The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1864-07-02
pETERsBERa NOT BEsIEaEp.


If this outline of the present situation be
ineligible. it will have made manifest
how absurd is the notion which has been
expressed in the northern press. that Pc
tersburg is in q state OF siege. Such q
phrase, as marking mere qualification of
ideas, might be allowed to pass unnoticed:
but it is calculated to give altogether erro-
neOus impressions, both of the present DO
sition and of the future prospects of the ar
use of the term, can only be applied to an
army investing city and planted on orin-
terrupting its communications. Now we
neither invest Petersburg nor are we plan
ted on nor have we interrupted its commu-
nications.
THE MILITARY IMPORTANCE OF PETERS,
This exposition, while showing that we
hold no such relations to Petersburg and
its communications as to claim its being
under siege, yet brings out clearly the COM
handing importance of this point. with
reference to any operations against Rich
mond by this line. Petersburg is, in fact.
the key to Richmond; and the elaborate
construction Of its defences furnishes
the rebel military engineers. Viewed from
q military point Of view, it forms power
fully fortified tetc de p0nt, covering the
passage OF the river and the main line OF
communications from Richmond SOUTH
ward.
Its relations with that capital are, in fact.
almost identical with those held by Balti.
more toward Washington; and were the
rebels in possession OF the former point
they would not menace our capital more
than we would Richmond, were we once in
possession of Petersburg. In fact, not as
much-for, even were Baltimore in the
hands of the rebels, Washington would
still have its water communications, while
Richmond is isolated from it. The rebel
defensive line was drawn around the city
at distance OF about two miles from it.
and formed set of detached redoubts
after what is known as the German sys-
tenn
OF these works, there were seventeen.
mounting from six TO eighteen gums each.
They were beautiful in design and power.
full in construction, equal to the fortifica-
by an infantry parapet, the strongest l
have yet seen in my experience over all
parts of the theatre Of war.
That they were left as inadequately de-
Tended as they were, therefore. can only
be accounted for on the hypothesis-which,
indeed, is no longer q hypothesis, but an
ascertained fact-that Gen. Grants man.
euvers deceived Lee, whose army was still
days march of when this line Of defenses
fell into our hands. The rapidity with
which Beauregard was hurried forward to
the defenses of Petersburg. and the tenac-
ity with which it has since been held. are
the best evidence OF the kind of resistance
we should have met had no. Gen. Grant
been beforehand with Lee.
have adverteG to the nature Of Beaure-
CARDS defense OF Petersburg. This has
been u matter of remark with the ablest
heads in the army, it rivals his defense of
Charleston, and stamps him one OF the
most skillful soldiers in the rebel army
And certainly this estimate is not weaken
ed, but, on the contrary, heightened by a
fact which has astonished every one here,
1t is this: the army of the Potomac has not
yet met in front of Petersburg single man
belonging to Lees army proper-not a
man of the three corps Of LonSstreet, Ew-
ell or Hill. The force defending Peters
burg consists exclusively of the army of
Beauregard, with such accession outside of
the army OF Northern Virginia as he may
have received.
To the natural query as to where Lee 5
army is, can speak with no fullness of
assurance. There may be corps in front
of Butler, and it is we'll known that, five
days ago, Ewell's corps was sent after
Hunter. The other corps is probably pre-
pairing another defensive line, in case Pc
tersbnrg should fall.
THE writer then goes on to describe the
James, and how Lee was outwitted. They,
therebels, Iancied that the withdrawal from
the Chickahominy was an attempt to make
another turning on their right hank-that
passing the Chickahominy, we would turn
up its Southern side, advance to Malvern
Hills, and thence attempt to make our way
up to Richmond by the North bank of the
James, our left wing resting upon that
stream, and the gunboats covering our adj
vance. Lee acted upon this presumption,
and filled with this idea drew his army
down all the distance from the Chickahom-
my to Malvern Hills, and threw it across
the path he fancied Grad was painting to
seize. The writer concluUes his accounts
Of operations as fOllOws:l
SMITHS OPERATIONS OF wEDNEsDAY-THE
WORKS OF PETERSBURG.
On Tuesday night, the command of Gen.
Smith arrived by transports in the Apo
mattox, and on the morning of Wednesday,
the 10Th, passed that river by a pontoon
bridge above Point of Rocks, and began its
march toward Petersburg. On landing,
Gen. Smiths two divisions OF Brooks and
Martindale were joined by Kinks division
Of colored troops, and by kautzs cavalry
division.
The colored division followed the caval-
ry, and being formed in line OF battle, push
ed forward and carried an outer line Of rifle
pits, before Brooks division, which was to
1OIIu Oh tue lelt lOI q uanklu2 movement.
could get into position. Disposition was
then made to carry the main line of works,
and this, with preliminary skirmishing,
consumed the whole afternoon. At 1870
the line was formed, with Brooks on the
centre, Martindale on the right, and the
.cOlOred division on the left with sixteen
guns in position. The skirmish line was
thrown forward, and THIS, s0ithout the aid OF
<the line of battle, assaulted and entered the
W0rks, taking thirteen redoubts, sixteen
guns, several colors, and between three and
four hundred prisoners.
To the colored troops belongs the honor
of taking three of the redoubts and six Of
the guns; and there is the utmost DISPOSE
ton to give them full credit for their stea-
dy behavior under fire. 1t is true, the re-
sistance was not strong, and the works we're
most imperfectly manned; and these facts
should he taken into account that we may
not over estimate the value of this test Of
the fighting qualities of the blacks. But
duly considering all these. they did brave
~ and we'll, and their conduct has gone far
to modify the current opinion Of our off,
GERS adverse to their ability to stand in line
of hattie