The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1862-02-28

consisting of the 25.h Kentucky and 44th
Indiana regiments. The Kentucky 18th
(Col Shaekelford) look to their heels, fall
ing back directly through one Of thu In
diana regiments and causing good deal
Of confusion. Three regiments. however,
fell back in good order, and Col. John
McArthur's brigade came in with de
| termined front and fire that drove the
enemy back into his rife pits: From this
time forward, the battle in that part of
the field ragged without cessation. The
rebels made frequent sorties, but each
time were driven back BY our unfinching
regiments. Then the battle would pro,
gress in notwithstanding" manner, the
rebels firing from behind their breatworks
and logs, and our men from behind trees
| Our msn were at all times the mos. sx-
posed, and as consequence suffered more
wounds than they inflicted. Bat their
weapon. were better, and when "secesh"
went down it was generally with some
thing more tnan wounding. The ratio of
their killed to their wounded ia far great
err than ours According to the estimates
Of our surgeons we had not less than
thousand men wounded on that battle fisld
while ESQ will cover the number of the
killed. The enemy lost probably as many
killed as we, but his wounded are much
fewer.
About 8 o'clock p. a., the turning point
of the struggle arrived Gen. Smith( whom
the snappish Little Tribune generally calls
P0drcah Smith, who commanded our
left wing, ordered a charge upon the en-
emy's breastworks in front of him. The
I'd Iowa, 9TH Illinois and another rsSi
men., dashed up the dsclivisy in the face
of the enemys musketry, drove the ras-
csls out of their pits and dashed over the
breastworks. Other regiments followed
and speedily the hill was in our possess
ion. lie was completely outfanked. The
position commanding his line in such -
manner as 10 render it impossible tor him
to hold the neighboriug heights. He must
abandon his rifle pits and fight honestly in
the open fed, or retreat into bis fort.
Nobody expected, however, that he was
going TO aivs up quite so soon. Our sol
dier8 went TO their cold rest, confd ens in
their ability to whip the rebels the next
day but they expected to fight for it
Not man IN the army, but expected with
the coming daylight 10 snatch bis musket
and re enter the combat. There had been
during the bloody day one circumstance
which to many Of the thinking ones
cast shade Of gloom upon their spirits.
The gunboa:s had not renewed the bonn
bardmens Why was it Were they
disabled. or were the rebel batteries too
much for them3 In either case the land
forces must fgh: and conquer Alone
They laid down to sleep feeling that they
could do il.
AT daylight Sunday morning, Com
FoOte opened gun upon the fort. Three
or four shots were fred, but no response
was heard. Then it was reported a white
flag was flying, and then that tie enemy
bad got away during the night! A tug
started with a flag Of truce and ran up to
the fort. And the newa came back that
the rebels had surrended Such wa. the
fact. The rebel commanders Pillow, Floyd,
Ruckuer and Bushrod johnson had held a
council of war during the night at which,
It had been decided to surrender and no
sooner had this decision been arrived at
than Floyd, true to bis instincts, took his
brigade and ran away, Pillow also 'ske
dadd'ed" as did portion of Forests Ky.
cavalry brigade. Such WAS Pillows haste
10 depart that "a rebel officer tells me- he
knocked two men off the boat with bis
sword who were trying to go with him
Buckner and Bushyod Johnsoa remain ed
and srs now among our prisoners
The spectacle presented az our troops
entered the place was one to which no de-
scription can do justice. AS our feet of
transports, preceded by the gunboats,
moved slow y up toward the fort, the rebel
soldiers collected in groups and squads
and gazed upon them in apparent wonder.
Their appearance Was grotesque in the ex,
treme. Without uniformity in dress, few
Of them were anything that could be eel
led uniform, unless it were q white or
! striped blanket, worn in the Indian fashion.
enyeIoping nearly the whole person. Large
number Of than instead of blankets, wore
large pieces Of carpeting in the form Of
| blanket. These learned were the soldiers
who ran away from Fort Henry in such
! extreme haste that they left their coats
behind. Such wss the sympathy Of the
rebel leaders in this region on account Of
their coatless condition that, having pre-
vlousiy given all their blankets, they tore
up their carpets and cut them into blankets
for their soldiers. Such unselfsh devotion
to their cause challenges our admiration,
however much we NAV think the carpet.
ought to be put down.
| hsve had large opportunities to day
for observing the intercourse between our
soldiers and those of the rebels, and the re-
suits of such observation are gratifying in
the highest degree Our artillery upon
entering the fort fred salute, our arpnT
did sonse cheering, and our band played
the Star Spangled Banner, the Red white
and blue and some ether national airs
But in whole days walk about the place,
witnessed not single instance OF insul-
ting boastfulnes-, or conduct that WAS cal
culated to wound the personal feelings Of
fellow enemy. Indeed, it was difficult
to realize that these mon in various color
ed blankets and those in blue evercoats
a0ere enemies, or that these were prisoners
and those captors, 80 CONSIDERABLY did