The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1862-05-24

element. fhousands Of armed men we're
plungtnx onward u pasusitof AyinE enemy
Away Of in the distance there was sound Of
angry tumult, arising from the svamps and
foresta To-d,y, how serene and placid the
scenel Beautiful 6elds asrayed IN living sreea.
= calm, blue Nay aky, fragrant brsexss from the
Sunny South cooling the heated atmosphere,
and the voice Of praise and Of prayer rising
from the midst Of embattled hoste. Bot oil this
10 the calm which presages the dreadful storm.
= The word comes that Gen. Mcclellan
is coming into camp, and there ID grand rush
| to see him.
GEN xcLHLLAn nHaE.
The General paid this army . flying visit,
hating temporarily At Gen. Sedgwicks head.
quarters. The troops greeted him with the
heartiest enthusiasm. I believe commit no
improperly in ststing that am satisfied that
the great battle is almost at hand. Itmay take
place before this 10 printed. The enemy have
evacuated every point connecting with RIGA.
mond, for the purpose of giving battle on the
Chickahominy. Their central point Is at Bot.
tom Bridge and the Chickahomins, on the petit
inter of semicircle formed by the meandering
Of the stream. They are supposed to be pro-
tected from flank attacks BY the creeks and
deep swamps General Mcclellan did not ex-
press an opinion respecting the numbers Of the
enemy, but remarked "they are on the Chicka.
hominy in force" The lowest estimate of their
numbers, by careful commanders, 10 one hundred
| and twenty Eve thousand, but there are sound
reasons for placing the number ct one hundred
and ffty thousand-of whom, perhaps, fifty
thousand are new conscripta. Our vidsttes are
already in close iuxtaposision with their out
posts. Isl i
Yesterday afternoon two Of our gunboats ae.
cended the Pamunky to White House, some
seventeen miles above this camp, and about
seven above and to the right Of New Kent Court
House, at the point, / am informed, where the
Richmond and York River Railway crosses :he
Pamunky.
Gen. Stoneman also advanced to that point
last hight, meeting and driving before him q
considerable force of rebels, killing Eve wound
ing number, aud taking some prisoners, two
of his men being killed and three wounded. =
Our troops have gone forward to-day, and the
whole army is disposed within supporting dis.
lance of the 'front.' This general fact would be
pre-supposed. l state it to calm any apprehen-
sive inquiry that might be made. l may say,
likewise, that the General seems cheerful add
confident, and since tho battle Of Williamsburg,
he relies upon his volunteers 70 obey orders and
emulate their leaders. bae ~
CABALs
infer from certain mysterious expressions
among military men, that somebody blundered
at Williamsburg, but the utterances are 30 ca
balstic that doubt the propriety Of venturing
an opinion. Decision of character and c0nsis
tency of purpose seem 10 have been the def
ciencies Of which complaint is made. am not
competent to decide whether such insinuations
are justi6able or whether they are the utteran-
ces of military cabsls. l sometimes fear that
Old West Point and Young West Psint do not
agree. Az Young West Point has done 20 well,
generally, in this war, my predictions are rather
favorable to them. Yet. would rather not
know so much about military collisions among
| our own officers. While dwell upon this point
the reader will pardon me for submitting that
the Secretary Of War does not appear to be
sustaining Gen. Mcclellan as he ought, other.
wise he would not send exhausted or incompe.
tent Brigadiers to the Commander, when be de.
| serves . more vigorous and better qualified class
of officers. Just here, would also remark that
the special friends of Gen. Mcclellan are striv-
ing to widen the breach between the Secretary
Of War and himself, by representing that it was
the former who subdivided the army into corps
for the purpose of crippling the latter. Now,
think that my authority for saying that this wal
President Lincoln's work is indisputable Yoy
will have observed, probably, that the N. Y. Her
Mcclellan as fdes achate, and to mention tn,
latter and the War Secretary as bitterly antsgo
nistic. Here are wheels within wheels. shal
not be accused of an attempt to widen any
breach or Of putting anybody who does not mer
it praise, but shall be as just as can to al
concerned, no matter who is hurt
BATTLE or WILLIAMSBURG
do not know whether the causualty list a
Williamsburg will be published or not, but
know that our loss was about $500. The rebe
loss was greater. They captured some of GU
pieces, and we recaptured all but four of them
and some of theirs, leaving handsome balance
in our favor, This bloody victory ought to sat
isfy the public that the evacuation of yorktown
was a fortunate event for US, and that the rebel
are not irretrisvably demoralized. The truth i
not always agreeable, but in the long run it /
the best principle.
BATTLE OF YORK RIVER.
There are further developments about the Of
fair of Wednesday last. 1t appears that Gen
Gustavus Smith was in command of the rebels
and that Gen. Whiting led his own brigade
Gen. Joe Johnston was also on the field and hs,
powerful force in reserve. We were not fas
! enough to accomplish all we desired and intend
ed, and our troops made lucky escape. Ha,
! the rebels pushed us. they might have destroye,
an entire division. The risk was too great
however, and they could rot know how far I,
J venture. Readers who have followed my sketch
that it has cost our army at least 5000 BRAY,
men to clear the peninsula. 1t has cost the reb
els more, if that is any satisfaction, beside
stores and hundred pieces of artillery, larg,
and small.
OBSTRUCTION OF THE PAMUNKKY.
Officers of the gunboats report that thirty
five schooners we're sunk in PamuDkey by tn,
rebls to obstruct the transit of our fotilla; bu
they proved inefficient, our boats passing then
as easily as if no distractions had boon planted
If James river is blockaded in a similar manner
the city Of Richmond may be approached b,
boats drawing eight fee: of water.
The popular war maps, including Lloyd's rail
way map, mislead all who refer 20 them for ge
ographical information. In the latter th,
Richmond and York River Railroad is laid south
of the Pamunky, running through the town o
New Kent Court House. The road really rum
north Of the river from West Point to Whit.
House, seven miles beyond Kent G. H., where il
crosses the river The turnpike runs almost due
west from West Point to Richmond, but wheth.
er the army will march on that line is . question
which cannot determine. W.D. B.
FROM NORTH CAROLENA.
A Healthy Reaction.
NEwsERN, N. G., Nay II, 1852.
The climate here this far has been delightful
neither too warm nor too cold. Fewer deaths
by sickness have occurred since our troops have
been in this State than before We came. Oul
troops have been here since January last, and
on the whole, have suffered less by sickness thar
tho troops in Virginia II the remainder of the