Federals blow up a tunnel to break Confederate lines at Petersburg, Virginia 150 years ago this hour (July 30 1864)

1860s, American Civil War


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(Saturday, July 30, 1864, 4:44 a.m. local time; during the Battle of the Crater, part of the American Civil War) — Union forces tried to take Petersburg, Virginia, today by exploding a gunpowder-laden mine shaft that had been dug out beneath Confederate defense lines; the attack failed.