Henry Ward in the VALLEY of DEATH
by
Book Cover & Preview Text
The Union attack stalled and
without new orders the black and white troops panicked and fled back to their
lines. As Ward retreated with the rest of his company, a canister round
exploded near him. He was, thrown into the air and came crashing down into the
bottom of a Union trench. Another shell
exploded nearby, and fragments pierced Ward’s shoulder, as he lay unconscious
and bleeding. Ward was presumed to be
dead, and trampled by several Union soldiers in their retreat from the Crater.
After of the confederate killing
frenzy, General Mahoney permitted Union General Bartlett to surrender the
remnants of his command in the Crater and in the no man’s land surrounding it.
The Union losses were 4,000 killed, missing, or wounded, and the confederates
had 1500 casualties. General Grant was present at the battle, and called it
“the saddest affair I have witnessed in the war”.
The next morning, medics checking
for wounded men in the trenches heard Henry groaning, and asking for water.
They carried him on a litter to the ambulance wagon, and on to the hospital.
Henry was lucky. If he had not made a
noise he would have been buried alive. The mortar barrage killed all of Ward’s
squad except Brown who was assigned in the rear on a sniping mission.
General Lee was acclaimed a hero.
He saved
The board of inquiry that
investigated the incident concluded that Ferraro and Ledile were
negligent. Ledile and Ferraro were both
drinking rum in the surgeons’ bomb shelter during most of the battle. “They failed to direct the attack and follow
the progress of their troops. They didn’t withdraw them when it was evident
that they could not reach their objectives.
Their lack of leadership resulted in the death and injury of over 4,000
Union soldiers. Generals Ledile and Burnside were removed from their commands,
following the inquiry.
Formats
Book Details
About the Book
The Valley of Death is a
historical novel, and tells the story of Private Henry Ward, a 19 year old,
black infantry soldier's combat experiences in the Civil War from 1864 to 1865.
It is based on the military archival records of the author's great grandfather,
who served in the 27th Ohio US Colored Infantry Regiment. Ward fought from the
Wilderness and the Siege of Petersburg, in Virginia to the amphibious landing
at Fort Fisher, and the capture of Wilmington N.C.
The unit ended its' service
during reconstruction, in North Carolina, in September 1865. Ward experienced
the horrors of combat, when he was wounded, and saw his men slaughtered at the
siege of Petersburg, Virginia in the "Battle of the Crater". He
probably developed battle fatigue, but gradually improved by helping other
wounded soldiers as an ambulance driver and medic.
180,000 Black men and women
fought in the Civil War, and are often forgotten by contemporary historians.
This book helps military historians, currently active military personnel,
veterans, and their families remember a few of our country's unsung African American
hero's of the Civil War.
On July 30, 1864 at 4:44 A.M. Lt.
Colonel Henry Pleasants, commander of the 48th Pennsylvania
Volunteers, ordered the dtonation of explosive charges
placed under a confederate gun emplacement guarding Petersburg Virginia. The detonation created a crater measuring 30
feet deep, 170 feet long, and from 60 to 80 feet wide.
The Union was unable to break
through, and the pit rapidly filled with hundreds of dead blue and gray
soldiers. The pit will forever be
remembered as the battle of the Crater, and the Valley of Death.
Private Henry War, C Company, 27th
Ohio United States Colored Infantry, was born on 22
February 1845. He died on July 29, 1920
and served his country bravely during the Civil War. This book is dedicated to his memory and the
memory of all the African American and Native American soldiers that served in
the Union and Confederate Armies during our countries second revolution.
About the Author
The Author is a psychiatrist, and
retired from the US Army as a Colonel with 30 years of service. He was a former
Chief of Psychiatry at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center, and over his career
he has treated numerous war veterans that served in WWII, Korea, Viet Nam,
Desert Storm and in Iraq. Many of these men and women suffered from Post
Traumatic Stress Disorders that were related to their combat service.
Colonel Collins developed an
interest in the Battle of the Crater at Petersburg Virginia, after he learned
that his great grandfather, Private Henry Ward, was wounded there in 1864, and
probably had "nostalgia" or what is now called post- traumatic stress
disorder.