The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1864-08-13

FF0n the Army Of the Potomac
burg. =
a IN FRONT OF PETERSBURG, VA. ~
Aug. 5, 1884.
EDITOR HAwK-EYE: Since my last let.
ter the monotony Of our situation has beer
broken but once. We undermined rebel
fort, drew . large number Of the forces o.
the enemy away from our front by feint
movement across the river. blew up the
fort, made dash ut the lines of the enemy
through the embrasure, were repulsed with
the loss of several thousand men, and re.
turned to our original position. Consider.
able speculation and argument il INDUCED
in by the correspondents of the press with
the army and the admirers Of certain Gen
erals, as to the cause of our disaster. Each
one having his own version, and each in
sisting had certain course been pursued
and certain conduit avoided, victory would
have been sure and Petersburg ours. /
have been unable to sift from the many
theories, any one that deem correct. The
blowing up OF the mine was q success the
majority of the troops, white and black,
did their duty well, but the enemy met
them with equal heroism and possessed Of
tire. do not think blame attaches to any
one; certainly not to the troops who fell BY
thousands under the guns and into the
hands Of the enemy. / have no patience
with those men who, upon the occasion OF
every defeat announce the cause Of the dis
aster. Either some regiment failed to act
bravely, or some officer, was cowardly
ergy there. 1t is easier to pirate about the
want of courage in officers and the coward.
ice Of troops, far in the rear Of battle and
out Of danger, than it il to give evidence 81
the opposite in the front where death and
destruction, like mad tempest, sweep all
before them. Battles are accidents OF war,
ordinarily unexPected-nevef certain IN
their results. Regiments sometimes act
badly. Some officers are arrAnt towards.
But neither the one nor the other makes or
determines the result Of battles. towards
sometimes save the day. In one Of our
greatest battles an officer high in rank,
when his line was pressed by the enemy,
although ordered to remain and hold 1t at
all hazards, overcome By fear, ordered >
envy rushed into the opening Of our lines,
but the troops rallying on the tanks, ex-
posed them to so murderous fire that they
In return were compelled to fly in confu-
sion, and the same troops that . few mo-
ments before had retired, now pressed for
ward after the broken ranks Of the enemy,
and compelled their whole line to retire In
COuluSlOus 1ndt 0Ct may uSV0 &al0eO U8
the battle. It might have resulted in .
fearful disaster. The officer Afterwards
boasted Of his strategetic move but those
around him knew his strategy was the re-
suit of palenesS around the mouth, and q
trembling In the knees.
Petersburg was, at this last attack to all
appearances at our mercy. We had been
eminently successful in inducing them to
send their best troops across the river, to
resist what they deemed was formidable
advance upon Richmond. Everything ap-
peared propitious. Our troops advanced
calamity to the fearful work assigned them
but the task was too heavy. The colored
regiments suffered severely. Men and Of
ficers fell by the hundred. Our white
troops never fought better, as the thou
sands they left dead and dying and prison
ers we'll attest; and let him who would
give us the cause of our want of success
look somewhere else than the want Of bra
very in our troops or skill in our officers.
Let him learn Of history, that ten thousand
men have achieved victory over four times
their number that the greatest success has
been in q moment turned to disaster, and
that q glorious victory has been wrested
from the havoc and carnage Of . most fear
full defeat. He who guides the destines OF
nations and rules armies, alone knows the
causes that lead to disaster and the occa-
sion Of victory. GEO. b. CoRKH1LL.