The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1862-07-12
Interesting Resume Of the recent
Battles.

Interesting Resume Of the recent
Correspondence Of the Cincinnati Commercial
HONE, Saturday July s, 1862.
In the record Of my last seven days with the
army Of the Potomac, some interesting facts
were necessarily omitted and some were not
presented with sufficient dlstinctiveness. Ishall
mingle them together with some additional
particulars and opinions which hope will
enable readers to understand the situation
more perfectly.
Isuggested rather than stated the condition
of affairs at Malvern Hill, on Tuesday July 1st.
Prudential motives restrained me from COM.
hitting all the gloomy facts to Publication
But the records of eastern journals now relieve
me from further embarrassment. I was not
competent to appreciate the reticence of the
government relative to the situation of the
army. Indeed in common with many fellow
citizens felt that the administration had been
guilty of crime, not simply by concealing the
gloomy facts from their constituents, but by
resorting to actual deception in order to inspire
false confidence. believe the people of the
north can not only bear the truth, but they pre-.
fer to confront it, as their noble soldiers have
breastad death for the sake of truth and loyal.
ty. There was wisdom no doubt in attempt
ing to conceal the knowledge of the real con-
diton of the army from the enemy, yet il
seems to me that the course adopted by the
War department was extremely absurd, since
the wounded and others, who were returning,
would be apt to circulate the tidings widely.
The enemy must have been morally satisfied
of the real condition Of things, but from the
fact that they did not pursue their destructive
enterprise to the dreadful climax, justifes tho
inference now that they were too cruelty pun
ished to avail themselves Of advantages in
their favor which were fruits of their own
vehement energy. AS it seems that they gave
our desperate army more than days respite,
it must rejoice all patriotic hearts to know
that they failed to avail themselves of their
golden opportunity, and that it will return no
more forever, if God will vouchsafe little
mite of wisdom to his feeble instruments ct
Washington. sa ag
PREVALENT GLOOM.
| If tie brooding catastrophe has really
passed away it will be easy hereafter to ex-
plain that the situation Of the army of the
Potomac was not so desperate as has been
suggested. But fellow citizens, those who re-
allied the gloom which oppressed all hearts
and minds on that terrible Tuesday, can cite
facts to prove that there was but one other
condition in which the army could have been
more frightful Absolute and irretrievable
ruin menaced us. 1t was believed that the
enemy was massing his forces that day for q
final combined movement, which but for some
unlocked for interposition of Providence, it
was feared would have swept the army of the
Potomac into James river. Preparations were
| by that (then) enfeebled and wasted army to
Goh Enhf of P,tY o6
| hopeless. Our numbers had been fearfully
reduced by sickness. exhaustion and battle
Those who still stood shoulder to shoulder re-
solved to resist until death, exhibiting the
most touching and sublime devotion to their
country, we're unable to retreat further had
there been an open field behind them. But
they were hemmed about with grim destruc-
ton. They hardly enjoyed a justiiable hope
of extrication. 1t seemed that Malvern Hill
was to be our Thermopyla. officers of exalt-
ed rank SO expressed Enthusiastically it
is true, that their sentiments might not reach
the hearts of the devoted soldiers, who had
fought SO grandly, but it required no keen
perceptive powers to discover the agony Of
despair which crushed their brave hearts,
'We will wrap this hill in sheets of flame be-
fore they take Twas heroism and brave
despair in one terrible graphic sentence. Be-
fore our proud flag would have been humbled
there would have been an awful sacrifice of
human life. but it was sadly believed the sac
rifce would soon be made. At Trent's Task
ed our leader what were his hopes for rein
forcements? With looks and gestures of in
describable dependence he replied-'1 cannot
tell. None have been sent. l only know that
l shall live and die with the army of the Poto-
mac" The retrogressive movement had not
then begun, but disaster was looming up in
dreary proportions. At Malvern Hill as at Saw
age Station, White Oak Swamp, and and on the
march, his usually cheerful countenance was
scared with deep lines of care and anxiety
Those nearest him were grave and sorrowful
But why sketch the gloomy picture. Eviden-
ces to fertify the facts already apparent to
the people could be multiplied almost indef-
nitely. Every hour of Tuesday which wore
away without calamity was so much glined
80 much hope, so much prospect of relief,
and Us it verged upon darkness without the
grand movement of the enemy which had been
anticipated with q shudder all day long,
the heavy load upon our hearts seemed little
lighter, 1t is true that supplies are scant, but
the troops did not suffer SO much from want
of food as from general physical prostra.ion.
One nights undisturbed rest would have
changed the conditions altogether. That
was impossible. Those who did not stand in
line of battle were required to dredge in the
trenches, so that there was no respite for any.
Soldiers in the trenches dropped from sheer
WEAKNESS. You can put no finer point upon
the situation. God be thanked for his mercy,
the battle of Monday, and the stupidity or
inability of the enemy on Tuesdays it
now seems proved rainbow of promise to
those who had fought so long for human rights.
DARK HOURS PASSED.
From my knowledge of the situation, cher.
ish strong hope-amounting now to con.
viction-that the darkest hours have passed.
1t was the cruel belief of all on Tuesday that
the enemy was massing his power to close up
on us that day or the next. As they failed to
press upon US then, l feel satisfied that
they lost their golden opportunity. left
Hsrdin's Landing (headquarters) at about Z
o'clock on Tuesday evening. The army was
above that point. The position on which our
last stand would be made when the climax
should arrive was Malvern Hill. There was
some fighting going on, but not a general bat
tie. We had repulsed the enemy in the terri
BILE battle of Monday, but that night our lines