The New York herald., 1862-02-18
THE ST., 'UATION.

The fall of Fort Dun elson-which, from the
news we published yes e'aay morning. must
have been to our readers 'oregone conclusion
Ia the most important vict ory yet achieved by
the armies Of the govern 'ent' ana Will most
probably prove to be the mo- disastrous defeat
which the rebel cause has ! sanered since the
commencement. of hostilities. That victory was
complete, resulting "a it did In the capture OF
Is 900 rebel troops, an immense mount Of war
material and the persons Of Genera Is Pillow, A.
8. Johnstone and Buckner. Gen eral Floyd
sueaked Off with his brigade Of five thou
sand men on Saturday night, anal is, in
consequence. denounced by the more
gallant officers who maintained their ground to
the last moment and have fallen into our hands, as
\ ack.hearted traitor and coward. The whole
sation has already branded him in like terms.
! The fort surrendered at nine O'Clock on Sunday
morning. The loss on both sides was very heavy;
hat of the enemy must have amounted, in killed
I'D wounded, to nearly ten thousand, II the state
ment be true that the garrison consisted Of thirty
thousand men.
General Cullam, in his despatch received by
General Mcclellan yesterday, states that CON-
modore Foote. although suffering from the wound
he received, win Immediately follow with two gun
boats and the mortar boats which he expects to
overtake. and make an attack on Clarksville, an
other strong post of the rebels the way to Nash
hill aA1.,t
City miles, in northwesterly direction 1t is for
tilted pretty strongly from the bluffs surrounding
II, and is by this time most probably held by q
large force Of the rebels.
Additional particu ars of the battle come to us
from Chicago, in a despatch dated at Fort Donel.
son yesterday. which says:-"General Smith led
tl,e charge on the lower end Of the works. and was
the first Inside the fortifcations. The Fort Henry
runaways were bagged here. The prisoners are
loading on the steamers for Cairo.
Uur loss is heavy-probably four hundred killed
snd eight hundred wounded. We lose large pei
ccntage Of officers among them are Lieutenant
toonels Irwin, Of the Illinois Twentieth: White
o. The Thirty-irst, and Smith, Of the Forty-eighth
CoioneIs John A. Logan, Lawyer and Kan
som are wounded. Major Post, of the Eight
Illinois. with two hundred privates, are pri
soners. and have gone to Nashville, having beef
taken the night before the surrender. The enemy
ioss Is heavy, but not so large as ours, as the.
fought behind intrenchments. We should hav
taken them by storming on Saturday II our ammu
milton had not given out in the night. Genera
Oglesby's, wallace's and McArthurs brigades
suffered terribly. They were composed Of th
Eighth. Ninth, Eleventh, Eighteenth, Twentieth
Twenty.ninth, Thrtieth, Thirty.frst Forty fifth
General Lew. Wallace, with the Eleventh Indians
ETghth Missouri and some Ohio regiments, partc
psted.
Tsyiors, willard's, McAllister's, Schwartz
and Decesse's batteries were in the fight from Il
commencement. The enemy turned our right f
bali an hour; but our lost ground was more thi
regaiped. General Lanman's brigade, Of Gener
Smiths Division was the FIRST In the low
end Of the enemys works, which was dol
by Q charge Of bayonets. As nine-tent
Of the rebels were pitted against o
right, our forces on the right were ready all mig
10 reoommeDce the attack. On Sunday mornl
they we're met on their approach bya white fla
General Buckner having sent early in the mornil
sdespatch TO General Grant surrendering. tt
works Of the fort extend some five miles on Il
outside. The rebels lose forty y-eght field piece
seventeen heavy guns, twenty thousand sts
Of arms. besides large quantity Of commissa
stores"
usAasims our asnIes In Kentucky. under