The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1861-05-11
AaAMR OF RRAGG.

Probably Fort Pickens will not be 20 fAvorite
. theme hereafter with Southern journalists;
for the accounts Of tina reinforcement Of the post
which We have published demonstrate very clear
" that the General in command OF the forces
which have SO long surrounded 1t has thus Tar
done little more thai, plays great but unsuc-
cessiul game OF Bragg.
F,rst we were told that Fort McRae comman-
ded the harbor of Pensacola, and that no vessel
could enter without its leave. Soon after We
learned that this post was in an unpleasant
proximity TO the Columbiads Of Fort Pickens
and that the guns which had been mounted
there were tranterred to certain sand batteries
where the rebels could work them with less risk
to their lives. Then came information that the
Wyandotte, had been forbidden to come inside
the harbor; but she set these prohibitions at
defiance, and the fatal period for opening fire
from the rebel batteries was postponed until
the attempt should be made to throw reinforce
ments into the fort. 1t appears now that the
Brooklyn transferred to Lieut. Slemmsr's COM
mand all the mel she could spare at least twelve
days before the Atlantic anchored off Santa Ro-
sa Island, and that she did not accomplish this
stealthily, as the traitors tried to persuade US,
but by sailing up to the dock of the fort in
broad daylight.
In fact, the only startling achievement which
the confederate troops at Pensacola have to
boast over, thus far, has been the discharge of 6
salute in honor Of the secession Of Virginia, anG
we are greatly mistaken if JEFF. Davis does moi
soon arrive at the conclusion that this glory hal
been purchased rather dearly, and order his ST,
thousand men to some more promising field o
operations Besides this notable achievement
however, 40 unsuccessful attempt to get posses
| sion of the fort should be put on record. While
it had but eighty men within its walls, Genera
/ D.. br;tx he scais In
assigned to duty on the night Of April H.
Promises of money and Of place won them owe
to the plot and had it not been for the reinforce
ments from the Brooklyn, which we're happil,
thrown into the fort on the day proceeding, five
hundred men, picked from six thousand repre-
| sentatives of Southern chivalry behind the bat
terics along Pensacola bay would have butcher
ed the feeble and surprised garrison of Picken
| in cold blood The Illustration Of this charac
i teristic plot, a correspondent OF the Mobile lie
| gister wrote, was attributable to the ueacher
Of Captain Adams, then in command Of the o
8. vessels, an old friend of Gen. Bragg, in whom
he "placed the utmost confidence"
Letter writers who give Ii: the south.side view
of affairs at this important point acknowledg
freely that Gen. Bragg's game is about ''playe,
out" and say that this distinguished and hu
name officer now places more reliance on mos
I
mortars and coumbiads. to drive the Unitet
States forces from Santa Rosa Island. We sup
pose that the Commanding general" means t.
| withdraw his forces and leave the work to thes
| worthy allies of his.
i When he sets ont on his retreat he will realiz
how much easier it to accomplish an entrance
into than an exit from trap. Pensacola is no
easy of access from the interior, and the troop
who have made their way thither by that rout,
have had terrible stories to tell of their MARCHES
through Florida swamps. Possibly this and kin
dred circumstances may have had much to d.
with the fact that the number of those reported
as entrenched before Fort Fickens is hardl,
more than three fou this that of those who hav,
left the towns and cities of the Confederate
States for this destination from time to tint
during the last three months. Disease, deser
ton or disaffection of some kind has eer;ainl,
| thinned the ranks of the rebels at Pensacois
much more rapidly than mosquitoes or rattle
snakes ever win those Of the brave fellows nov
| within the walls Of Fort Pickens.
For supplies, too, Gen. Bragg has been largel
dependent upon the indulgence of Lieut.. Stem
mer. 1t is not easier to transport provision
than men through Florida swamps, and, ss
consequence, boats from Mobile and differen
ports on the Gull have brought both to Pensa
cola. While the garrison of Fort Plckens mum
oered but eighty men II wonld nave Deen rasi
policy to precipitate a collision by closing th'
port to Confederate craft; but now that tn
commandant of the post is st. ong in his position
| he may, with the feet at his disposal, tbroE
General Bragg on his own resources more com
pletely than has before been possible.
The adoption of this course will inevitab
put the rebels On short allowance and it woul,
not be at all surprising IL few days shout,
bring US the Intelligence that this formidable
0rmy had disappeared, as did Sennecharibs, il
night Then, unless The ammunition and can
non which are said to have accumulated at Pen
sacola should prove as mystical as the rebe
regiments said to have marched thither, it j
possible that some stolen property may revert t
it's rightful owners. Columbiads and powde
kegs are not just the things which a retreatn
soldier is likely to carry away with him. espe
cially when his line of march is through swamp
i and tom ladn u. N Y Eun Post