The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1864-07-09

n1haPmonso APny-Full Details u
the Assault 0f the 37tA.
WHAT WAS INTENDED BY THE ASSAULT.
Sherman's operations in Georgia, Allan
taward have Just been marked by one of
those desperate assaults upon the enemy in
On intrenched position, which have been
tried 20 Orion by both armies, and With such
uniform bad success. This one was short,
sharp and bitter, and 20 far - the objects
- b attained were concerned, an unbro4
ken lAilureso Ten brigades formed into
stcrming columns. assaulted and were re-
pulsed, leaving two thousand men Aors q.
% their works, close at hard, occupied II
~ morning; the majority retired but .
short distanee aud fUftilled . line In adj
vance Of al otheFs.i Alldlsplayed supreme
eallantry and shrugged amer struggling
was hopeless, and then accepted nilure, %
al good soldiers do, without loss % oeter-
mination or Cheerfulneeo. .,g.a
The assault Of the 9th was intended 70
cripple johnston beyond the nope OF To-
covery. and his complete destruction, II II
succeeded. wus mot impossible. II the -.
sault madss By the 4th and 18th corps naa
euoceeded. the troops comparing the center
Of the enemy at Kinesaw Mountain would
have been cut OF from retreat; ana posi-
ton obtninell In the midst OF the reOel lines
must have wrought coniuslon among
them, aud enforced . retreat which Wig
oroue uureuit would have rendered. IN
overwhelming disaster. If Logan's brig.
adee had carried Little KinesaW, the pre-
cipitate withdrawal Of Johnston beyond
the Chattahoochee was equally well as
sured; for, from that knob, Marietta and
miles Of the rebel entrenchments would be
at the mercy Of our guns. Such could be
II result Of . successful assault; andI FAM
~. few men Of military propensities will
jony that the game was worth the candle.
( THE SITUATION BEFORE TEE FIoHT.
!. Our army was very completely disposed
o1ong the rebel lines and in such plain
NV from thu towering KinesaW, that I
h8ve . higher regard for the discipline Of
- rebel eunners siAcs they reffafned for
e na1y day. nom tearing e the to mp 2,
spite Of orders, firing every round they
could lay hands on. For two or three days,
however, preceding theassault, they opened
tom the crest Of the mountain with eight
guns, hurting grape and shrapn<l in the
valley below Alled with our army and it,
material. %s
Quiet, pastoral Kinesaw wastransformed
into volcano, the smoke drifting up in q
pearl gray, pendulous volume, and break
ing into graceful gxrlands as it ascended
like the clouds from the lips of q dreamy
sonorita. Their missiles were not very
damaging, the difficulty lying in the fact
that the guns could not DO depressed suffi-
GENTLY to play upon our troops at the base
of the mountain, while the thousand fields
whitened by our wagons, though painfully
distinct to their vision, were just beyond
the range of their ferruginous bulldogs
Sometimes their guns would suddenly
burst out, after several hours Quietness,
With one startling volley, the thunder Of
the several reports combinedino one. Some
times the lanyards were pulled consecu.
lively, and the throbbinS vibrations smote
the ear at uniform intervals, and The smoke
clouds from the guns floated mp in echeIon.
When the evenings were cloudy the fiery
gleam Of the gums was caught by the pur-
Die nimbus-the drop curtain Of the stars
that hovefed behind the crest, and was
reflected back to our eyes like glare OF
that stealthy, noieeleaD lightning that often
smears the horizon on sultry night.
-. PREPARATIoN. 4 s4ev
The preparations for the assaultwere few
and simple. 6herman'S army h an instru-
ment always tuned fox battle. Theenemy
has found It %, for there Is always method
i its discord when they fret the strings,
I'd it, leaders never strike up . heroic
march without drawing forth an eloquent
Nspouse. Now, however, Z rafting bra
vufa was to b played which would not on
n test ito capacity for brilliant dynamics,
but the tenacity Of the strings themselves.
When generals transport but single tent,
erm; whom, In short, m army moves with
such few encumbrances % that of Sher-
man, home 10 Just where It chances to halt,
and nothing in the line OF duty can take IL
By surprise, or occasion any delay between
. To delivery Of the order and It's execu-
During the low days Of almost tacit truce
that preceded the 9Th, the strength Of the
sasmy's works. their general ccndgura-
strongly hold, were carefully noted and
weighed. The points selected for assault
\ vs5o practicable, and were vitality impor-
I tant y Johnslonss safety north Of the Chat
tahopcAio. Il Wa decided to assault the
1sbel right and lAft centre, and at the Same
hne ~ hls wings strongly, without. how.
ss rsscrtanE . .tcImins columns an,,.a IN the
70 furnish 1our brigades TO carry Little
Kinssaw, which he selected from his d.
yd0os, and placed under the command 81
en-. Morgan L. Smith, NeWtOn's division
e. tho l&h CORPS, waS chosen to assault q
h6ge on on Tia enemy's len centre, and q
lAoFt distance further TO the LETT, salient
q Tie snemy's line was chosen, which Da-
iv ~ should carry. Accordinsly. Sunday e
! port, left their position At the base Of Big
Nnesaw, and moved to the right Of the 4th
eorpas cloaing mp O1sesly on Its right flank.
.1eMne - AlAcf AngeoeFat extsn1tc0. OF
0sHng % ting right Z0very corps movon0
1ore or less troops ins1hat dirseeieh.
= LOGAHs sAssAULT.iA
Ne The 18th corps furnished for tho assault
- brigades Of General Giles Smith, Gen.
,6al Lightburn, Colonel Walc>tt. and de-
hchments commanded by General G. r.
Wood, from the three brisaeles Of Ostsr.
lans' division. Lghtburn M sslected r
AiEh to charge II directly il front; Wal.
AsQat to reach The. top through The narrow
oprge that divides Little from Big aKene.
Nv, and General Wood to act ~ an {mme-
!6ts support fAt eight o'clock, the h6ul
a;eaienased for the assauk, the brigadea
luAhed boldly out from their trenches
,nrnAed ID four lines, and in splendid or.
e; and At qpick STEP. pushed boldly
award the enemy's works. In momen
enfskirmishers enea9ed those OF the enc
n y, but WITHOUT psusing save to kill thosl
Who refused to surrender land there werl
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