The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1862-05-17

FROM OUR YORKTOWN CORRES-
PONDEAT.

a capt Bowers our Potomac Army CORE,
pendent, sends to his sister, Mrs. De Wolf {
this city, the following extract from his diar,
r which she has kindly furnished, thinking
g would be OF interest to our readers. We ar
under obligations for an opportunity to Ia,
! 1t before our readers, who will, we doubt not
, peruse it with interest:
3 EXTRACTS FROM DIARY.
May Spent the morning in attending L
: othciai duties. After lunch rode out with th(
general to our trenches, which extend acros,
the open plain lying in front Of Yorktown
on approaching the trenches wc were com.
pei'ed 10 disinount aud lead our horses along
the edge Of the woods that skirt the plain az
, the plain itself was continually rukei by the
enemy's balls When near the trenches we
lett our horses in the woods, passed quickly
over a ridge exposed to shell, and entered the
! first parallel. Here we found several thOu..
and Of our troops buSily engaged in throwing
up earthworks, and about rs many resting on
their arms-thc guard Of the trenches. We
had passed along but short distance, when
the sentry On the ramparts suddenly cried
down and IN an instant officers and men
shoycIs and picks, were piled pr0miscuousIy
at the bottom Of the trench, two Or three desp,
ana ut the same moment the whistle of n RI.
hcd shell is heard above our heads. lIuyiny
craWied out OF n pile Of picks and privates we
again started, but had not gone ten steps, be.
fore the warning cry Of down" wa. AMIN
! heard, and again there was = general c",n'
glomcraton OF humanity at the bottom Of the
rahPartS' Before entering the trenches the
general had told me that 1t was perfectly in
! Ir ,l..rt .. Il "a ii
was heard, and most religiously did observe
ms directions. Sometimes the shell passed
clean over the works, and burst in the plain
beyond sometimes it struck the too of the
parapet, covering the men below with earth,
bounded of and burst in the open air again
they would strike the ramparts with duh,
heavy thui" and bury thcmseIve. m tLo
earth, and still again they burst in their ran.
I'd Hight directly over the trenches and
those were the fellows that dad the mischief
by tins time matters were getting more ex.
citing than agreeable and | was not sorry
wheh reached the other end Of the line. -
Here we obtained fine view of Yorktown
ana Gloucester Point aud their deiences. Be.
yohd our parallels. stretched the rifle pits for .
sharp shooters Here Bcrdan'. regiment law
with their telescope rifles resting on the crest
he be 50 indscrcet A. to show himself As,er
taking an accurate survey of matter. we e.
traced our steps, and this time the iripo ,vos
worse than before. drew lnng hr,s,I, ~
satisfaction when we wer, well "nt ~ Thai
line Of fire.
May >. Spent the day in comn Tho c,o.
my kept up heavy friu. tLrourhort tho S",,
One Of their .L.IIs 7loI III; Wv N"y
not Il hundred wards from NV tcnt 0"n -
our men brought in heavy nicco weicI,ina
fifteen pounds. II now lies on NV ,,IIn a..
write, bearing the following in:cr;n,;on
Piece Of a She'll fired from Pho reLnI La,.o.
les at Yorktown into the camn Of tho Fn,;n
Ger Brigade, range - milesIMovo ISE5r
est occurred. '"'''
May t.. Sunday, Yorktown evacuated,
Three times three with n will, IIurrah
h i,,i ,; ''"' an ''''
.il, ,",',,aI ,"'S w '!'o morning OF the
,or a''I''u ~ So",c business when an OH
al - ; wy "''I .",o' 'oF%'oWh Is cyacuat'
,', ,.i ''''l'eI'"'cly ran 10 The general stent.
H. ~ anu '"7n'a up 70 our lookout, in
aI,, ~ W 'uEc pine Tree, to which we
o,l',-. y a n"uuer ~ ,eet long ana suro
$500, ''''.J was our nag h3ating above the
;"I. n. ,, ""u our iut'coa'ed fellows swarm
I"s "'.' '"e"' ny shou'nhds. Directly our
an "d.a '.'''o W VIA '"llliho'oh, ana We
f'r VarI,.,,. ''' ''"n'"E over 'he country
,lo n,,I WI "oor TWO exploited IN
dn,,', '', a. W. '"ue "lo"s' "hi'ii sobercd us
t;,"ai, T Il''', 'n' we We, 'rav'lea more eau
Loar,io,, ~ I"P''' WIZ 'cil you "hat we
81 yIri,',., "''"' We "a" III the ancient burg
Nav T,,1 ,l,o,.,.