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I was playing on line and found this cool site of first person accounts related to the Petersburg campaign and I'm not sure if its been mentioned here before so here it is:
SAMPLE
"Soldiers on the Front
While the fighting on the Eastern Front included the initial assault on the city of Petersburg and the famous Battle of the Crater, the soldier experience here was really characterized by constant bombardment at close quarters. Soldiers who fought in the opening battles soon found themselves living at point-blank range of the enemy, digging deeper trenches, and laying low from the constant exchange of rifle and artillery fire. Soldiers dealt daily with the stress of fighting and living yards away from the enemy.
Read two personal accounts of those who were eyewitnesses to life on the Eastern Front. John Walters fought with a Confederate artillery Regiment, while William J. Bolton fought with a Pennsylvania regiment. Their diaries provide a first-hand perspective of fighting.
William J. Bolton / A Union Soldier’s Perspective
51st Pennsylvania
June 18, 1864
“... The troops were again moved forward to attack, reaching the summit of the opposite bank of the ravine, about 100 yards from the enemy’s line. Our line became exposed to full view of the enemy, whose fire was too severe to attempt any further advance. Our position, however, held and intrenched during the night, and is the nearest point to the enemy’s line gained by our army. Our intrenching tools were tin cups, plates, and spoons. Poor Creek, or river as called by the rebels, run red with blood and the flag of the 2d Michigan was found floating down the little stream.
John Walters / A Confederate Perspective
Norfolk Light Artillery Blues"
Enjoy,
Steve Acker
SAMPLE
"Soldiers on the Front
While the fighting on the Eastern Front included the initial assault on the city of Petersburg and the famous Battle of the Crater, the soldier experience here was really characterized by constant bombardment at close quarters. Soldiers who fought in the opening battles soon found themselves living at point-blank range of the enemy, digging deeper trenches, and laying low from the constant exchange of rifle and artillery fire. Soldiers dealt daily with the stress of fighting and living yards away from the enemy.
Read two personal accounts of those who were eyewitnesses to life on the Eastern Front. John Walters fought with a Confederate artillery Regiment, while William J. Bolton fought with a Pennsylvania regiment. Their diaries provide a first-hand perspective of fighting.
William J. Bolton / A Union Soldier’s Perspective
51st Pennsylvania
June 18, 1864
“... The troops were again moved forward to attack, reaching the summit of the opposite bank of the ravine, about 100 yards from the enemy’s line. Our line became exposed to full view of the enemy, whose fire was too severe to attempt any further advance. Our position, however, held and intrenched during the night, and is the nearest point to the enemy’s line gained by our army. Our intrenching tools were tin cups, plates, and spoons. Poor Creek, or river as called by the rebels, run red with blood and the flag of the 2d Michigan was found floating down the little stream.
John Walters / A Confederate Perspective
Norfolk Light Artillery Blues"
Enjoy,
Steve Acker
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