The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1864-05-28
TERMS:
RATES OF CASH ADvERTlslNG


Tho preliminary operations of General
Sherman's campaign are already known
to the public--the massing of Gen. Thom-
as army at Chattanooga; the advance to
RinRgoid, and the passage Of Taylor's
Ridge; the march Of McPherson from
Huntsville, Decatur and other places, to-
ward the great theater Of operations in op-
erations in North Georgia; the descent of
Scho6a1d from East Tennessee to form
part Of tho left Of the grand army-all
Equally well understood are the next
series of movements--the march FROM the
eastern foot Of Taylor's Ridge to the west
ern base of the ChattagOota Mountain the
occupation Of the town of Tunnel Hill by
portion of PaimeF's corps the retreat of
the enemy, after some insignificant skir-
mishing, from the Tunnel Hill range of
eminences the movement of Schofield and
Newton along the east side of Rocky Face,
a part OF ChattagOOta Mountain the as
cent of the northern slope of the ridge by
Harker, until stopped by analmost impass-
able ravine, across which the enemy open.
ed a fierce fire; the splendid achievement
Of Colonel John q. Mitchell, in driving the
rebels from the mouth of Buzzard Roost
Gap taking possession Of three hills at it's
western entrance, thus closing it as effect
ually against the rebels should they at
tempt to asssail our rear through il, as they
had closed it against any direct advance Of
Col. B. F. Scribner across some open fields
to the right Of the Gap, by which he clear
ed everything except the ridge itself OF the
rebel sharpshooters, and then retired with
his troops orderly rs If on parade, although
exposed to plunging fire from six pieces of
artillery on the summit of Rocky Face !;
the brave but unavailing effort of Gen.
Geary to penetrate the enemy strong bar
rier by way; OF Dug Gap. / cannot now
pause to dwell upon any OF these. Here
after, even the hurried correspondent,
grasping at events rs they pass, may find
time and opportunity to notice some Of
them at greater length. efa
But no one of these achievements, nor all
of them combined, had or could put us in
possession of Rocky Face Ridge, the inn
pregnable rampant upon and behind which
the rebels lay. and which we must either
penetrate or turn ere we could ever hope TO
see Dalton. Boldly and abruptly the ridge
NIT with = thick growth of pines,a and
traversed by innumerable ravines. Two
thirds of the way up, the individual seek
ing to ascend is met by q stupendous cliff,
rising perpendicularly to a heighth rang
ing from twenty to sixty feet, according 10
ridge? A line of skirmishers could de-
fend it against a host. Could we hope to
pass through Buzzard RoOst Gap, lined as
it was with rifie-pits aud cannon? Ami
hilation awaited the force that should at.
tempt it. Could Schofield proceed down
the valley, along the east side of the ridge,
and affect an entrance into Dalton in that
way? BY SO doing he would cut himself
of from support by the rest of the army,
and probably be crushed BY the enemy
massing his forces against him. Besides,
before going far upon his way, he would
fensible as that of Buxzard Roost.
All this we had discovered last February,
when Palmer, under the direction Of Thorn
as, reconnOitered that stronghold Of the
enemy; but it is sometimes well TO learn
lesson a second time. Four days we lay
at the foot of Rocky Face, engaged In al
most incessant skirmishing with the enc
my's sharpshooters, effecting little or moth
ing toward the accomplishment Of our
great object, and losing about eight hund-
red men. a# /.
But blow was about being struck in an
other direction. Twelve or fifteen miles
south Of Buzzard Roost IL . long Oblique
Creek Gap, from q small stream which,
running through the cut in southeast di-
rection, finds its way into the Oostenaula
below Resaca. Thither McPhers0n, with
parts of the 18th and 10th Corps, wended
his way, after passing through Ship Gap In
Of Vnlsnow. It was on Monday, the 9Th
Of May, when he reached the western en-
trance Of Snake Creek Gap, and prepared
to wreet Il from the enemy. Singularly
enough, it had been left, both unf0rtified
and unguarded by the rebels; brigade
which was hurried forward to dispute Nc
Pherson's passage, came too late; and ere
the day was closed, that general found him
self in full possession Of this important pass
with scarcely the firing of . gun. On Tues
day, the 10th, Genl Dodge, with two divis-
ions q the 18th Corps, closely supported BY
Gen'l Logan with the l5th, moved from the
mouth Of the gap. past the Sugar Valley
most ofice. drove In some small bodies Of
rebel skirmishen, and actually advancep
to the range Of hills which, in this direc-
lion. overlook Resaca. There were the en-
emy's formidable lines of works in open
view--not 70 strong indeed - they were
afterward made. but formidable, neverthe-
less. even at that time. Had Gen. Dodge
thought best to do so, or had Gen. McPher-
son deemed it prudent, we might then have
occupied these works; for they were defen-
ded By only q couple of the enemy's bri-
gades. The reason we did not then take
possession Of Resaca, is probably because
1t was not at that time determined Oy the
commanding general, to make bis principal
attack upon the enemy's left wing.
portion Of Ho0ker's corps went down
to the gap on the llth, and passed through.
On the morning of the 18th, the l4th Corps,
General Palmer, began its march for the
same locality. Geary's division, OF HOOK,
er's corps preceded; Schofield's corps ana
Newton's division, of Howard's followed:
Stanley relieved Davis at the mouth OF
Buzzard Roost Gap, and Wood shifted
down toward the right to support Stanley.
Howard remained with Wood and Stanley
ready to carry these two divisions into Dali
ton, az soon as the attack upon the rebel
left should compel them to withdraw from
Bu2zard Ro0st. As long as the great move
ment toward Snake Creek Gap was going
on, it was H0ward's business to keep up a
much noise as possible at Buxxard RoOst,
in order to deceive the enemy ~ to what
was taking place, and make him believe ~
long az possible that the assault was to be