whom had ignominiously fled during the night. GRANT'S CORRESPONDENCE IN THE FIeld. The correspondence which ensued between the victorious and the defeated commanders has become famous, and, being remarkably laconic, may be properly given here. Buckner who was much more of a soldier by nature than his superiors, and who was evidently disgusted at their course, lost no time in sending Grant the following note: 66 'HEAD-QUARTERS, FORT DONELSON, February 16th, 1862. "SIR-In consideration of all the circumstances governing the present situation of affairs at this station, I propose to the commanding officer of the Federal forces the appointment of commissioners to agree upon terms of capitulation of the forces and fort under my command, and in that view suggest an armistice until twelve o'clock to-day. "I am sir very respectfully, your obedient servant, "S. B. BUCKNER, "Brigadier-General, C. S. A. "TO BRIGADIER-GENERAL GRANT, commanding United States forces near Fort Donelson." To which Grant made this memorable reply: HEAD-QUARTERs, Army in the Field, "CAMP NEAR DONELSON, February 16th, 1862. "TO GENERAL S. B. BUCKNER, Confederate Army. No terms other than "Yours of this date, proposing an armistice and appointment of commissioners to settle terms of capitulation, is just received. an unconditional and immediate surrender can be accepted. I propose to move immediately upon your works. "I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant, "U. S. GRANT, "Brigadier-General, U. S. A., Commanding." And soon the final answer came from Buckner: "HEAD-QUARTERS, DOVER, TENN., February 16th, 1862. "TO BRIGADIER-GENERAL U. S. GRANT, U. S. A. : 64 SIR-The distribution of the forces under my command, incident to an unexpected change of commanders and the overwhelming force under your command, compel me, notwithstanding the brilliant success of the Confederate arms yesterday, to accept the ungenerous and unchivalrous terms which you propose. "I am, sir, your very obedient servant, It may be added, in passing, that the style exhibited in the communication to Gen. Buckner fairly exemplifies Grant's style of correspondence in similar exigencies throughout the war. He was always laconic, but not affectedly so. He always embraced all the essential points at issue, but never expanded upon them, nor indulged in mere bragadocia or stilted grandiloquence, such as characterizes the orders and proclamations of many commanders, both great and small. Grant's brevity of epistle is a result of his simplicity of diction rather than of any scarcity of ideas, and of his apparently intuitive perception, rather than labored analysis of the elements of each critical situation. The victory at Fort Donelson was dearly bought, though no less so than could have been expected from the exceeding strength of the work to be taken and the courage with which the Confederate troops fought. Of the Union forces, 446 were killed, 1,735 wounded and 150 made prisoners; while the rebels lost in killed 231, in wounded 1,007 and in prisoners nearly 14,000-a few having escaped along with the cowards, Floyd and Pillow. PUBLIC REJOICINGS. This victory occasioned more rejoicing throughout the North, especially the Northwest, than any other victory of the war, except the great final triumphs which it was given to the hero of the Donelson fight to win also. Spontaneous meetings were held everywhere and all manner of jubilant public demonstrations were indulged in. The anniversary of Washington's birthday came within a day or two after the public obtained the particulars of the fight; and there has never been so fervently patriotic a celebration of the birthday of the Father of his Country as took place on the 22nd of February, 1862. The writer had the privilege of listening, at Milwaukee, to a very eloquent oration from Hon. Matthias H. Carpenter, in which the elogium in memory of the great dead was gracefully interwo ven with a tribute to our northern soldiery and to their intrepid leader in Tennessee. Little did his hearers then think, when mingling their tears of gratitude to the living and of bereavement for the dead, that the same gifted orator would, ten years after, be called upon to defend the fame of the same gallant General from attacks of slander and innuendo made in the United States Senate, and inspired by motives far less worthy of charity than those which made necessary the attack upon Donelson! PROMOTED TO MAJOR GENERAL. The victory achieved at Forts Henry and Donelson was most prolific of good results. The navigation of the Tennessee and Cumberland rivers was assured by it, and the Rebel line of occupation was so effectually penetrated that it had to be with drawn fully two hundred miles on the average, necessitating the abandonment, within a few days, of the strongholds of Columbus, Bowling Green, and Nashville, all of which were speedily occupied by the Union armies. For this achievement Grant was promoted to be a Major General of volunteers. His name was also greatly promoted in the affections of all loyal people, who, whether or not they appreciated the strategic advantages of his position, or the military difficulties which he had overcome, did appreciate the value of a trustworthy leader for the troops whose fighting qualities had been so bravely demonstrated. And it was very refreshing to the souls of the patriotic to learn of a signal victory to the national arms after hearing scarcely aught for months but disaster to a cause and an army that deserved only good fortune. SHILOH. Six months afterwards-as soon as the new lev ies of troops, now rapidly pouring in from the North, under Lincoln's call for half a million of men, could be organized and drilled a little-came the battle of Pittsburgh Landing; or, as the Rebels called it, Shiloh. This was a step in the aggressive campaign which had been inaugurated (though unfortunately with Halleck, the least aggressive of generals, to direct it) against the strong and threatening forces of the Rebels. These forces had been strengthened by the arrival of Beauregard from Manassas, with 15,000 troops; and an army of at least 60,000 was raised at Corinth, under command of General Albert Sidney Johnston, probably the ablest of all the Rebel generals. To dislodge this army, and to prevent it from assuming the offensive, was the task of Grant. To this end he crossed the Tennessee at Savannah and took up a position on the left bank of the river at Pittsburgh Landing. The ground, a series of wooded ridges and ravines, flanked by creeks, was selected by General C. F. Smith, with reference to its defensibility against the attack which the enemy was deemed sure to make. The attack came rather sooner than was expected, on the morning of the 6th of April, and before Buell's army, which formed a part of Grant's force, could come up from Savannah. The organization and officering of the contending armies were as follows: Force, 45,000. REBELS. Commander-in-chief, Gen. A. S. Johnston. Force, 38,000. UNION FORCES. Commander-in-chief, Maj.-Gen. U. S. Grant. First Division, Maj.-Gen. John A. McClernand. |