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206

GUN-BOAT EXPEDITION UP THE TENNESSEE.

CHAPTER VIII.

THE SIEGE AND CAPTURE OF FORT DONELSON.

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HE fall of Fort Henry was followed by immediate preparations for an attack on Fort Donelson, on the Cumberland River. Preparatory to this was a reconnoissance up the Tennessee River. Lieutenant-Com

a Feb. 6,
1862.

mander S. L. Phelps was sent up that river on the evening of the day of battle," with a detachment of Foote's flotilla, consisting

of the Conestoga, Tyler, and Lexington, to reconnoiter the borders of the stream as far toward its upper waters as possible. When he reached the bridge of the railway between Memphis and Bowling Green, he found the draw closed, its machinery disabled, and some Confederate transports just above it, escaping up the river. A portion of the bridge was then hastily destroyed, and the work of demolition was completed the following day by Commander Walke, of the Carondelet, who was sent up by General Grant for the purpose. The fugitive transports were so closely pursued that those in charge of them abandoned all, and burned two that were laden with military stores. In this flight an officer left papers behind him which gave an important official history of the Confederate naval preparations on the western rivers.

Onward the little flotilla went, seizing Confederate vessels and destroying Confederate public property as far up as Florence, in Alabama, at the foot of the Muscle Shoals. When Phelps appeared in sight of that town, three Confederate steamers there, loaded with supplies, were set on fire, but a part of their contents, with other property on shore, was saved. A delegation of citizens waited upon the commander to ask for kind treatment for their families, and the salvation of the bridge that spanned the Tennessee there. He assured them that women and children would not be disturbed, as he and his men were not savages; and as to the bridge, being of no military account, it should be saved.

Returning, Lieutenant Phelps recruited a number of loyal Tennesseeans, seized arms and other Confederate property in several places, and caused the

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1 The first one fired," says Lieutenant Phelps, in his report to Commodore Foote, "had on board a quantity of submarine batteries; the second one was freighted with powder, cannon-shot, grape, balls, &c. Fearing an explosion from the fired boats, I had stopped at the distance of a thousand yards; but even there our skylights were broken by the concussion." The boat was otherwise injured; and he said, "the whole river for half a mile round about was completely beaten up by the falling fragments and the shower of shot, grape, balls, &c." He also said that the house of a reported Unionist was blown to pieces. It was believed that the vessels were fired in front of it for the purpose of destroying it.

FOOTE IN THE PULPIT AT CAIRO.

207

flight of a considerable number of troops from Savannah, on the eastern bank of the river, which he had prepared to attack. His reconnoissance was a perfect success. It discovered the real weakness of the Confederacy in that direction, the feasibility of marching an army into the heart of the Confederacy, and, better than all, it developed the most gratifying evidences of genuine Union feeling in Tennessee, Mississippi, and Alabama. The river banks in places were crowded with men, women, and children, who greeted the old flag with the greatest enthusiasm. "I was assured at Savannah," he said, "that, of the several hundred troops there, more than one-half, had we gone to the attack in time, would have hailed us as deliverers, and gladly enlisted with the National forces." Over and over again he was assured that nothing but the dreadful reign of terror then prevailing kept thousands from openly expressing their attachment to the old flag. "Bring us a small organized force, with arms and ammunition," they said, "and we can maintain our position."

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The report of this reconnoissance was very cheering, and it was determined to capture Fort Donelson as speedily as possible, and then, with a heavy force, march across Tennessee and penetrate Alabama. Foote had already hurried back to Cairo with the

Cincinnati, Essex, and St. Louis, to prepare mortar-boats for the new enterprise, leaving Commander Walke, of the Carondelet, in charge of a portion. of his flotilla at Fort Henry. With the spirit of the old Puritans (from whom he was descended'), who were everr eady to fight or pray, as circumstances might require, he went into the pulpit of the Presbyterian church at Cairo, on the Sunday after the capture of Fort Henry, and preached a stirring sermon from the words of Jesus-" Let

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A MORTAR-BOAT.4

not your hearts be troubled. Ye believe in God; believe also in me." He poured forth eloquent sentences in humble thanks to Almighty God for the recent victory, and inspired all who heard him with burning zeal in the National cause.

