The Iowa transcript. (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1858-1866, 1862-05-29

common rum Wttn CaIlflOu Oia1iS, S'"P@
shot, pig iron, fresh water franks, an.
chors, bolts, shafts, boilers and disabled
guns A heap of anthracite coal, prob.
ably two or three hundred tons, was
still burning at the east end Of tho yard.
All that remained of nine million dol
lars worth of public property lay in an
umdistmguishable mass at our feet, or
under the waters OF Elizabeth River
YORKTOWN.
A few hours ride brought us around
to Yorktown, which consists Of fifteen
houses, all built before the revolution.
They are principally made of glazed
brick imported from England, like the
old church at Norfolk. All the white
inhabitants, (surposing that there were
any, had fed, and l surely don't blame
them for it is impossible to conceive
how anybody could endure existence in
such place. A vile, sandy road, Skin.
ted the edges Of ragged, precip,ious
ravines. finds an nnobstructcd course of
about forty rods i'll straight line, and
then plunges into swamp. The fifteen
houses, one Of which is called court
house, are built on either side OF the
straight line. The rebel Notifications
surrounding the town are immense
earthworks, nearly two miles i'll length,
forming three sides Of a square-the
river forming the fourth. The inside
Of the works is neatly walled up with
turf and sand bags. Everything con-
nectcl with them has the appearance
OF enormous strength, but the guns are
SO defective that the place cannot be
said to have been strong against the
modern improved artillery Of our army.
Several Of these guns bear the date Of
l7G2, and none of them except few
manufactured at the Tredegar works in
Richmond, were Of later date than
1916. The new Tscacgar guns We're
hardly any better than the old ones, for
they were cast in exactly the shape in
which they were mounted for use, in
stead Of being cast as perfect cylinders
and then turned down TO the proper
shape, rs our Dahlyrens and columblads
arc made. OF course they were Liable
70 burst hy reason ofthc unequal coolin.
oi' the light mnzz!c and heavy Lreech
Two # the largest, mounted on the east
front, and III the direction Of our al
vanclng army hal exploded. Solid
shot. grape and canister lay scattered
around the guns il great profasion. The
contrahands told us that the rebels eva
c,,atel this strong position from fear Of
Of the gunboa,s, against which they
would have been almost defcnscless.
This is the only reason apparently why
/ they should have done SO, and vet it
seems strange that they did not con-
slider that circumstance before cxpenl-
ing so much labor there. Yorktown
itself was not worth anybody's Life to
defend.
GENERAL REFLECTIONS.
There is not one of our excursion
party, imagine, who has not returned
with the conviction that the war IS still
far from its end, and that however bril-
liant may be the achievements of our
armies before Corinth and Richmond,
it will still be far from its end. "Con.
Citation does these people no good, bu,
intiicts infinite harm on the few loyal
ones Whoseunfortunatc lot is cast among
them. When the strong arm Of the
Government is Withdrawn they turn
upon these, who have remained true to
their allegiance, with the fury Of wild
beasts.
President Lincoln has annulled Gen.
Hunters Order No. IL. The people Of
Norfolk don't thank him for it. They
hate him as intensely as the human
heart can conceive the passion OF hatred
at all times, and this thing or that thing
makes no particle Of difference with
their sentiment.