The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1862-06-07

break the profound stiffness. The tattoo has
beaten and all the soldiers who remain in camp
have retired to their quarters. But all who
have gone forward have to lay upon their arms
al night without tents. and their two days ra-
lions in their haversacks.
Hot work 10 expected in the morning, %
have heard that our heavy seige guns are to be
moved forward to night. Then in comparison,
to.days work will be to that Of tomorrow, as
drop to shower. s
have written hastily after the days work is
over, 90 q to send this by the morning mail. l
shall write again tomorrow.
snsa Yours truly.
H. H. ROBERTS.
An old Rss.l As :s:;. Of IN. Battle Of
In q number Of the Weekly Picayune of the
26 OF April, which has been handed to us by
friend. We find letter dated Corinth, April
9th. written by private in the Washington
Artillery, from which We make the following
extract which shows that there was terrific
fighting in that terrible two days battle
We got orders to fly to another part of the
field and assist regiment to take snother bat-
terry. Away We went, and after ten minutes
firing, that was hushed up. We then went
back to our old position, to stop column that
was advancing They charged on US three
times, and each time were repulsed. During
this whole time there was one continual strom
Of shot, shell and Minnie balls. Our men
were all as pale as death, but stood manfully
at their guns. thought every moment would
be my last. After rest of twenty minutes
We had orders to 60 to another part of the
field where we were in one of the most murder
GUS fires ever seen There was column of in-
fantry advancing to charge Mississippi bat
terry, pouring in o tremendous volley, bat
terry trying to silence the Mississippi battery
at not more than three hundred yards distance.
We went into position and opened fire on
both batteries and infantry, when regiment
of sharp shooters concealedin wood not
more than one hundred and fifty yards off
firing NTH a kind of,clite ponder which makes no
report, began picking of our nqen The Missis-
sippi battery had their horses killed, or wopnd-
ed and their men all killed or wounded, so we
were left to fight the whole, and it is miracu-
lous that three. fourths Of us were not killed.
Men who have been in several battles say they
never saw anything that could begin to equal
it, Heretofore, artillery always fought at a
distance of a mile and half and two miles,
but we were at a speaking distance, point blank
range, and in the iercest part of the fight 1t
ia impossible for me to convey an idea of the
terrible storm that fell among us. don't ex-
aggerate when say that the shot fell like hail.
l verify believe that thousand balls passed
within foot Of me; the air seemed full of
them in every possible place except where |
| stood. In less than three minutes we had
three men killed and twelve wounded. Gen.
Beauregard was standing within fifty PAGES of
| us, with smile upon his face, seemingly un-
conscious of any danger. Near him stood Gen.
Polk. calmly looking on; and with our battery
fire, which We did in such rapid and precise
manner that in twenty minutes the sharpshoot-
ers took to their heels in regular Bull Run
style. The battery was silenced and the in
fantry thrown into confusion.
This twenty minutes seemed to be fully as
many years. 1t appeared TO me was one
minute for this world and the rest for eternity.
We had been fighting for seven hours; tho't
I should faint at my gun for want of water, my
throat was psrcbed, my face as black as gun.
powder could make it, my clothes torn in rib
bous, covered in mud-indeed We were all q
sight to behold. At this place our captain
had his. horse killed under him and was hi,
five times by spent balls. When the enemy
4
followed them at beautiful charge for . mile,
When Yankee battery opened upon them
and after q tremendous cannonade Of twenty
minutes we silcnced that also, making four
batteries we had silenced besides several minor
duties we had performed. We next took IN
q line of march for another part of the field,
| where We were met with salute Of shower
of shells from those enormous mortars of the
Yankee gunboats; 1t had now become dark, SO
it was useless to advance further, and we got
orders to bivsuac in an old corn field in close
proximity to the enemy. Thus ended our
first days fight, which was said by our Gene
rails to be the hardest fought battle that ever
took place on this continent. The enemy had
been driven entirely from their encampments,
losing everyth ng they had Sea le
/ 1t was astonishing to see the amount of can
non, small arms, comissary and quartermasters'
stores and tents we took; there were seventy
five pieces of cannon of the finest kind and all
of heavy calibcr. We were so much exhaust
ed that in fifteen minutes after laying down
we were. asleep, but we're awakened at II
O'Clock by heavy rain, which continued all
night, 90 there was no sleep after for US, as
most of US lost our only blanket in the action,
and were compelled to stand by the fire to keep
| warm. At o'clock next morning we again
received orders to proceed to point where
the enemy we're approaching, they having
been heavily reinforced during the night
Never did hear such an unwelcome order; the
thought Of witnessing such scenes as saw the
day before was perfectly awful to think of -
our brave and noble ones dead and manned,
but passing before the hospital was worse to
me than the battle itself.
| At O'clock We were sgain it action, in q
regular artillery duel, which lasted half an
| k1r~ H. -
AT about 10 o'clock we got orders to march to
the support Of Disadvantages brigrde, which
| was then marching to stop an advance of o
division of the enemy against our center, we
follwing at distance of fifty yards, only sup.
ported in our van by the Crescent Regiment;
We advanced but short distance when there
gss tremendous fire opened upon us, the
Kentucky brigade standing FIRE about ten min
utes, when they ran, leaving us exposed to
| fire five times more terrible than that of the
day before. There Was no whizzing of balls
this time, but one continuous wh;zzing sound
We got orders to give them grape, canister,
shells and spherical case as rapidly as possible,
but there was no use they were too strong
| Is We got orders to timber up and get
away. when the horses to our gun got unman-
agesble. and the FIRE was SO terrific that the
boys, losing al hope of saving their piece ran
ON tue netu, leaving ohiy Joe Vtggnn and my
| self at the gun. who, seeing the folly Of re-
manning longer, with our horses killed, the
enemy within City yards Of us At full charge.
end our ovn support firing into us, were com.
pslled 70 quiz our piece. How under Heaven
" escaped the balls Of the enemy and Of our
own men, j. more than can conceive, We
having to make our way through their lines
whils firing. We found the rest Of our bat
torv on = email hill. about three hundred Yards
in the rear. s.g re-
#**, The enemy continued ch.re-
ing, and our horses being nearly all dead, We
lad TO leave our battery. which the boys did
with tssrs in their eyes. However Z, Louisiana
and Tennessee regiment can up. repulsed the
eaeny and rstook our guns. whom W jumped