The Burlington weekly hawk-eye., 1862-05-17

The FALL OF NEW ORLIANa-We are at last
authoritatively informed that this largo and
fourishing commercial emporium of the South
has fallen into the hands of the Yankee Van.
dals, who, by means Of gunboats and hay bales,
accomplish on water what they can never do BY
land. We have thus far received very brief
particulars, but they are enough to satisfy us
that the city has been evacuated by our troops,
and is row in possession of the enemy.
The gunboats succeeded in passing the forts,
distant come sixty miles below New Orleans, al
an early hour Thursday morning, before or just
about day dawn. We hear that they we're com.
pletely enveloped in bales Of hay. the bales be-
ing first saturated with water, and thus proving
an efectual barrier to both hot and solid shot.
As soon as it was ascertained that the boats
mad passed the forts, the excitement in the city
naturally became intense, but We are pleased to
hear that General Lowell, who was in command,
possessed complete control over his troops, and
caused all his orders to be promptly executed.
All the government stores we're removed, a.
was also the ammunition. What little cotton
and sugar remained we're destroyed-the former
BY application of the torch, and the latter by
the waters of the Mississippi. All 1.-The bullion in
the banks was secured; and on Friday night,
Gen. Lowell, at the head of bis army, marched
out, carrying al the small arms.
With the enemy's gunboats lying directly in
range the defense Of New Orleans was Of course
out of the question Such batteries as had
been erected were constructed with reference to
the approach of the enemy by the river In re-
gard to the iron.clad steamers about which We
have heard 80 much, and which were SO conf
IDENTIFY relied upon to destroy the piratical craft
OF the enemy, should they succeed in passing
forts, we have many rumors, but nothing entire
ly reliable. 1t is said that the Mississippi was
on the stocks, in an unfinished condition. She
had not been launched, nor had any attemp,
been made to launch her. We have good reason
to believe thatshe was entirely destroyed before
our troops left
The Louisiana, mounting twenty-five guns, il
said to have been sunk by the heavy steel pointed
conical shots of the enemy's guns. 1t is alst
stated that she proved too heavy to be easily
managed Her sides were perpendcular-no
angular like the Virginia-and therefore far les,
capable of resisting the terrible FIRE of the enc
my. Az to the Lady Polk, the Manassas and
other iron-clads which have been at New Or
leans, we know nothing. Rumor assigns then
position near Fort Pillow, where of course
they could not have rendered any service in the
defense of New Orleans.
1t is useless to disguise the fact that the fall Of
New Orleans is a severe blow; but we do no,
consider 1t at all irreparable, ss some faint-heart
ed croakers would endeavor to make us believe,
It Is an utter impossibility to defend any city
after the enemy has reached it with his formi
dable gunboats Our battles with the enemy
nave to be fought in the interior, where we have
always whipped him, and where, by the help oi
700, wo hope to continue to thrash him. East
OF the Mississippi We have country larger than
any upon the European continent, save Russia
and here we can never be subdued. But it will
not do for Spy energy tn he nos rolo vad -. e.,