General Grant, at the same time, was making vigorous preparations for attacking Fort Donelson. Re-enforcements were arriving in Cairo, where

1 Report of Commodore Foote, Feb. 6th, 1862.

2 He was a son of Senator Samuel Foote, of Connecticut, whose resolution concerning the public lands occasioned the famous debate in the Senate of the United States between Daniel Webster and Robert Y. Hayne. 3 The congregation were disappointed by the non-appearance of their pastor at the proper time, and Foote was invited to conduct the religious services of the occasion.

4 This represents a mortar-boat. They were constructed for strength and steadiness of position. On a broad float were walls of wood, about eight feet in height, plated with iron on the outside, and sloping, so as to more easily ward off shot. In each was a single heavy mortar, with ammunition below water-mark, a tent for shelter, and other conveniences.

The following named officers composed General Grant's personal Staff at this time: Colonel J. D. Webster, Chief of Staff; Colonel J. Riggin, Jr., Volunteer Aid; Captain J. A. Rawlins, Assistant Adjutant-General; Captains C. B. Logan and W. S. Hillyer, Aids; and Lieutenant-Colonel V. B. McPherson, Chief Engineer. According to the report of the Adjutant-General, Grant had under him in the district of Cairo, on the 10th of January, 1862, 26,875 men, officers and privates.

208

PREPARATIONS TO MARCH AGAINST FORT DONELSON.

they were rapidly gathering. He reorganized his army, with McClernand and Smith at the head of the principal divisions, as before, while a third division was formed of small proportions at first, but destined to be enlarged by six regiments sent around by water. The latter division was under the command of Lewis Wallace, of the famous Eleventh Indiana Zouave Regiment,' who was promoted to be a brigadier-general on the day of the capture of Fort Henry. With McClernand's division were the field batteries of Schwartz, Taylor, Dresser, and McAllister; and with Smith's were the heavy batteries of Richardson, Stone, and Walker, the whole under the command of Major Cavender, chief of artillery.

On the 11th, General Grant called a council of war, which was composed of his division commanders and several acting brigadiers. "Shall we march on Donelson, or wait for further re-enforcements ?" was the question considered. Information that heavy re-enforcements were hastening toward that stronghold carried a decision in favor of an immediate march against it; and in general field orders the next morning, Grant directed one of McClernand's brigades to move at once by the telegraph road directly upon Fort Donelson, and to halt within two miles of it; his other three brigades to march by the Dover Ridge road, to within

• Feb. 12, 1862.

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troops on the left bank of the river, then occupying Fort Hieman, as soon as they could be sent forward. Smith was directed to occupy the little village of Dover, on the river bank, a short mile above the fort, if possible, and thus cut off the retreat of the Confederates up the stream.

Let us observe the character and strength of the works to be assailed, called Fort Donelson.

In the center of Stewart County, in Tennessee, was its shire town of Dover, situated on the left bank of the Cumberland River, where that stream, running nearly due north, makes an abrupt turn to the westward, and, after flowing about half a mile, as suddenly turns to the northward. At this turn, about a mile below Dover, Fort Donelson was constructed, with two water batteries near the river's edge, and all so arranged as to have a large number of guns trained directly down the stream. The country in that vicinity is broken into a singular conglomerate of hills and knolls, divided by deep valleys and ravines, rendering possession easy, and attack very difficult. Upon one of these hills, terminating at the river, and broken by hollows, Fort Donelson was built. Its lines were irregular, and inclosed almost one hundred acres of land. Below it was Hickman's Creek,

1 See page 516, volume I.

2 His commission was dated September 8d, 1861.

CHARACTER AND STRENGTH OF FORT DONELSON.

209

a sort of back-water of the Tennessee, seldom fordable, excepting at the distance of a mile or more from the river. Just above the fort, and between it and Dover, was a small creek, flowing through a ravine.

