The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1862-03-22

oss square (0eslaea). eesins:staon. sISS ~
: !: 8. sss ..a.a. sss- &
:. 4ss 4ss:.. |. :ss :Ss
:. :. g. :. s5oS
Each additional Square halfth shove price.
P0PULAD idols.
II 10 very apparent that General Mcclellan il
not the great military commander the country
was 90 anxious to believe him last August
Having been exalted to the very pinacle Of pow.
.er without any Sufficient reason, great achieve
ment or known ability, he now goes down with.
out any very great fault. While We justly con-
demn his inaction and are deeply humiliated
at the mismansgement which has permitted the
greatly ovcr.rated rebel army on the Potomac
10 escape unscathed--while we ridcule his re-
views and recollect his sham battles-his refusal
on the one hand to allow the army to 60 into
winter quarters, while on the other he would
not allow it to engage the enemy or make a for
ward movement-we must not forget that he
has organized a magnificent army capable OF
beating down the enemy wherever he may be
found. If General Mcclellan is incapable of
commanding this army, as it is now very clear
he is not, let him be superseded by man who il,
and placed at the head Of Division as was Gen.
Mcdowell Here he might serve the country
pro6tably.
Last August the country had two military
idols In whom they put their trust--they we're
Generals Mcclellan and Fremont We confess
to having believed them then the right men in
the right place. But we expected too much of
both. Wilson's Greek and Lexington we're too
much for Fremont. The Anaconda of General
cimen. The rebel army Of the Potomac, CON-
posed principally Of men in buckram, only forty
or fifty thousand strong, has eluded our strata
getic general, gone away unscathed, leaving his
wooden guns upon his abandoned Notifications.
We may now chase him through Southern
swamps where he will have Southern miasmas
and disease to aid in striking down our brave
troops. Had force been sent long ago, as it
should have been, against Norfolk, we should
have saved the country the disgrace Of recent
events at Hampton Roads, hundreds Of valuable
lives and an immense amount Of property.
General HcClellan's strategy is humbug-
events show that he has bad no plan and lead us
to believe him incapable of any. lie is undoubt.
edly good man, capable of rendering the coun-
try good service, but not in his present position
even Of commander Of the Army of the Poto-
mac, much less in that of Commander-in-C Chief
Of all our Armies.
Il While every heart must feel deeply the
loss Of the thousands Of our gallant soldiers
who are laying down their lives in hospitals and
upon battle fields, yet we cannot but glory in
their heroisn and feel proud that our flag has
so many legions of true men willing to die for
1t. History never recorded deeds Of more be-
roic daring than those which have recently been
enacted upon various battle fields.
The fidelity and bravery of John Davis gun.
ner's mate, on board the steamer Valley City
on the occasion Of the attack on Elizabeth City
in covering with his body an open barrel of gun
powder in magazine, while the flames kindled
BY an exploding shell were burning around him
is an act Of self-sacrifcing courage, the recital
Of which thrills every heart, It is near akin to
the act Of the Dutch officer At the seige of Ant
werp, who hred the magazine and perished in
the explosion.
The account which is brought us Of the naval
engagement at Fortress Monroe, where our
brave sailors, on their wooden-hulks, fought at
such fearful odds against the iron-clad Merrimac,
will impress all readers with the gallantry and
heroism of our tars. We are told that the Mer-
mac lay off at easy point blank range and dis.
charged her broadsides alternately at the Cum
berland and Congress- both helpless, every shot
telling tearfully upon them, while they were un-
able to penetrate the iron plating of their adver-
sary. The Cumberland began to sink. Her
forward magazine was under water, but powder
was still supplied from her after magazine and
the firing kept steadily up by the men who knew
the ship was sinking under them. Amid the
din and horror Of the conflict, the decks slip.
perry with blood and strewn with discovered legs
and arms and chunks Of aesh, the men worked
unremittingly and cheered the flag and the
Union, the wounded joining in. Some of the
men in their eagerness remained in the after ma
gazine passing up ammunition and several were
thus drowned. When the water had reached
the main gun deck it was felt hopeless to con-
tinus the fight longer and the word was given
for each man to save himself as best he could.
After this, Matthew Tenny, whose courage had
been conspicuous throughout the fight, fred his
gun, the one next it being under water. As his
port was left open by the rrcoil Of his gun he
jumped to scramble out, but the water rushed
in with such force that he was washed back and
drowned. While We contemplate the fearful
and needless sacrifice Of life at Fortress Monroe,
the exhibition of courage and heroism such as
this must challenge our admiration and inspire
our confidence in Government and country
thus devotedly loved and served.
But the gallant conduct Of our tars at Fort
ress Monroe is equalled by the small force Of our
regular army at Fort Craig, New Mexico, in a
recent battle with the Texan desperadoes who
had determined to overrun and conquer that ter
ritory and annex it to the G. S. A. We are
told that . force Of picked men charged desper.
stely upon our artillery-the Mexicans run panic
stricken, Of course-but Capt. Plymptons in
fantry stood and fought desperately till half
we're killed. Lieutenants Michler and Stone
we're killed. with MS arblierymen cut down.
bic support either killed wounded or driven from
the aeld, Capt McRae set down calmly upon one
Of his guns, and with revolver in hand, refusing
TO fly or desert bic post, fought to the last and
died the death of hero, the last man by bis
guns. II we are to credit this account, Capt.
HcRAs exhibited on this occasion courage and
devotion never surpassed in any age or country.
Capt Alexander NcRae was graduate of
West Point and . native Of North Carolina,
about thirty years Of age. :, s.,4e ~
a The new tax bill, If adopted as reported.
will levy heavy tax upon the newspapers OF
the country. They are taxed heavily upon the
paper used, upon tslegrsphic dispatches, upon
advertisements and upon aggregate receipts
The tax upon this ONCE viii amount. to q large
ann AZ loss 0no v,nr vo~r-. s,,ro - -.