One of the most vicious fights of the Civil War took place on this date (July 30) in 1864. Pennsylvania coal miners tunnelled under a Confederate fortification manned by a Virginia battery and blew it up. Federal commanders from General Grant on down botched the attack that followed the assault. The Confederates brought up Brig. Gen. William Mahone for a counterstroke against the stalled attackers. A Union rout ensued and added to the laurels of Mahone, who had come to prominence in June 1864 at the battles of Jerusalem Plank Road (June 22-23) and First Reams Station (June 29). (See John Horn, "Lee Besieged: Grant's Second Petersburg Offensive, June 18-July 1, 1864 (Savas Beatie, 2025). To purchase a copy please click this link.
Map by Hampton Newsome for John Horn's "The Petersburg Regiment in the Civil War: A History of the 12th Virginia Infantry from John Brown's Hanging to Appomattox, 1859-1865" (Savas Beatie, 2019) (Winner of the 2019 Army Historical Foundation Distinguished Writing Award for Unit History). To purchase a copy please click this link.
The summer of Mahone was not over, though, as you will see next month.
