Who commanded the U.S. Colored Troops division at the Battle of the Crater?

Edward Ferrero commanded the U.S. Colored Troops division at the Battle of the Crater. Ferrero was a Union brigadier general who led the 4th Division of the IX Corps, a formation largely made up of Black soldiers. The battle took place near Petersburg, Virginia, on July 30, 1864, during the long Union siege of the city.

The division had trained for two weeks to spearhead the assault after Union miners detonated explosives beneath a Confederate fort. Its soldiers were supposed to move around the crater, widen the breach, and seize the Jerusalem Plank Road. However, Major General George Meade ordered Ambrose Burnside to replace them with James Ledlie’s white division shortly before the attack.

Ledlie’s troops became trapped inside the crater, turning it into a deadly bottleneck. Ferrero’s division was eventually sent forward, but by then Confederate forces under William Mahone had organized a counterattack. The assault failed, and Ferrero’s division suffered especially severe losses. Burnside, Ledlie, and Ferrero were later censured for their roles, although Ferrero remained the division’s commander during the battle.