NP: July 31, 1907 Baltimore Sun: 2nd PA Provisional Heavy Artillery Visits the Crater

SOPO Editor’s Note: This article was transcribed by Jackie Martin.

REUNION AT THE CRATER

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SECOND PENNSYLVANIA ARTILLERY ASSOCIATION MEETS ON BATTLEFIELD.

[Special Dispatch to the Baltimore Sun.]

Petersburg, Va., July 30.—The Second Pennsylvania Heavy Artillery Association arrived here this morning and today, the forty-third anniversary of the battle of the Crater, the association held its annual reunion on the famous battlefield in Prince George county, about two miles from Petersburg.

Members of the association were present from the States of Pennsylvania, Illinois, Michigan, New York and Dakota.  At the Crater memorial services similar to those of the Grand Army of the Republic on Decoration Day were held.  They were conducted by Capt. Christian Gramlich, of Philadelphia, president of the association, assisted by George Ward of Philadelphia, secretary.  The address was made by Col. John L. Grim, of Philadelphia, assistant quartermaster general of the Grand Army of the Republic, Department of Pennsylvania.  Some time was spent at the Crater after the services in searching for bullets and other relics of the war.

The Second Pennsylvania [Provisional Heavy Artillery] regiment went into the fight at the Crater with 780 men and had killed and wounded in that engagement 494 men, including 8 officers.

This afternoon the association drove out to the lines to the right of the City Point railroad, in Prince George county, taking in Fort Steadman [sic, Stedman] and Fort McGilvey [sic, McGilvery].  It was on these grounds that the Second Pennsylvania Heavy Artillery engaged in two of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War.¹  After the surrender of the army of Northern Virginia this artillery was stationed at Petersburg and did provost marshal duty here until January, 1866.  The veterans will leave tomorrow for the Jamestown Exposition.²

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