not be possible.

Answer: Ferrero's division

In the original plans, General Edward Ferrero's division was to lead the attack. Ferrero's division was an entirely African-American division and the only division out of the four divisions that hadn't seen battle yet. Because they hadn't seen battle they were not gun shy and would lead a strong charge. According to the plan Ferro's division would lead the charge, two of the other divisions would follow Ferrero's division on both sides and the remaining division of troops would follow the same path that Ferro's division took.

Answer: Ledlie's division

Burnside got a letter from Grant and Meade in which Grant wrote, "If we put the colored troops in front and [the attack] should prove a failure, it would then be said, and very properly, that we were shoving those people ahead to get killed because we did not care anything about them." Burnside tried to get the order repealed, but was unsuccessful, so he had to choose another division to lead.

He didn't know who to put foreword, so he had Ledlie, Potter, and Wilcox literally draw straws. Ledlie, who was the most inexperienced and had only been with the division six weeks, drew the short straw. Potter was going to go on the left side and Wilcox on the right and Ferrero's division was to go last.

Answer: Drinking rum

Both Ledlie and Ferrero were in a bunker drinking rum that Ledlie had gotten from a surgeon. Because of this Ledlie was missing when his men started to panic because of the explosion and men firing from their own side and he wasn't there when his division made the mistake of running into the crater instead of around it. Once in the crater Ledlie's men were trapped. Wilcox and Potter's divisions did not run into the crater, but were eventually pushed back into it by the Confederate troops. Ferrero's division tried to save the battle by marching in the way they learned over the month they had practiced before Meade and Grant said they could lead, but the battle was too far gone.

Answer: Ledlie

Ledlie was investigated by a court of inquiry because of his absence during the battle and soon resigned his position. Ferrero was transferred for his part in the fiasco. Burnside left after an argument with Meade. Meade wanted to have him court-martialed for delaying the retreat orders, but Grant just sent him home.

Answer: General Grant

Grant stated that the Battle of the Crater was the saddest affair he had ever witnessed in war. Over 4000 Union soldiers were killed, captured or missing, this includes 3,828 of Burnside's men. About one third of Ferro's men were killed (1327/4000). It is estimated that around 5,300 men died in the Battle of the Crater.