The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1864-06-11

tain Captain OF Engineers at army head
quarters, who is, with scarcely an excep-
ton, the hardest worked and most useful
officer in this whole army. It is his bust
ness to ascertain-and he must do it main
ly by personal observation-the topogra-
ply OF every new region the army occu-
pies. He must make surveys, question
contrabands, deserters and prisoners in re-
gard to roads, bridges and fords, draw
maps, and consult, oftener, even, than
corps commanders with the "Major Gen.
eral commanding" In a word, the army
is often dependent upon the Judgment Of
this one Captain. A fortnight ago, at
Spottsylvania, he partly discovered and
partly made y road whereby four miles
were saved in moving troops from right to
left Of the line. That night, amid the dark
ness and rain, he piloted over this road the
I'd and 5th Corps, and the next morning by
attack and surprise we captured 20 guns
of q blind bride path, which fifty pioneers
in two hours time widened and improved
to the capacity of a road fit fit for artillery.
the attack which resulted so successfully
would not have been thought practicable.
Victor Hugo attributes the timely arrival
of Blucher at Waterloo to the happy choice
by subordinate Of the right road, which
battles hinge on apparent trivialities. The
officer / have been talking Of-2 modest
man, who will be startled beyond compo-
sure should he ever see this-is Capt. w.
II. Paine, of the Typographical Engineers.
Which one of the brilliant lecturers who
delight the Winter-night audiences, .of
Northern cities recited, q few years ago, the
apothesis OF "Pluck?" He should have
waited for this war, and for this campaign
Of this war, for better illustration of his
theme. This is the 18th day Of the cam
day has seen more or less
more or less fighting Thirty
thousand wounded have beeu sent back on
honorable turlough, five thousand dead
have been buried in honorable though OBJ
scure graves. Sedgwick and Wadsworth,
and many another, whose memory we cam
not afford to let die, have fallen. Still the
army is lighting it out on this line.''
The roads are strewn with the carcases
Of 5000 horses. Actual marching has worn
out SO 600 pairs of shoes. Two-thirds Of the
than LOG, OOO-have not changed
q garment since they started-have marched
and fought, and slept thirty days and
thirty nights, in heat and dust and rain.
and have not changed a garment. They
are fighting it out on this line.
On the march there are fewer stragglers
now, and fewer grunblers, than thirty DAYS
agO. Rising from the bivOuac at all hours,
resting when they may, perhaps counter
marched over the same ground without
matt or approved purpose, they endure all
patience and pluck, and a
certain easy nonchalence, as astounding as
il is cOmmendable-
Theirs not to reason why,
Theirs bat to do and de-
They propose, with Grant, ITO fight it out
On this line"
The rank and file have pretty good APP
probation of the strategy of the campaign.
They understand that it has been a series
If splendid flank movements, and "flank-
ng' has become the current Joke with
which 10 account for everything, from a
night march to the capture of a sheep or a
zig. A poor fellow, terribly wounded, yes
erday, said he saw the shell coming, "but
hadn't time to flank it." And he enjoyed
lis joke with smile and chuckle, when
lis quick eye had sought and found appre-
:iation among the bystanders. The shell
had thanked" him by taking off AN arm.
Correspondence N. 7. Tribune.