Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1862-03-07

Those having relutives or friends in Com
pany d, 2Oth Regiment. will be interested il
the following extracts from recent letter
written by Capt. MeEI.RoY:
FoRT DoNmsoX, Tenn, Feb. 18th, 1862.
We lcft Cincinnati at 8 O'Clock Tuesday
night. Company d. with three other compa-
nies, on board the DR.. Kane, and The Other
companies of the regiment on rhe Emma Dan
can. We reached Paducah Thursday even
ing, and there received orders 10 move at once
up the Cumberland. Westartcd about MD
night. When about half way TO Fort Doncl-
son we met boat coming al a rapid rate tell
| lrg us us We passed that we would be too late if
/ We did not hurry. All were excessively any
/ iUus TO increase steam, and push up About
! O'Clock p. m, on Friday, We heard the can
Nuns, and you may be sure all became intense
y anxious to get sight. As we approached
the firing became very heavy. Soon after
! coming ronnd a bend, we came almost along
side two of the gunboats; the others were near
er the Fort which was about 81. miles Of
| The cannOnadine between the boats and the
| Fort continued till about 5 o'clock, when the
boats withdrew, one of them, the Louisville,
! ian iron-clad bOai) much damaged, aud having
! on board mCn killed and several badly
wounded Commodore FOote was in com
mard. We could rot distinctly see the Fort
from where we we're lying. That evening Or
dcrs were received to draw, conk an.l distrib
ute two days raIions and prepare to march to
the scene of action at 5 o'clock in the morn
ing. Early We started on a march Of about
| l0milCs, 10 take our position on the extreme
right; and | can assure you that the regiment
did some fast marching. 1t was Il fine, clear
/ frosty morning. Aicr marching about eight
/ mllcs, we came up i'll the rear of our center
there we halted for orders, and while waiting
soldiers hegan running in from the field of bat
tie scared to death, and swearing that their
regiment was cut TO pieces and no one left
but themselves They kept coming, in such
Eumbeis that their whole regiment with the
exception Of te'c killed, must have past us
within short Time. AT the same time the
woundrd were being carried by. l felt uu-
easy at the combined demonstration of fright
ened soldiers and wounded ones, fearing il
would have bad offset on our boys, but, on
10 liking along the line, | saw no fiinching. and
/ found that they had come to the conclusi, n
/ that the fleeing soldiers were more scared than
hurt. ] don't remember the number of the
! regiment, but it was terribly scared. Soon
after we halted there, the firing commenced in
the line opposite to lis. Orders were given to
stack arms, unsling knapsacks, take arms" :"
and we marched off down road leading al
most drictly to the battle. On the way arlil-
/ lery rushed past us in hot haste aud stream
Of wounded met us. We were halted on get
! ting near the scene of action, and held us a
reserve 10 be thrown forward should our trooI,s
yield. We were near, yet cuu dat see any
| thing of the fight as the undtrbrush was so
tllck we couldn't see fifty lett in front ci us
Balls and shells whizzcd over us and fell around
u.s. The firing was very severe. both ar
Iiliery aid muskctry. We were then in the
most trying position for inexperienced troops,
just upon the verge Of entering the battle
Artillery rushing by US 10 the field, the road
lined with wounded coming from ii, the roar
oi artillery aul muskCtry, The shouts and
screams vi the men, The voices of the officers
heard above all, giving orders and urging on
the men. l looked in the face of every mln
OF my company 10 see what was the cffect.-
There was not any hincIing. They looked
serious hut determined | returned TO my
post satisfied and ready for the order The
firing continued TO be very heavy, and in a
few minutes the regiment was called TO "atten-
IiOn, cltridge-ouXes ordered to the front aud
arms shOuldeICd just at that moment loud
shouts came up from our forces in front, and
III few minutes we heard the enemy had fed
We then flied to the right, and moved TO the
position to which We had originally been or
dGred, that OF the extreme right Of the reserve.
ocon alter taking our position there, the fir
ing opened up on our extreme left. The battle
lasted for some time The trendndOus firing
finally ceased, aud several hours elapsed before
we heard the result, which proved to be that
Gen. Smith had driven back the rebels aud
planted the Stars and Stripes in their entreucll-
ments. j here was general hull until about
d. o'clock, when firing commenced again on
our right We were moved up; the brush was
very thick, and our men were cautioned that
the first troops they would see would be our
OVID, and perhaps coming toward US, and they
must reserve their fire till the ord'r was given,
that troops would be very n9ar US before we
could see THEM. We moved on towards the
conflict, and halted upon the brow of hill
looking out towards the Fort, where we had
the first ofanything like an opeu view While
halting here few shot and shell few over us
one Of the rebel batteries seemed to have made
the last shot at us. For momeut after shouts
from our troops again filed the air over the
rout Of the rebels. This was the last fight o
the day. We Livouacked near the SPOT where