Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1862-05-02
The Siege at Yorktown.
THE STATE OF S.-.wHAT
Has BEEN DONE AND WHAT Is
Correspondence Of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
CAMP WINFIELD SCorT, NEAR YORKTOWN,
Tuesday Noon, April %, 1862.
TIE sECEsn SIGNAL CORPS.


Within the last few days seceSh has bee,
furnishing signals similar to ours their off
Ger was a pupil of Major Meyer, Chief of on
corps. The system has been so altered b,
both as to be unintelligiblc to either They
have station at Yorktown, on the bluff clos,
by the church, and can be seen signaling tt
a party on the heights at Gloucester, at dit
ferent times; their flag is white one. with
a strip Of red about foot wide on the quite,
edge, and running parallel with the flag stat
ours is white, with square Of red in the
centre. ...
GENERAL LEE IN COMMAND AT YORKTOWN.
Reliable information received here makes
General Lee i'm command at Yorktown, and
over the whole army "Bul Run Johnson
did not remain, and to the proprietor Of Ar.
lington Heights is now contided the care OF
the rebel army.
THE REBEL EARTH WORKS BEYOND YORKTOWN.
From contrabani VIII, has escaped, we
learn that the rebels have force of near
twenty thousand negroes at work upon the
new line of carthworks about seven miles
from Yorktown, running from one river to
the other. This is to impede the march of
our army on Williamsburg, where they have
large amount of conrnissary stores. Should
1OTkl0Wn allolIlCT SERIES Oi hydrocarbons
arc this side Of Williamsburg.
YORKTOWN sIIELLED By THE "ToBAGo."
About noon yesterday the gunboat Tabogo
ran up to within three miles of Yorktown,
and opened on the town with one Of her 100
pound S-inch Parrot guns. We were sitting
upon the river bank about mile and half
this side CT Yorktown, and could see every
shot fred by her and the replies. The first
fell short and exploded in the air; the next
two fell in the Water near Yorktown the
fourth exploded right over the flag staff in
Yorktown, and was splendid shot, consid
cring there was hazy mist all around, max
iAs It very difficult for them to see such a
distance; the next went over their fort and
exploded in their barricks Immediately there
was hurrying to and fro, their long gun was
run out, fash was seen, pillar of smoke
rose, and whzz went a shell within half a
mile of the Tobago, and was good line shot
There was pause here for few minutes
when both fired at once; sccesh again made
miss of it, and our shell exploded right
over their water battery.
The gunboat now ran down to the mouth
Of the York river and turning around came
up and running half mile nearer than be-
fore, fired again. Her first shell exploded
Will itoiSc III IL oiil vi tiiclt ldll,l
terry; the next two fell short the next fell
within fifty feet of the water battery; the
next two exploded on shore, near their fort :;
two then exploded over their water battery,
which is bomb proof All the loose rebels
were now lying in their rat-holes and disclain-
ed to reply, and the fog growing so thick that
Yorktown was rapidly being enteloped, and
the tide running out rapidly, the gunboat ran
back to the mouth of the river
TIiE POsITtON OF THE REBEL ARMY-A BALLOON
fuRE.
This morning through the kindness of
Captain Mason, Jr., an assistant of the Pro-
fcssor, and the consent of Professor Lowe,
we again took a look down upon Scccsh.-
The main body of their army is encampcd
about two miles and a half to the rear of
York town, and stretches as far up as Will
Harrisburg. The camp fires are burning, and
here and there a large flag is floating over
field dotted with white tents. Mr.. Lumlcy,
the artist Of the Illustrated Meas, made an
ascension, and at a height of a thousand feet
skctchcd the country beneath. Where will
not a correspondent venture to secure an item
Of interest. We often wonder if your readers
have any idea Of the dangers to which your
"Specas" are exposed. while watching the
movements of the "Anaconla" IN this (to us)
dismal scamp.
THE LIBERATION or SLAVES IN THE DISTRICT.
While the freedom loving people Of the
North are rejoicing over the passage of the
bill libcrating the slaves in the District, We
do not see any credit is given to the author
Of the bill. We happen to know that the
bill which passed was drawn by Col. Reyes,
Of McClelans staff. The bill was drawn by
him last winter Col. Reyes is lawyer Of
great legal ability, and is the confidential adj
wiser Of Gen. Mcclellan. He is from Ohio,
and during his practice there, drew up and
secured the passage of the bill libcrating
married women, and giving them right to
the result Of their own labor, and the right
to hold property in their own name. TO be
the author OF two such acts is an honor Of
which any might well be proud.
THE WEATHER AND TIE ROADS.
The weather of today strongly contrasts
with that which we have had for two DAYS
past. Now the snris shining brightly and
the prospect is that before sunset many of
us will be extremely an xious to remove our
winter clothing for that better suited to the
temperature. On Saturday night the rain
commenced pouring in torrents, and up to
this morning continued to do so with but lit
tie interruption. The last forty eight hours
have been trying ones TO the soldiers, who,
in many cases, have returned to their camps
"wet to the skim" without u change of raj
ment, and the rain descending SO fast as to
render it impossible to build FIRE The
feelings of such men, retiring at night to their
shelter tents, in most eases hardly shielding
them from the rain, can better be imagined
than described.
The roads, too, have again been converted
into lakes'of soft mud, since the night in
question, and some days must elapse, should
the present weather continue, before the
teams move over them with any degree of
CELEBRITY. As it is the teams that come into
camp from Ship Point and other localities,
look as though they had been noundering
about in sea of mud for weeks past Wag-
ons are despatched with mud from wheels
to wagon-top; horses are tired and faded,
and transfers are in the worst possible hui
NOR. In fact, all mortalS--:,s mortas will do
find fault with the weather. and the burden
OF our daily prayers is that the weather may
"dry up"
Later from Yorktown