The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1864-07-02

MA Il Al hlETlA, MA, y uue
Very prenlaturely did ''the gentleman
Just from the front Of our army in Georgia"
announce to the Agent of the Associated
Press in Louisville. that the rebels had ire
tired across the Chattahoochee." Were
that gentleman here this morning he
would dislike very much to undertake
journey to the northern bank of that ia
nous stream.
In truth the gentleman must have been
decidedly given to fiction. Either he was
not from the front, at all, and consequently
knew nothing about the facts, or he mis-
represented what he did know. On Satur-
day, the 18th day of June, this army took
up position around Kenesaw Mountain
around Kenesaw it has ever since re-
manned, and around Kenesaw it lies this
morning, without the slightest prospect Of
reaching the Chattahoochee, except by
passing through and over Joe Johnston's
army. believe it could do that; but after
the thing was ended, there would no Occa-
sion to halt upon the northern or north
eastern bank Of the Chattahoochee, for
the rebels would in all probability be in no
condition to resist our passage to the other
side.
Since the battle Of the 18th inst, in which
Hooker's men were 80 severely engaged,
we have had no fighting, save diminishing
on the most extended scale. But our
skirmishing is Of kind fearfully destruc-
tive to human life; and when continued
from day TO day, as this is being continued,
wastes the energies Of an army as much as
a terrible battle.
The enemy seems to have marked .out
this whole country from the Allatoona
Mountains to the Chattahoochee with line
after line of rifle pits and intrenchments
and Notifications. No sooner do we take
possession of one formidable line of works,
than another confronts us and each seems
to be stronger than the preceding.
All day on the 10th we skirmished inces-
sanity with the rebels, establishing no adj
vance anywhere. On the 18th we advanc-
ed everywhere, chasing the enemy from
long lines of secondary works, and fore
ing him back on what we fondly hoped
were his last intrenchments this side of the
ChattahOochee.
Perhaps / should say we advanced eve
rywhere except upon the center of our
line. That portion of it composed of parts
Of the 18th (Palmer's) and 10th (Dodge's)
corps, were in manner stationery, rep
resenting the hub Of a wheel, of which the
two wings were spokes. OF course, the
further any portion of the spokes were
from the hub, the further and more rapid
ly they were obliged to move.
On the 18th, our right Hooker and Scho-
field gradually forced their way until
they had established themselves in such a
position as seriously to threaten the ene-
my's left, while Howard and Palmer had
come up so close to the intrenchments that
the rebels could not throw out skirmish-
ers at all, but fired at our pickets from be-
hind their principal works. Ali day long
the incessant rattle OF musketry and the
scarcely intermitted roar Of artillery, con-
tinued. We lost heavily; for in many
places we were constructing opposing
works under the fiercest fire especially
from the enemy's sharpshooters; but from
the extreme left to the extreme right we
had driven in the rebel skirmishers, had
killed and wounded many of them, and
had captured several hundred prisoners.
To describe the operations Of particular
regiments, the acts of individual bravery,
and the sufferings and hardships of the ar
my during those days would require a
volume.
When morning dawned, the enemy had
gone; and as rode along his works an
hour or two after daylight, could not
avoid the reflection that we had at last
learned him, spite Of his dullness and lazi-
ness, to construct lines of intrenchments
good as our own. / had much admired
the strength and beauty of his fortifcations
at Resaca, but here were decidedly the
best field works had ever seen.
Deserters and stragglers differed in their
accounts rs to the whereabouts Of the enc
my. Some said land this was what we
wished to believe) that there would be no
further stand on this side Of the river. A
peculiarly intelligent prisoner told me land
at once believed 1t was too true) that the
rebels had fallen back, partly because we
were threatening their tanks uncomfort-
ably, partly for the purpose of Strengthen
ing and shortening their lines, and that a
mile and a half further on we should find
them again.
A company sent out from each brigade
soon came in contact with them, and our
apparently endless round OF diminishing
and struggling recommended. Schofield
and Hooker had now worked their way
beyond the line of hills which connect Ke-
nesaw and Lost Mountain; had forced the
rebels to relinquish the latter entirely; had
proceeded painfully through the interven-
ing forests of oak and pine, had swung en-
tirely around to the road that runs directly
west from Marietta to Dallas; and had
brought up against considerable stream
of water called Noses Creek.
Howard ran diagonally across the hill,
just to the southwest OF Kenesaw Palmer
was squarely against the western face of
KenesaM itself, while our left wing stretch-