23An ambitious plan to tunnel beneath Confederate defenses at
Petersburg and blast a huge hole in the line inadvertently became
a literal crater of death for the black and white Union soldiers
who poured into the opening. BY JOHN WALKER
THE CRATER:
EXPLOSION OF DEATH
Petersburg National BattlefieldQ-Spr16 The Crater_Layout 1 1/14/16 12:41 PM Page 23