The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1863-07-18

FoRTIFICATIoNS OF NICKSBURG.-A cor
respondent writing from Vicksburg after
the surrender, gives the following descrip-
ton of the defenses:
THE STRENGTH OF THE WORKS.
In the rebel Notifications every one
seems disappointed. Soon after we arrived
here and invested the city, an intelligent
citizen made the remark to me, "You will
undoubtedly take Vicksburg, and when
you go in you will all be disappointed.
He would not give his reasons for the
statement, but from previous conversation
was satisfied it applied to our idea of the
strength Of the works. He said truly-we
are disappointed. There is not that strength
and solidity about them indicated by the
external appearance. Like the waning
Southern COntederacy, the best side is eX-
posed-a bold front and weak reserves.
The general plan of the whole line of
works is ingenious. Nature formed an r-
regular semi-circle line of earthworks. the
ends resting on the Mississippi above and
below Nicksburg-a line higher than the
ground to the front or rear and it only re-
quired the services of a skilliul engineer to
give the proper angles and direction to
simple trenches and redoubts to make a
very formidable barrier to our approach.
The angles and directions were we'll taken.
No party could approach the line any
where without being subjected to fire
from every direction hut at the rear. What
are supposed to be forts OF d formidable
construction, prove to be only strong re-
doubts with ditch short distance to the
rear. The works nowhere show that care
and perfection that our own hastily con-
structed trenches and redoubts do The
rebels universally admit that our lines or
parallels and approaches are very ingeni-
Gus and more generally perfect than their
own. Had we known six weeks ago what
we know now, hardly think the first an
nouncement of the fall of Vicksburg would
have been premature. Many places that
looked quite impossible from our stand
point two days ago, now seem to be only
trenches two or three feet wide and a few
feet deep.
There is no interior line. In two places
only was there any attempt to construct
new line, and these were simple works in
the form of redoubts for two field pieces
They are about forty rods TO the rear of the
line, and were made for the reason that
they ''could not work their cannon in the
front line before Cars DIVISION This is
the admission of a Lieutenant of artillery
to me to-day. All the guns that could be
moved from the river batteries were taken
to the rear. None were left but the heavy
column biads. They intended to hold the
front line, and did so. Not even rifie-pit
can be found behind this.
1t has been often said that "every street
is barricaded and filled with rif!e-pits."-
AT the foot of each street running to the
rear, there is breastwork, facing the wa
ter. These were built to repel any attack
from the rear. These are the only barri-
cades or rifle-pits in the streets OF Vicks-
burg. The rebels have the full limit of
their former line. We have sentineis post
ed along the whole line of works. In all
the paraphernalia of war, there is nothing
so military in appearance as sentinel
walking the parapet of fort or on the top
OF Qualifications. 1t is grand to see SO long
a line of sentries walking the bee line"
while our army sleeps.
TERRIBLE HAIL STORM IN WORTH CoUN
TY.-Mr. p. Cravath writes to Mr.. n. Bur-
dick of this county, that terrible hail
storm took place in Worth county recent
Iy He says the storm was over mile
wide and covered the ground from four to
FIVE inches in depth, with stones from one
to three inches in diameter. Without
speaking of the general damage done he
gives chance for inferring something from
the loss it caused him. "Well, ;" he contin-
ues sit has cleaned me out. / have offer
ed so cents apiece for every head of wheat
The had 40 acres or oats left standing on
my farm. My corn and everything is
mashed into the ground; and my potatoes
ORC In ma StIira txyaptu rods Tram pbpre