The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1865-01-07
From Nashville.

NASHVILLE, IonN., Dec. -. 1864,
EDITOR OF HAWKES. Dear Sir: The
party of thirty-eight III charge Of Capt.
Broad that left Burlington on the 9th ult.,
arrived safely in this place about o. clock
on the morning OF the lst inst. We should
have arrived day earlier, but the great
rush Of soldiers to the front compelled me
to stop over one day at Louisville, and as
! II happened, we were just in season TO as
sist ia the defence OF the city.
On the day before our arrival an order
was issued that all persons having no le-
climate business in and abou. the CITY
should leave Immediately, and on the fol-
lowing day the guard was walking about
very quietly, Offering irresistible induce.
snents To every body generally 10 walk out
into the trenches and help Uncle Sam a
little. -Ot course none couldssresist the per-
siaslve eicGue0ce OF dozen bavone;s. and
the result was that motley crowds num-
oering from twenty to fifty OF all nations
colors and occupations were constantly ia
readiness to take the pick and shovel. Jus.
tlce TO our party requires me TO say that
we az, 10 man, cneer.ully volunteered
our services and worked on the fortifca-
tons for four days, when we were re-
We have had several DAYS Of insenselv
cold weather in this vicinity, and eyerv
day excepting three, has been either snowy
Or rainy; just as am writing ii is getting
10 De little warmer, and there is d pros.
pect OF fair weather for q few days.
AS the eyes of the whole nation have been
directed 70 this place for tn. preceding
week, you must naturally suppose that
tner. has been a great dea! OF hustle and
excitement here, but whatever any one
may think about it, no correct idea can be
lormed by any any except those present.
X would appear that after the hight at
rankin, 1t was a kind .. a race between
Thomas and Hood to see which should get
possession OF Nashville. II is understood
that the city. was left apparently defence
less purpose!y to entice Hood to attempt
the capture OF it, and that Thomas was Just
far enough out Of the way to be in the way
with plenty Of men Ut the very time when
Hood did not desire his presence:
Had the city been strongl y fortified, Hood
never would have made this disastrous
campaign of "farking Sherman captur-
ing Nashville, and "wintering in Ohio"
although many Of his men will pass the
winter III comfortable quarters north Of the
Ohio river.
inst, and all of Thursday the 10Th, the
firing on the outer lines could be distinctly
heard, and Of course much excitement and
anxiety prevailed. l suppose not more
thaa one-third of our available troops were
brought into action on the 18th. On We'd
nesday evening Il was We'll known that
Hood was refreshing, and on the next
morning large numbers of prisoners were
brought in. They looked rather rough,
and many ofthem were baretooted; they
appeared, however, in pretty good spirits.
On Friday and Saturday everything was
hustle and confusion, and~au The horrors
OF the rough side osw began to present
themselves. Soldiers, weary, haggard,
dirty, hungry, cold, wet, and many of them
entirely lost from their commands, many
sick, and some wounded, struggled about,
making themselves 4. home anywhere
they could procure a shelter of any kind.
Horses, lank, lean, weary, muddy from
head to tail, staggered along, or feebly es-
sayed to gallop, at the Urgent solicitation
of their equally broken down riders. Many
fragments of regiments that bad come out
OF che first days ight, were relieved and
sent to the rear, m lsct, 3 stranger would
re APT to impure who was doing ali the