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


| 60, pursuing rapidly with internal yells.-
They soon swarmed back, and faster than
they emerged, when our reserves opene0,
on them with whitening fire Of small
afps and artillery. s - -
The brigade fellhack to the line Of works
MATED y IN the morning; leaving oys. % %
sns e nhS re and
here, As elsewhere during the assault. an
unusual number were hit in the head
Wagner's brigade left winter quarters last
spring nearly two thousand strong, but IT
was reduced to less than half that number,
over 50 per cent. having been killed and
wounded during the campaign. Genera!
Wagner fought, whore he always fights, at
the head of his brigade, and his escape
from hurt is almost miraculous. Two or
three hours after the assault his men were
bustling around their camps, making their
coffee, having already exhausted CONVERSE
ton on the great topic, which the morning
had furnished. damn these assaults in
column" heard one Of them remark as
he punched up the blaze under his coffee,
'they make man more afraid of being
trampled to death by the rear lines than he
is of the enemy. They might do on
marble floor" His comments would Of
fend Jomini and Montecuculli; but the
speaker, as member Of one Of the adj
vance regiments in the assaulting column,
AAUst y CAS8I I1&Ot 10 Spe0& us AuAuOs
The heaviest loss IN the assault of Wag-
ner fell on the noble 10th Indiana, which
sustained nearly one-half the casualties of
the brigade. The regiments in the rear
suffered bat slightly.
It is claimed for Wagner's brigade, and
believe with justice, that it was the last
Of all to fall back. Yet such, II the fact,
same heroism inspired each of the assault.
ing brigades; all did their utmost, and all
deserve like chsplets for their brilliant
and not wholly unavailing 0utbursts OF
courage and endurance.
HARKER's ASSAULT.
Harker's brigade held the right of New
4 toms division, the 125th Ohio, Colonel
Opdyke, in advance. Like Wagner's it
was deployed into o column Of divisions,
the six regiments forming q column just
thirty lines deep. When the bugle pealed
forth the clarion note for the advance, the
brigade sprang into line, and marched
boldly from their trenches, sweeping over
the enemy's scattered pickets and gaining
the rifle pits where his skirmishers were
posted. The enemy opened terrible fire
Of musketry, grape and canister but our
.oys poured into the ravine equi-distant
from the hostile trenches, and began to
ascend the slope beyond, fast becoming
slippery with blood. AT this moment a
battery opened on their right, enfilading
out, however, lessening the impetuosity
of the lads. Many swarmed to the rebel
works, and after vainly endeav0ring to
scale the works, took Judgment at their
base, fighting desperately within reach of
each other over the parapet, 80 close that
several Of an advance regiment were drag
ged over by the hair and captured.
The struggle lasted one hour and twenty
minutes, regiment after regiment planting
its colOrs on the ramparts only to be driv-
en- back. Harker, the fearless and beloved
commander, upon whose shoulder the star
had rested but q brief month, fell MORALLY
wounded at the head OF his column, and
died two hours after. No one who saw MS
cheerfulness on gong into the fight, and
his glorious bearing during the action to
the moment he was hit, would have dream
ed that q few hours before he had handed
q packet to comfade not selected for the
assault, asking him to send It home. II
shall be killed" said he. in conclusion
Stout hearted, kindly, noble Hafker: such
country. The yawning rent in our forums
would have closed when you fell with an
instant and thunderous clang, If type OF
the richest treasure Of the Republic were
the only sacrifice demanded. THE noble
brigade 1t last fell back, bringing their dy-
ing chief with them, leaving fifth OF their
humber killed and wounded on the feld ]
who fought rs at that point. several Of the
latter were made targets after our troops
had retired. Lieut.. Benham, Of Harker's
brigade, was one Of the victims, the infer
nal devils shooting ct him deliberately, as
be lay bleeding on the ground between the
times. This il the only instance In which
I obtained the name, but many WHO par
ticipated in the assault assured me that
other wounded officers Wero similarly
butchered.
Kimball's brigade, though It did not en-
deavor to storm the rebel works, acted eff
hciently as q support, and being without
enemy, its loss was scarcely less than that
Of IT. fellow brigades. No higher o0mpli-
ment can be paid any body Of troops than
| to say that they endured 4 heavy fire
which they might not return cO0Ily and
without wavering. Theloss in the brigade
is 100 including Lieut.. Col. Chandler and
other valuable officers.
THE RESULT.
By noon both armies were tranquil again,
the enemy on some portions Of the line
where assaults were made, permitting US to
remove our dead and wounded, which was
speedily ERECTED. A series Of vigorous as
/ saults had been made, accompanied by
demonstrations along the whole line, bul
the repulse of the former, beyond the loss
shalled, has but little bearing upon the
/ prospects for Sher,nan's eventual success
We advanced our lines materially, which
could not have oeen done by any feeble
effort; We failed to pierce thelines Of John.
ston's army, u compass its confusion 0,
destruction. The loss Of the enemy, com
pared with ours, is light for evident rea-
sons. He cannot be very joyous that we
failed to drive him from q very formidable
chain of esrthworks, and the comparatively
few brigades-ten II, all-engaged IN tht
assault, are not crestfallen, for they achieved
all that brave men might. Oar lines en-.
j velop them more closely than ever before
aHe better posted for a general assault, i
& one should be ordered. and, finally thu
spirit Of the men IL unbrOken. They arr
Il resolute, earnest. heroic. seli-sacriEoing
4 and firmly convinced that their mission
sooner or later, is victory complete anG
overwhelming. 900 s J. w. n. !,
TREATMENT OF SuNsfRoKE.--Warn
weather and hot. suns are now upon us
and we may expect more or less Of !" coup
de s0liel," or sunstrOke, to follow. A per
u hood ia