The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1864-05-28

p All along the road to Snake Creek Gan
l found the country deserted, as usual
when our army first passes Ithrough; an.
the members Of the only family I saw II
the entire fifteen miles ride to Snake Creel
zap, gave me In answer to my question
"where are the people gone ?" the invaria
ble answer, 'down below - meaning. o
course, further South. The head OF thi.
family was villainous looking fellow
with rebel, rebel, depicted in unmistaka
BILE lineaments all over his countenance.-
1t is very silly for any Of the people to rur
away from their homes on the approach o
the Union army, bat could not avoid
from pure impudence. II dent see," said
he to me, "what all you folks are going te
do down thar. reckon If all that have
passed here in the last two days are thar
now, they must be piled on one another!'
II reckon" said /, . little nettled, THAT
when they get ready they'll 90 through the
Gap to the other side" s'If they dothey'l
could not prevent smile as found nav.
self unable to add anything more.
l passed on through the famous gap
which IL some four or five miles in length
and found the idea ofthe rebel citizen al.
most realized. Infantry, cavalry and ar.
tillery covered the earth wherever the eye
was directed: The gap throughout its
whole extent literally swarmed with living
men. 1t called forcibly to my mind the
mighty hosts of which we read in ancient
history, sacred ana profane. AS passed
on. the immense masses everywhere con.
fronted me. Surely no nObler body of men,
in all that constitutes genuine nobility,
was ever collected together upon this con-
tinent. Here was force much larger than
that with which Napoleon, when a mere
boy, won a score Ofpitched battles, destroy
nj tn
ly, and sent the Austrian eagles screaming
with terror back over the Noric ps. The
pride, the flower, the chivalry, the strength
of the whole vast West was here. In able
hands how effective it might be made for
the suppression oftreason and the advance
nent of our glorious cause! Was il in
such hands? The ardent enthusiast might
answer unhestatingly in the affirmative
the thoughtful patriot could only hope and
pray.
All this day the army was employed in
coming through the gap, and getting into
position on the eastern side. Strange that
the enemy never once attempted to inter-
fere with our arrangements! Had he
thrown himself, With determined valor,
upon the heads Of eur columns as they
were debouching into the plain. he might
nave inflicted upon us a heavy loss, and
given us a world of trouble. But he was
busy strengthening his de.enses at Resaca.
All Ihe operations OF our army were COW
cred with consummate skill by the caval-
ry, and it may be the enemy did not even
know our infantry was through the gap,
until q corps or two was in line OF battle
upon the eastern side.
Early on the morning of Friday. the 18th
May, preparations were made 10 advan ce
toward Resaca. Gen. Fitzpatrick galioped
forth to beat up the enerny's pickets. w hile
he and members OF his staff were in ad-
vance of his men, ha fell into an ambus-
cade laid Ivy y small party OF the enemy
and received painful, although not dam
gerous wound. Both he and his staff es
capped with some difficulty from the rebels.
The command Of Gen. kilpatriok's divi-
sion now devolved upon Col. Murray, Sd
Kentucky cavalry, heretofore command
ing a brigade in the division. 1t could not
have fallen into better hands, for Colonel
Murray is young man who, truly as any
with whom | am acquainted, represents
the chivalry of kentucky. The command
Col. Atkins, sd Illinois, and this, too, was
fortunate; for the army contains no better
man than he. The cavalry operations
were conducted to general satisfaction all
through the day.
At l O'Clock p. M, news arrived that
Gen. Howard had passed through Buzzard
Rooet Gap, and entered Dalton, finding
"
Shortly after the announcement of this in
telligence, Osterhaus' and Harrow's divi-
sions Of the 18th Corps, Logan's, began to
advance toward Resaca. The rebels re-
treated rapidly until they came to point
where the Sugar Valley road, which 90 far
runs nearly south, bends suddenly round
some steep hills to the east, and passing
through ravine between two hills, con-
tinues its course to Resaca. Here . heavy
r Dk Y n m M
enemy opened . battery Of II Founders
upon eur troops, and shelled them most
viciously. Our own batteries replied with
spirit and effect, and charge being sound
ed, . part Of Osterhaus' division rushed
forward and carried the hill upon which
the rebel battery had been planted. The
works, and this initial success encouraged
our men greatly. 1t exasperated the reb-
els, however; for, concentrating the fire
from . dozen cannon upon the summit Of
the hill, they hurled round shot and shell
upon IL 20 furiously, that it seemed imp0s-
sible anything could continue there alive.
But Foslkner's and De 0ress' batteries
were not to be intimidated, any more
which occupied the hill. The former re.
turned fire for fire, and the latter, crouch
ing close 70 the side Of the eminence, held
fast to their position. The firing ct last
ceased; and just a. the sun was about to
70 down, Sherman, Thomas, Elliott and
other generals came up to the summit of
the hight, and through their glasses view
ed long and attentively the rebel works
around Resaca. #i 2n afeus gHi
The sun had not risen on the morning Of
the 14tb, Saturday, whom the skirmishing
re.commence and until 2 r. n. there was
not q single minute ih which the dropping
soupd of.muskstry could not have been
heard. II was half past II, perhaps, when
the rebels opened q severe fire of both
small arms and artillery upon the left Of
the 18th Corps. At the same time the
noise of battle could be distinctly heard
away to the left. This last was readily un-
derstood. s9s@
After entering Dalton the day before, and
finding nothing there save ruined and de-
serted town, Howard, with Wood and
Stanley's divisions, had moved rapidly
to effect junction with the re-
mainder of the army. The rebels were
making feeble effort to prevent this, and
hence the firing upon the left. BY noon
the pickets of Howard communicated with
those of Schofiela, or rather with Newton's
of his own corps, which had
marched down the western side OF Rocky