The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1862-07-12

BURLINGTON, SATJ
aol, ana the immense trains of wagons move
III osrkness and silence over the sandy and tire
capped old road. BY two o'clock in the morn
ing the irritating and consequently exhaustinI
character OF the march began to tell on the col
.mn. The upsetting of battery forge wago,
~ IN run made halt that promised to be long
we tumbled OF our horses and soon were asleel
| on the ground. II seemed but q minute before
We were all on our feet. A charge like tbun
| oeroois, down the steep roadway, parted ours
ana our escorts horses in the centre, and scat
tered the Dragons into the woods. A span OF
runaways produced the effect of squadron oi
cavalry. The panic subsiding in laughter, the
, oroefiies began to look for the animals which
mao been given them to hold Three were
lciss'ng! among them horse in whom had a
VITAL interest," The search for him was thorough
ana generous-but Behemoth could not have
oeen found in that forest by night. philo-
sopnicsiy arranged in my mind the style and
quantity OF my walking for the rest of the cam.
Pa'gn IN my poor old shoes, and laid down to
sleep again. Before lost myself, new laugh.
ter among the dragons, and a whispered cry of
Here ne is after ALL" called me quickly up and
into the crowd of horses. There was .Bayard"
indeed, at his customary amusement of biting
MS nearest neighbor horse upon the rump I
mounted bin to make sure Of him, and then
pulled out my watch to feel its hands and the
hour OF the highland then, clasping the horse
around the neck, fell forward and went to sleep.
"nen IN motion sgain, good soldier whis-
pered to me, "There is ever risk, you know, of
taxing wrong roads on night marches ard re-.
treats, In strange country"
but every column is provided With guides"
$50 every regiment is provided with commits
saIies, and yet all Of them have at times been
pinched for food"
Listening for distant musketry on our rear,
where Sumner and Heintzelman we're, and lie.
tenisg for cavalry on our flank, ard halting and
marching and sleeping and wsiting-silent the
while as if in funeral proceseion-we walked
and walked till . hill top reached and clearing
to the east enabled Us to see the coming dawn
OF day. Welcome! The clear light came at last
and revealed the principal cause of the most
batting and wearing march ever made. Nearly
every tree on the road was bsrked and torn by
the wagon hubs. The evidences Of the neces.
slty to pry and lift the vehicles back into the
road bed were constant With the sunrise, our
progress was constant. At u the rear of the
division came out of the forest upon the great
clover and wheat field of the Haxall estate-and
upon the high ground which skirted them it was
evident that our artillery was to be placed-and
on to the west the masts Of the iron.clad steam.
ers at anchor in the James river we're visible
We're the banks opposite their guns so high p
Conttfnt their fire sweep the plain? Must it fall
in parabolic curves through the air?
The tents are pitched, the Graded wheat is
brought IN in bundles, and after wretched coffee
and the curse Of hard bread have been again
endured, we fall on the unthrashed STRAW, and
are asleep. But not for long There is
reveille that in war is heard from afar-,he roar
OF light artillery. Our rear guard is engaged
opposite Savage's Station, and Sumner, and
Kearney, and Hooker, and Sickles, bar the pur
suit OF the enemy. What noise is this on the
left. Porter is caught while yet in the woods
Battles are to be forced on US then before we
are in position On the James river! Thursday,
Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and now Monday
troops can endure it? The Rebels will certainly
give us no rest. We have got to fight They
will make US fight. They can afford to make US
fight, for they have three soldiers to our one,
and their conscription law will keep their $50
regiments chock full, slaughter them as we may
And mind me, Northern friends their regiment
fight with desperate courage. They 60 with
orderly Joy upon the L1uzzles of our guns. Nei-
ther French nor British infantry ever charged
field batteries with steadier fury.
The fire from Porter's column grows louder
and louder. Rebel artillery and infantry, dis.
covered about one o'clock, in the afternoon,
secreted near US in the woods, into which they
had marched down from Richmond, drew the
shell firing of the Galena, or her consort. Thrown
high in the air, the immense shells exploded
above the ambush. Of course, they must 20.
But have Sumner, and Heintzelman, and Frank
lin, and Porter, got to fight their way to the
river-fght in the woods, out of sight of the
position on the river which was to be our ark of
safety? If they have, can the change Of base of
the imperied army be accomplished?
Oh, where are the reirforcements that should
equalize this unequal and bloody butchery in that
dark forest?
Farewell! The order is given for the regi.
ments to form in line of battle. Prisoners sent
in byPorter declare that ll6 regiments marched
out of Richmond this morning. S.W.
The Battle OF White Oak swamp.
The Pennsyluania Reserre-Ercellent Behavior Of
the Men Generally.
TURNKEY BRIDGE, JAMES RIVER,
Nine a. m, Tuesday, July 1851.
Another tremendous battle, more terrible
carnage, yesterday. From Wednesday to Mon.
day has this army been fghting-s six days
battle or if you please, forty battles.
Early yesterday morning the enemy appear.
ed in force at White Oak Swamp, the position
we had assumed during the night previous
In this retreat-why hesitate to use that word?
he has not, in single instance, long hesi-
tated to attack-he did not now. By noon the
action commemorative battle Of White Oak
Swamp. Musketry had not ceased when left
the field at lOp m. 1t will scarcely rank in
magnitude with Gaines Hill, and yet we did
not suffer more, at Fair Oaks.
8Itis impossible for me to give circumstan-
tial account of this battle, raging as it did ten
hours, extending along line of q miles and
fought on ground such that not one-tenth Of
the field was in view from any one point Of
vision At least three .fifths of what remains o.
McClellans army was engaged or in imme~
diate reserve. Heintzelman's, Summers and
Franklns corps were thus engaged and por.
tion each of Keyes' sand Portefs. More could
scarcely have been brought into an action had
the fate of the country depended on the one