The water batteries were admirably planted for commanding the river approaches from below. They had strong epaulments, or side works, and

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their embrasures were revetted with coffee-sacks filled with sand. The lower or principal battery was armed with eight 32-pounders, and one 10-inch Columbiad; and the other bore a heavy rifled cannon that carried a 128pound bolt, flanked by two 32-pound carronades.' The only guns in the fort (which was at a mean elevation above the river of nearly one hundred feet) were four light siege-guns, a 12-pound howitzer, two 24-pounders, and one 64-pound howitzer. Back of the fort the forest was cut down, and supporting field works were erected for the use of infantry and artillery. Still farther back, at the mean distance of a mile from the fort, was an irregular and detached line of light intrenchments for riflemen, fronting landward, with a parapet of logs and earth, which commenced at Hickman's Creek, and extended to a back-water on Hysmith's farm, above Dover, thus completely surrounding the fort and the town landward. In front of these intrenchments was a row of slashed timber, forming strong abatis. Altogether, the post seemed to have been made by nature and art almost impregnable. And within these intrenchments, when Grant appeared before them to make an assault, were more than twenty thousand effective men. It was expected

1 A carronade is a short piece of ordnance, having a large caliber, and a chamber for the powder like a mortar. It is similar to the howitzer. Its name is derived from Carron, a place in Scotland, where it was first manufactured.

2 These consisted of thirteen regiments of Tennessee troops, two of Kentucky, six of Mississippi, one of Texas, two of Alabama, four of Virginia, two independent battalions of Tennessee infantry, and a regiment of cavalry, under the afterward famous leader Colonel A. B. Forest. With these were artillerymen for manning six batteries of light cannon, and seventeen heavy guns.

VOL. II.-14

210

DISPOSITION OF FORCES FOR BATTLE.

that this force behind fortifications would check the further advance of the Nationals up the Cumberland, and thus secure the safety of Nashville. Johnston clearly perceived the importance of the post, and when it was threatened by the attack on Fort Henry, which was only twelve miles distant, he gave it all the re-enforcements in his power. "I determined," he said, "to fight for Nashville at Donelson, and have the best part of my army to do it," and so he sent sixteen thousand troops there, retaining only fourteen thousand men to cover his front at Bowling Green.'

a Feb., 1862.

It is difficult to conceive how a veteran soldier like Johnston could have intrusted a business so important as the command of so large a force, on so momentous an occasion, to such weak men as Gideon J. Pillow and John B. Floyd, who were successively placed in chief command of Fort Donelson, at that time. But so it was. Pillow had arrived there on the 10th of the month, and with the aid of Major Gilmer, General Johnston's chief engineer, had worked diligently in strengthening the defenses. On the 13th he was superseded by Floyd, who, as we have observed, had fled from Virginia with his followers. He had been ordered from Cumberland City by General Johnston, to hasten to Fort Donelson, and take chief command. He arrived there, with Virginia troops, on the morning of the 13th. General Simon B. Buckner was there at the head of re-enforcements from Bowling Green, and he was the only one of the three possessed of sufficient ability and military knowledge to conduct the defense with any hope of success; yet he was subordinate to the other two, until, as we shall observe presently, their fears overcame their honor, and in the hour of extreme

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BERGE'S SHARP-SHOOTER

necessity they invested him with the chief

command, and deserted him.

The morning of the 12th was Feb. like one in spring, so warm and balmy was the atmosphere. At an early hour, the divisions of McClernand and Smith, preceded by cavalry, in all about fifteen thousand men, began their march over the hilly country toward Fort Donelson, leaving behind them a brigade at Fort Hieman, under General Wallace, who was placed in command of that post and Fort Henry. At the same time, Foote was moving up the Cumberland with his gun-boats, convoying transports filled with troops that were to constitute Wallace's Third Division. The columns, commanded respectively by Colonels Oglesby and W. H. L. Wallace, of the First division, and Colonels Cook and Lauman, of the Second division (who were acting brigadiers), while moving across the

wooded country between the two rivers, met with no armed men; and early in

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1 Letter of General Johnston to "Congressman" Barksdale, at Richmond, March 18, 1862.

2 See page 102.

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