The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1862-06-28
SOUTHERN NEWS.
An Honest Southern Account Of the Bat.
ties near Richmond
Correspondence the Charleston Mercury
The Late Battles Near Richmond.

Ties near 1S1C0mO00s
Correspondence the Charleston Mercury
The Late Battles Near Richmond.
(Prom our own Correspondent
RICHMOND, Monday, June 2.
Battle of Saturday and Sunday-Heroic Courage
of our SoLdiers-Loss Of Offcers-7he Result
of the Victory, Etc.
With regard to the engagement of Saturday
and Sunday, can add little to the accounts
which will have reached you through the city
papers.
It appears that our scouts reported II, 600 of
the enemy on this Size of the Chick ahominy, at
a point between the York River Railroad and the
road, some six or seven miles from
the city, and not very far from the Notifications
opposite Drury's Bluff. The smelling of the
Ctickahominy By the storm, cut off, as vas sup.
posed all chance Of reinforcing these II 900, and
the attack already delayed, was begun, not at
but at 10 or ii O'clock The enemy
was found strongly entrenched, and fully aware
of our approach. His strength had not been
much over-estimated, if we may Judge by the
regiments represented by the prisoners taken.
OF these 10 we're mentioned in the morning pa
pers. There may have been 10000 or 10000
Yankees engaged, bm nothing proves 1t except
losses.
Desperate courage carried entrenchment af-
ter entrenchment, and captured battery after
battery. Late in the evening of Saturday, the
enemy attempted to relieve himself by heavy
flank movement on our left, but this was prompt
ly checked by Whiting, and the day was ended
Early on Sunday morning, the enemy made
terrible attempt to retrieve his losses OF the
previous day /; but he was again driven of, lea
wing his entertainments and encampments, with
the addition of few guns not taken by us the
day before. Thus matters continued until this
morning, when, as usual, we fell back, permit
ting the enemy to re-occupy the entrenchments
from which be had been driven at such fearful
cost.
Our loss Is very heavy, particularly in officers.
Berdan's Sharpshooters did their work well, and
unless something is done to check them, pro-
motions in the Confederate service will be alto.
gether too rapid and certain. Our killed may
not exceed Eve hundred our wounded are near
ly Eve thousand. Gen. Johnston ,cas rounded in
the upper part of the right shoulder, the ball or a
fragment Of shell passing over and 6urying itself
IN the muscles that couer the shoulder blade. In
falling from his horse, t0o ribs pere Fractured
He is. therefore, permanently disabled-at least for
a month or so to come. Lee assumes command
were killed. General Rhodes, and another
Brigadier, whose name cannot recall, we're
wounded. THE number of Colonies, Captains
and Lieutena,,ts killed and ,0ounded, wN not pre-.
tend to estimate. Lieut.. Washington, of john
stons Staff, while delivering an order, rode into
the enemy's lines and was captured.
The fruits of the victory are meagre-some
twenty FIVE pieces of cannon, (only seven.-EDs.
Cox. several stands of colors, and 400 or 500
prisoners at the outside. The enemy's loss, ex-
cept at the entertainments, is not large. Pro-
tected by his earthworks and the dense under
growth into which we drove him, he poured a
decimsting fire into our devoted ranks. This,
without rhodomontade, is the result of the bat
tie. hear that General Johnston says if we
can hold our own to-day, we will be in condi-
ton to give Mcclellan good drubbing. But
we have fallen back.
walked to within mile and half of the
field yesterday morning, and gladly accepted the
offer of friend to ride back behind him. The
scene on the road beggars description. Omni.
buses, wagons, caissons, and other vehicles, we're
stalled and wrecked along the road for miles,
Horsemen found it difficult to traverse the con.
tnuous mud puddles. through which our brave
fellows had marched to the scene of conflict, and
were then marching under terrible sun. told
harder to provision it over these seven miles Of
mud than over the 1000 miles of rail between
this and Manassas. The use of cavalry and a..
tllery was out of the question. Even the by
paths that led from the York River Railroad to
the Williamsburg road were almost impossible,
so Doggy is the ground. Moreover, it is so COW
cred with forests, that general engagement can
not take place, though many predict it to.mor-
row. 1t can hardly be done, even if Mcclellan
were willing to risk it, Late Northern papers,
taken on the field, say that he will make the at
tack at four or five different points, hoping to
carry,the day at the weakest-his columns being
in supporting distance for that purpose.
The report to-day is, that he is concentrating
a large force in the MechaEicsyille road We
are ready for him there, and at all other points.
Our army is large, full of valor, differed by the
best talent; and the siege of Richmond-for
such it will continue to be-wll witness many
desperate sorties. We hope much from the
"counter-irritation" commenced by Jackson
A number of iron-clad gunboats are now not far
from Drury's Bluff, ready to participate in the
assault, whenever made. We hear of Burnside's
landing below Petersburg, and of Beauregard's
retreating thirty five miles from Corinth, but
the news lacks confirmation. .. -
THE city IS one vast hospital Woman's minis.
sufferings of our wounded. HEsxEs.
TIE CHARLESTON MERCURY PREPARING TO run
SENDS ITS HOE PRESS OUT OF THE CITY. -,
From the Charleston Mercury of June It'll.
.. THE CHARLESTON MERCURY.
For the present, this newspaper will be printed
on nalf theet. While we have determined
upon the change with reluctance, we have adopt.
Gu 1t IN view OF existing facts in this neiohhor
hood, as a measure of justice. no less to our
readers than to ourselves. We have purchased
an extra press, from which the Mercury is now
issued, in order to remove our fast Hoes press
teyond the danger Of bombard,neut Its place could
not De supplied 'eittin the Contedraey and IRE are
determined to continue the publication of the Mer.
e,ry at Columb'a e1e's if Charleston is DESTROYED.
Our small press has not the capacity to issue our
large edition Oh double sheets. Hence the tenn.
porary curtailment of the papers dimensions
The Mercury, in the views which it has adyo.
Gated from the time of its establishment, is iden.
titled with the present struggle more closely
perhaps, than any other journal in the South