The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1862-12-20

. shu at three the pontoon train drove down -
+: the water. Lumber was noiselessly n;,aa 70
the ground, and the huge boats slid pfr :. 90
tneir TRUCKS Thee We hear q splashing in ~
rlver-dark pathway lengthens out upon n ,S hs
SILVER surface shadows flt here and there Allow
us track, the iusty blows Of hammers re- cay
from side to side. And yet no sound co eouo
from the enemy "Have they eyacps,s oan me-
place :" ''Are we not to fight here as,s, u, , a.
is asked. Suddenly, Crack crack c,.a,
from hundred muskets, tells us the hs,, =
4 opened. cry Of pain comes I'D the RI. Is
from the gallant engineers, mules dash aa
with pontoons laundering after, acros, ~.
plot; the musketry grows louder and tho ,i:c
OF bullets more frequent; frightened tean.,s,.
i ny, panic stricken, and the artillery bo,s.s
plunge at the 'caissons. Suddenly. hoos'
goes gun-another and another, until ,b;.-
pieces are pouring shot and shell upon the Il:
voted city. Graham, who did SO gIorionslr :.
Antietam; Kirby, with Ricketts, old BulI h."
battery; Miller, Durell, Tyler, Smith. HI.
ard, Kinsey and Dickson, all join in the nv
roar, and musketry is lost to the ear in Il.
mighty roar that re-echoes again and aca;s
from hill to hill. Gradually the FIRE slactsn.
and the engineers again attempt the completon
Of the bridge, but in vain; aud after a ll;,d
trial they fall back, bearing ia their arms tbs;,
wounded, dead and dying.
It was designed to 10y down two bridge, a,
once, one at the lower and the other at the M
per end of the city. The enemy, posted ia n.
houses and cellars, upon the bank of the rive,
were safe from our infantry, and maintained
continuous fire., Our infantry. returned thu
fire spiritedly, but finding it impossible to
drive the rebels from their cover, finally with.
drew, leaving the disposition of the enemy to
our ARTILLERY 2YBT T9H8S 3gr
By this time it was sunrise The engineers
(Fiftieth New York and the Fifty seventh and
Sixty-sixth New York Regiments had suffered
heavily, and the wounded soon began to crowd
the floors of the Lacy House Other ,rspi.
ments had also suffered, though much less
and the surgeons soon had work enough.
About eight o'clock the artillery fire cessed
The fog was so dense that objects were invisi-
Bile one hundred yards from the guns. Fred
ericksburg was as silent as before Again tia
engineers advance, and again the enemy drive
them back; orderlies gallop to the different
batteries with Instructions; message orders
from Aqua special train with solid shot: and
again the thunder breaks out anew. Fors
time the roar is indescribably awful. The citv
from its walls of brick hurls back thousand
echoes, which beat up against the Falmouth
bluff, roll back again beyond the town, and
then from the distant hills once more swell
o7er to- US, as though the heavens were rent
asunder. At General Summers headquarters.
half almile distant, ii became difficult to con-
verse IN low tone, while at the batteries or,
ders must be signalled. By and by the firing
ceases, and one is almost awe-stricken with
the profound silence. The mist still clncs 10
The river, the sun struggles up red and fery
snd the air is suffocatiug with The odor of gun.
powder. Presently the bank of fog begins tn
Mt little, the glistening roofs CLEAN family
through the veil, then the sunbeams scatter
he clouds that intervene, and Fredericksburg.
Utterly desolate, stands out before A huge
column Of dense black smoke towers like !
above the livid flames that lean and
hiss and crackle, licking up the snow apon the
'oofs with lambert tongues and stretching
Ike giant. The guns renew their roar, and
We see the solid shot plunge through the ma,
Masonry az though it were paste board; othe,
buildings are fired, and before shutdown score
i houses are in ashes, while not one seems to
lave escaped the pitiless storm of iron. A
ess number have been fired than was anticips,
ed: but the damage done by solid Shot is ter
ioie' ana VIII require years to repair. Among
ne o., sufferers IS MIR Garland, a loyal refugee,
rho witnessed the bombardment from The
eadquarters of Gen. Sumner, of whose staff
is son is member. The residence Of Mr..
daughter, father of the Mayor, Dr.. Wallace's,
lrs. Hayes, and Undertakes auction and
commission store, are among the building:
urned. An English ensign hung conspicu.
usly from one of the houses, which, fortunate,
Tor the inmates, was less exposed to our fire.
'emaes could be sesn darling through the
treets, negroes carrying furniture from burn.
ng houses, and now, and then {, rebel gliding
rom one hiding place to another. Our aItil-
cry would drive the enemy from their cover
pom the bank OF the river; but v hen compelled
cease, IN order not to endanger the lives of
he regiments, the rebels would Immediately
teal back and pick off our men with the rife
In the meantime our own troops lined the bills \
pom this side as far as the eye could re leh, all
,tensely Watching the operations. ARTILLERY.
ava'ry and infantry, in solid column, covered
very plateau. and every camp in the vicinity
as we'll nigh abandoned in the desire to wit
ess the bombardment number of femaes
ppeared at the windows in the city from time
time, waving white Gags and shouting to US
rat tney wished to come over. As we we're in
le same predicament, the disappointment was
utual, and the affrighted females were left TO
10 undisturbed enjoyment of our sympathy
henever such signals were displayed, howeve,
re buildings were spared by our artlIerists, 90
'st the inmates we're but little less safe thsn >
icy would have been upon this side. ,.,.. .,r b
As night approached il was found that the en-
ny had no idea of yielding to US a free passage
cross the river. With their fscilities for shield
g themselves, our artillery could not perms-
entity dislodge them, aud companies G and G.
the Seventh Michigan Regiment, gallsntH
'lunteered to cross in boats and drive them out =
town. Receiving assent to their proposition,
'ey sprang into a couple OF pontoon boats,
wed briskly across, dashed up into the city ai
'uble quick, broke open the houses, and cap.
red thirty six prisoners, including staff officer
HE gallant act secured to US the opposite side
'til the bridge could be completed, and our
oops are now In possession of the city. ,.l.s
Immediately after taking possession Of the
ace, the enemy opened upon il with ARTILLERY
ON the bills beyond, but withos, effect, and Il
is hour (nine o'clock r. N.Y. everything is per.
city quiet. Not . shot was fred by the rebels y
ON their batteries during the entire day, viii Il
q exception Of . few. shots just at night
'me OF our men suffered from our own guns
'wever, few shells having exploded this siis
sue RIVER. 4fEeg o. byrsas- o. ~ q. .rrT | y