Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1862-03-07
The Battlefield Around Fort
DOnclS0n,
From the Correspondence of sss n. Y. rribuue,

) DOnclS0n.
From the Correspondence Of ths n. Y. rribure,
CAIRO, Feb. 10, 1862.
The exposure and fatigue TO which re-
porlers are subjected on tue battlefield, and
The necessity which exists for writing rapid
ly, make an early description of the scene,
after the fight is over, impossible. Few
readers are aware of the esf,rls required to
gather and select facts which viii gives a
just idea of the conflict, or of the weary
hours devoted to composition in the midst
Of distraction and noise. The night foliow-
ing the day of the surrender of Fort Donel-
son scarcely presented more weary set Of
fellows than the reporters, for some fell
asleep while writing. t.se
The battle continued three days, COM
mencing on Thursday and ending on Satur-
| day at dark, but on this last day it was most
general. Thursday was very cold, the mer-
curry being only 10 deg. above zero; and
during the night it sleeted and showed, as
it did also the following night. Friday
was warmer; still il froze all day, and the
snow did not melt till after TIE fort surrend-
cred.
The distance between the two armies
during the three days in many cases was
SO slight that we could not bring Off our
dead, and the wounded who could neither
walk nor crawl remained where they fell
till Sunday morning, some, even, till late
that day. A prisoner told me that some
Germans lay wounded before their earth
works on Friday night, calling for help and
water, and that they went out to bring them
in, but it being moonlight our men fired on
them, and they were obliged to go back. 1t
was early Sunday morning before they yen-
tured out again, when they brought them in.
. They were still alive, but blue with cold
and covered with frost and snow. They
did what they could for them, but it was
not much, and for this reason: For a week
they had been guarding their earthworks,
three miles in length, and from Thursday
they had been out in force, night and day /;
many of them in the rife pits froze their
feet and hands. On the boat saw young
officers whose slaves pulled of their stock
ings, and as they did SO the skin from vari-
GUS parts of their feet came along with them.
In passing from their works to their quart
ers they frequently had to wade slues waist
deep, and then lay down to sleep in their
wet clothes. The least result was violent
cold. In addition, our gun-boats kept them
in constant alarm, and their arillerists were
worn out with constant watching
The 11th Illinois suddenly coming upon
the enemy, was forced to retreat beneath
an awful shower of balls. The Major then
called for volunteers to bring off the wound
ed. Twenty or thirty started, crawling,
and they brought off few, but some Of
Them were wounded in the attempt. Again
volunteers were called for, and they appro-
ached amid an awful fire, when one of our
wounded beckoned them away. The at
tempt was madness. Just thenthe leaves took
fire, and, covered by the smoke, our men
rushed in and saved few more, but the
clothes of these had taken fire, and some
perished miserably. Those who were left,
Of course, perished.
Gen. Grant ordered that no fires should
be built at night, but fires were built, and
they illumined the woods for miles. 1t
would have been merciful if, at the close
of each day, we had been PERMITTED, under
a truce, 10 bring off our wounded; but it
was not so, and the lay in the frost and sleet
between the two armies--many to hear, but
none to help them.
The severity of the cold is well illustrat-
ed by the statement made by our field oflic-
ers, who rode from post to post during the
night, that in the morning their clothes were
so stiff, that could they have been taken off
they would have stood alone. 1t is doubt
ful whether suffering was greater, though it
was longer, in the retreat of the French
from Moscow. Let no one hereafter say
that our soldiers are paid too much.
Most of the horses of many of our bat
teries were shot down. They had been
well trained and stood fire well. The horse
is the most intelligent of all animals. He
has thinking eye, it sparkles with inquiry
as you approach him. He loves music, and
in the horrors of battle he is not afraid.
Herodotus calls the horse stranger, per-
haps because he was so little understood.
Saturday morning, when the the enemy
came out in heavy columns with knapsacks
on, and three times were driven back with
tremendous slaughter, some batteries were
ordered to positions which the enemy had
little while before occupied. The horses
hesilated not TO tread on the wounded, dy-
ing and dead, and the ponderous artillery
wheels crushed limbs and skulls 1t was
an awful sight 10 see old weak, wounded
men lifting their feeble hands beneath the
horses hoofs. Signs at least are due TO the
noble horses which fell in this battle. Co