The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1863-08-15

SIDES deep In water. The rain stops and
We are ordered to advance. On we go up
the hill, expecting every moment to receive
avoliey from the rebels, who were lying be-
hind the fence when the rain commenced.
Crack! goes q gun and down goes rebel
horse, and Mr.. Reb. thinks it is too warm
country and leaves. We advance up the
hill, no rebels show themselves over the
fence, they have just left and their tracks
are thick and made since the rain. On we
go through the corn, down one hill, up an
other, as we come over the ridge of the hill
about 40 rebels cavalry We're lust going
ever the next, in less than second dozen
Minnie rifles crack, and how they Jump.
You have perhaps seen hawk dart down
into flock of pigeons, and know what
CONSERVATION it creates. But that does not
begin to compare with the rapidity with
which the rebs got out of sight that time.
We follow them up and in less than an
hour are in Brandon, and the rebels about
half mile out of town, we wait till the re-
serve comes up, and then give them a shell
from the Howitzer, and away they go. We
have accomplished what we want to, and
encamp for the night. / then had time to
learn who had been the unfortunate one
that day: John Duncan Charles, I'd Sargt
was killed, a cannon ball struck him Just
at the thigh taking off the whole leg, just
left it hanging by the skin on one side.-
The next day we marched upon the Rail
road, tore up the track for several miles,
burned the ties and depot and returned to
Jackson that evening: Last night the citi-
zens Of Jackson held meeting and re-
quested Gen. Sherman to hold possession
ofthe place and protect them till the gov
eminent was established. Hetold them he
knew what Lincoln's policy was and moth
ing but a full return and steadfast allegi-
ance to the government would be of any
use, and that nothing else would do. I
think 1t is the intention to evacuate Jack
son. We have orders to march tomorrow,
and our line of defence next will be the
Blackwater. We are to lay in camp till
the LIST Of October. hope they will let us
have some furloughs, for if ever men earn
ed furlonghs we have this summer. have
been enjoying good health, better than at
any time since / came out of prison. Oh!
1 forgot to tell you that we captured a re-
bel mail at Brandon. There were,many let
tiers from friends to soldiers, all seem to
feel very gloomy, and to think the rebel
lion is tottering upon its last legs. One
from young lady to her brother in Jack
son, dated the 18th, written from Brandon:
she said there were one thousand cavalry
there guarding the place, and they were
expecting the Yankee cavalry would be in
upon them every day. We were there the
10Th. She said all the paroled men from
Vicksburg and Port Hudson had got home
and that they had been ordered into pa
rolled camp at Meriden. The soldiers want
ed to go upon the cars from Brandon, but
they would not allow it, and so the men
swore they would not go atall, and that they
would go home, and home they went. This
statement was corroboratedb by the sick and
wounded in Jackson. She said the whole
amount of paroled men from Vicksburg
and Port Hudson were 35, $50.
Mississippi is full of paroled men, you
will find them at nearly every house, some
of them are gritty, but the most of them
are sick and tired of the war. I forgot to
tell you that the cavalry with which we
had to skirmish with was Jackson's and
there were about 5000 of them.
Henry Morris who was wounded while
on picket duty, died day before yesterday.
These are the ..only two men we have lost
during this campaign. We have been al
most miraculously Fortunate, for which /
hope we are truly thankful.
Co. H. 8TH Iowa INFANTRY,