Adam Badeau, Military history of Ulysses S. Grant from April 1861 to April 1865. Volume 1

After awhile, feathered grenades were given to the national troops, and thrown inside the rebel line, with some effect; but many of these failed to explode, and were hurled back by the rebels, with terrible results. Boxes of field-ammunition were also brought out by the enemy, who lighted them with port-fires and threw them by hand into the crater. Nearly every one took effect, killing and wounding sometimes half a dozen men. The crater was called by the soldiers ‘the death-hole;’ but the ground that had been gained was held through all the horrors of the night, and rifle-pits next day were built across the aperture. A covered gallery was also at once commenced, from which further mines or counter-mines could lead.

As it was found impossible to continue the work, until the rebels were driven from the outer face of the opposing parapet, another mine was at once begun. This was sprung on the 1st of July. The result was the demolition of an entire redan, leaving only an immense chasm where the rebel work had stood. The greater portion of the earth was thrown towards the national forces, the line of least resistance being in that direction. The rebel interior line, however, was much injured, and many of those manning the works were killed or wounded.¹ But no serious attempt to charge was made, the result of the assaults, on the 25th, having been so inconsiderable.

From this time forward, the engineers were kept constantly and busily employed, mining and countermining on different portions of the line. Demonstrations were made by Johnston, and some of his dispatches were intercepted, from which it was discovered