The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1864-06-04

In addition to this the assault was made
with much persistence, and was probably
designed simply to develop our actual force
left. During the night, Wright withdrew
Hill did the same, aud the works Of SPOTS.
! yivania ceased to be the object of eithe,
attack or defense. They remain now as
parts of the parallels, that from the Rapi.
dan up to our preseot front, stand rs mon.
uments Of the most desperate campaign in
| history.
THE RACE FOR THE NORTH ANNA.
The two armies once fairly on the march.
their operations belong to the domain OF
strategy, which deals with the movements
of armies out of sight of each other. The
of which 1t was not deemed at all proba-
BILE that Lee would attempt to make a
stand. From the first, however, it was q
matter Of certainty that the enemy would
reach It In advance of us, for, having pos
session OF the telegraph road, he moved on
an interior line.
On Saturday night Hancock bivouacked
at Milford. The 9Th followed the I'd over
the same road until striking Quincy Sta
ton, when it diverged to the right that is,
westward). crossed the Matapony at GUM
ey Bridge, and at 8 p. m, bivouacked near
the old Academy, having made a march of
fifteen miles. The 9Th and 9TH followed
over the same general lines.
The next day Sunday, the I'D the
march was resumed, Warren crossing the
Ia aud striking into the telegraph road.
down which the rear of the columns OF
Longstreet and Ewell had n short time be-
fore disappeared. He had a skirmish with
the enemy's rear guard of cavalry, consist
ing OF Rossiter's brigade, which was re-
pulsed. Hancock, advancing on west
ward from Milford five miles, struck the
telegraph road at Harris Store. Sundays
march brought our army forward All addi
tional fourteen miles, and within a few
miles of the North Anna.
CROSSING THE RIVER.
Resuming the advance on Monday morn
brought the head of our column so near to
the North Anna that operations passed
from the dominion of strategy into the tao
teal question of affecting The passage of
the river, always difficult one when vlg-
orously resisted. That it would be so re-
sisted was natural to suppose, for the rea-
son that il the enemy proposed making a
them TO gain all the time possible in order
To establish himself well in his position,
and also for the reason that the North An.
ia covers the Virginia Central Railroad,
which here runs the general direction Of
the stream, and but from one to three miles
south ofit. Even if Lee should be COM
PEELED to sacrifice this important line of
communication, he would still, it was rea-
sonable to argue, attempt to hold it until
after the detachments that have been in the
Valley should be drawn in. In this antic-
lpatiOn We were not disappointed. Not
only did he contest the passage, but made
one Of his fierCest assaults, with view OF
crushing that portion of our army that had
succeeded in crossing.
n N oh no hoA hoos
advancing brought our columns to the
North Anna, at a point at which the Fred
erlckeburG and Richmond Railroad cross
es that stream. Hancock's column, which
had the left, struck it less than one mile to
the west of the railroad crossing. Warren's
column. which had the right, struck it at
Jericho Ford, about four miles higher.
By an opposite fortune, Warren was able
to effect passage without any resistance,
but was savagely assaulted on the other side,
while Hancock had to fight on the north
side for the passage, but once over, has
thus far found little to bar his progress.
The head Of the column of the 5th Corps,
Grif3n's division leading, reached the
North Anna at p. m. Monday, and with
in ten minutes after his arrival began to
cross. The river at this point is fOrdable,
but has q very rocky bed, with precipitous
banks, and the men had to wade waist
deep. The rebels appear not TO have re-
dected that the passage would be made SO
high p the stream, and hence had no
great force in the immediate vicinity. In
fact, they had no time to bring up much of
q force, as the rear Of Hills corps was ar
irving almost at the same time with the |
head of Warren's column.
Immediately on crossing, Griff1n's divis- |
ion was formed in line Of battle, the I'd bril- |
gade (Sweetzer's g. having the advance, while |
Ayres took position on the left, and Bart |
Int - e~n1I to- s,~ 81 r
the line. Cutters division formed on the |
right of Griffin, and Crawford's Pennsyl- !
vania Reserves on his left
Moving rapidly up across an open space |
of COO or 800 yards. Griffin took position in |
the woods, where the heavy skirmish line |
was soon met. At first the only rebel |
troops in the neighborhood consisted Of
Hills corps, under command of Colonel |
Brown, Of the 18th S. c.; but he was pre- |
sently reinforced by the other three bri. |
gades of Wilcox's division, viz: those of |
Scales, Gordon and Thomas, while Heth's |
Joined on to the right of Wilcox and |
prisoners say that Breckinridge's division
afterward came up.
REBEL ATTACK REFUSED.
A skirmish line, which was all our ad-
vance ut first met, had been easily driven |
back. The com mand had taken up its po- |
sition in the woods, and Just received or
ders to intrench, the first preparations for |
which it was making, when Griffin's divis- !
lon Mt 5:l5 r. n. was furiously assailed by |
The rebel force above enumerated, which |
developed in two lines Of battle.
with a heavy skirmish line in front. Vol
ley after volley, fierce and sharp, was pour |
I'd In, and the enemy opened from three
batteries very heavy cannonade. Grif-
in's division, though without works, sue
resisted the attack, and repulsed
L with great slaughter. Our men, in fact,
Derved them with the same treatment they
had themselves received in the numerous
attacks they have been compelled to make,
and illustrated afresh the enormous advan-
tage the defensive has in such a country as
his. They shot as they lay low, covered
themselves we'll, allowed the rebels to APP
proach, and, whom the whites of their eyes
we're visible. raked their line with wit6el :
ng volleys. Finding that he was gaining
nothing, and lost very heavily, it appears
hat the rebel commander, while continue
ng TO hold three of his brigades in Grifiin's
'front.', detached Col. Browns South Caro-
ina brigade to effect detour, and make
:, s..u III ~, o,,r <9ank Tho m ndo -,