The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1865-01-14
SAVANNAH, Ga. Dec 9

50, 200 negroes.
~ From Savannah.
SAVANNAH, Ca, Dec 10Th, 1904.
EDITOR HAWK Eys:-I should nays
written at the time Savannah was evacaa
ted but tor She fact that we We're very busy
moving our camp and fitting up new
one. Besides l knew that the telegraph
from Fortress Monroe would convey tae
news to you before could get a letter. ard
all I could hope to do would be to add so me
particulars, which / could do more q,
leisure.
This has been the most remarkable, as
we'll rs the most important campaign III Is
results, in the history OF this war. Tia.
Sherman should have marched his army
four hundred miles through the very ce.
ter of the chief State OF the rebellion. ef-
fectually destroying every railroad within
the State, capturing their capita. AMI de-
stroying their pubic buildings, subsis;ing
his whole army from the country sending
terror and disinay into every family, and
finally taking possession OF their most i'm
portant sea-coast, almost without blood
shed-tnat he should have done all this
with no other opposition than an occasion
al skirmish, is certainly unparalleled il
the history of this war. And all this be
has accomplished simply by out--enera
ing i5eauregard and Hood in the start
And now, il but half we hear, be true,
Gen. Thomas has pretty eaec,ualiv finish.
ed up Hood at Nashville.
The xebe!s evacuated this place OF the
night q: the 2oth between midnight aai
daylight. They left III TOO much taste TO
take bot small portion OF artillery, IL
deed, they did not take time 70 take CD
their pontOon boats, On " hich they crossed
the Savannah river, though they must
have known that our forces would give
them chase. SO we were not delayed in
getting up our pOntoons and laying a good
bridge-thanks to their panic
Our troops were in Savannah by q, H..
and part of the lflh Corps with General
kilpatrick's cavalry crossed over and gave
chase. We have heard cannonading in
that direction ever since. Gen. Foster is
in the neighborhood OF Hilton Head, and
would probably throw his force before the
retreating rebels. Last night we heard
that large ms ority OF Hardee's Che was
10 command here force had been captured,
but have been unable 20 get an ythlng fur
ther to-day. hope il may be true. Some
OF the citizens say that Hardee was drunk
from the time our army invested tae city
till he evacuated. You may think it i
strange desire for ,eeeo.aler, out | nope
he kept drunk Till our forces came up with
him.
The amount of artillery captured ii Sa-
vannah and the surrounding forts, an,
told, is very great. | cannot give the OF, :
Ciai number, but l have heard il stated a.
about l40 pieces. Savannah has a line o.
forts extending around the entire city from
the Savannah river above to Fort Jackson
below. 1t is perfect chain. There are
eighteen in all. They are made OF sand,
thrown up in kind of horseshoe form,
and most OF them mounted by from one to
three immense siege guns. They are old
fashioned pieces, stolen, I believe, from
Fort Pulaski at the COMMENCEMENT O.. the
rebellion. They could do good execution,
no doubt, if skillfuilv maneUyered, but as
they had them arranged, il we had got
within charging distance OF them, their
capture would have been a short lob.
Savannah is a pretty place, not covering
more ground, l should think, than Bur.
! lington, but very cOmpactly built. Every.
thing, however, has rather an ancient ao
pearance. There are no modern improve.
ments-nOthing that is characteristic of en-
ergy and enterprise. The streets, w;tLtwt
or three exceptions, are very narrow, and
bordered on either side with giant live and
swonp oaks, or towering sycamore.. tina,
ottentlmes rear their stately heads ia,
above the roofs OF the highest houses, In
many places the oaks inter.wiue their Ion .
arms lovingly across the narrow streets
almost excluding the rays Of the sun even
at mid day. This gives to the place a sol.
emn, funeral appearance, and must be very
pleasant during the hot summer months
but think can hardly fail to be detrimen
tai to the general health of the city. HaC
they made their streets twice the p-esen
width II would have been very pleasant,
speaking OF trees, I have seen tue mag
nihcent magnolia in the pride of it's bloom
l nave seen the graceful palmetto-prids
ana emblem of the traitorous Coufederacy
but to me the TAOS. magnificent of al!
frees ! nave ever seen are the live anc
swamp oaks, which in this tropica. region
green, the trunks are short, but often NOR,
tnan iour ieet in diameter. But their pride
ana glory Is IN their immense shade,
} nave seen toem extend their huge arm!
, over space Of ground one hundred feet /,
diameter, the top round, dense. and ofte,
uIapeu WIN iestoons OF spanish moss, al
I most exclcding every ray of the sun. W,
s;nr; 40 saue oaAs ttne swamp in Missis
t a scale as here ~ S'oH"s'
Inc sou mere ID beach-sand. to an ;ndo
nnte depth, as might be expected so nea
: the coast. l ought to say, however that
y is the same for at least one bnna,a1 No. =,
. nifty miles back. or in other words a. Co,
- | as we lett the mountainous region on Nv,
d Ma!Cn, we struck upon trac. Of san
Wnicn extended to the sea-board. provino
If ..inA' enat tals Whole country as far bac
US the mountain region, has once roo
s. swept over BY the tides. By the act;o, !,
8, the tide-waters, and tine drifting Of ~
d sands inland, 1t has been gradually eieya,
= ca ABOVE the level of the ocean. THE ;
the more apparent, as the sand for ia mile
r lniaud Is evidently beach-sand. This tra9
IS OF SAND, extending across Georgia an
"a SCUM Carolina, is what has been k,ow-, j
t3e ssoo aius, aud the i1ha bitants. in Sou;