where the trouble lies, but
gives the key to the whole matter. Speaking of General Burnside's
command, he says:

"The four divisions of his corps were commanded by Generals
Potter, Wilcox, Ledlie and Ferrero. The last was a colored
division; and Burnside selected it to make the assault.
Meade interfered with this. Burnside then took Ledlie's
division--a worse selection than the first could have been.
* * * * Ledlie, besides being otherwise inefficient, proved
also to possess disqualifications less common among
soldiers."

A correspondent of the New York _Evening Post_ says:

"We have been continually notified for the last fortnight,
that our sappers were mining the enemy's position. As soon
as ready, our division was to storm the works on its
explosion. This rumor had spread so wide we had no faith in
it. On the night of the 29th, we were in a position on the
extreme left. We were drawn in about nine P. M., and marched
to General Burnside's headquarters, and closed in mass by
division, left in front. We there received official notice
that the long-looked-for mine was ready charged, and would
be fired at daylight next morning. The plan of storming was
as follows: One division of white troops was to charge the
works immediately after the explosion, and carry the first
and second lines of rebel intrenchments. Our division was to
follow immediately, and push right into Petersburg, take the
city, and be supported by the remainder of the Ninth and
Twenty-eighth corps. We were up bright and early, ready and
eager for the struggle to commence. I had been wishing for
something of this sort to do for some time, to gain the
respect of the Army of the Potomac. You know their former
prejudices. At thirty minutes after five, the ball opened.
The mine, with some fifty pieces of artillery, went off
almost instantaneously; at the same time, the white troops,
according to the plan, charged the fort, which they carried,
for there was nothing to oppose them; but they did not
succeed in carrying either of the lines of intrenchments.

"We were held in rear until the development of the movement
of the white troops; but, on seeing the disaster which was
about to occur, we pushed in by the flank (for we could go
in in no other way to allow us to get in pos