The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1862-02-24

q dozen others were proposed. Col. Veatch /
has nearly recovered from his late sickness,
and begins to look hearty. The others /
named look fat and robust
The Governor soon came with the well /
come intelligence that we were 10 have ac- /
cess to the battlefield and Entertainments. ,
Six o'clock was fixed upon as the time of
departure. The boat dropped down to the
Fort, and at two o'clock the passengers--in
fact, "all hands and the ook"-went
ashore-the gentlemen with pants in their
boots, and the ladies with overshoes on and
dresses close-reefed, so as to be able to navi-
gate the mud of the battlefield.
Your reporter went first to get the off,
cial list of killed and wounded of the 25th
Indiana (which was publshedin Saturdays
DAILY JoURNAL.) Then came tour over
the battle-ground, of which a description
will be attempted.
Fort Donelson proper, compared to the
whole vast line of entertainments composing
the noted rebel stronghold, is a small
work. 1t is situated about half way up
hill between eighty and a hundred feet high,
which hill stands boldly out on the margin
of the Cumberland river at the foot of
bend, mile below the town of Dover, and
on the same side--the western. The river
flows down from The southeast and at the
Fort sweeps off to the north. The Fort COM
mands over a mile of the river, which makes
another sharp bend The Fort is q semi
circular structure, and ia an earth-work
with no masonry. It's embankment is
made of gunny-bags filed with sand, to
give it permanence, and over these is piled
earth. There are openings for the guns to
work through, platforms for them to move
upon, and everything complete, after the
most approved style of scientific engineer
| ing. Below this Fort is a water-battery
with a formidable armament. In the Fort
was q riaed 12S-pounder and two bronze can
non, captured by Gen. Jackson, at the bat
tie of New Orleans. The big riaed piece
was managed by Polish gunner--a pro-
fessionnl soldier, who happened to be in the
South at the commencement of the war.
He proved dead shot, for at every discharge
/ the whirling and ponderous missiles hit one
of the gunboaIs, and worked havoc aboard,
iron clad as they were. The boats did but liz
tie execution in the Fort proper, with their
hours firing, killing only one mantle en-
gineer who planned the Qualifications
| Wounding two others, and dismounting a
gun They had to draw of. The credit of
the victory belongs to the land forces.
This Polish artillerist was captured with
the Fort and was the gnest of the field of
4 1GefS Oh Tie ZDLu Until Tue u6Y D6lOT6 OUT
boat was there, when he was shipped off
down the river.
/ The whole site of the Notifications is
covered with bills and hollows, those back
from the river originally densely wooded
There is no level ground. From the hill,
on the side of which is Fort Donelson pro-
per, long ridge extends back westWardly,
with final southern turn. Alongside oil
this ridge a slough of back water penetrates
several miles perhaps. An extensive earth
work follows this ridge in semi-circulal
sweep for perhaps a mile. 1t is composed
of sand-bags, and filled out with earth, and
so elaborate is it that it is boarded up and
shielded on the sides with wicker-work Of
cane and hickory poles, plated together, tc
prevent it from washing away in rainy
weather. There is a dry ditch on the out
side, say twelve feet wide and eight feet
J deep. The breastwork itself on the inside
is about four feet high, and has scientific
angles, IN which are placed cannon of va
rious sizes, in such way that they SWEEP
around in every direction, and rake advanc
: ing columns with deadly effect. This i'm
perfect description will give u faint idea O
the labor and care and skill bestowed upol
Q the numerous entertainments of this won
3 derfully strong position. Now, when it i
: known that these Notifications follow th
, slough over a mile, then run at right angle
three or four miles, and extend Southwark
/ and eastWardly clear around the town O
: Dover to the Cumberland river on tn
: south-said Dover being a town formerl
9 containing 500 inhabitants; and when it j
known further that between the outer lin
: of Notifications and the river the hills ar
t surmounted by similar entertainments, an,
J their sides literally covered with fallen tim
Der, brush, and other obstructions-it
! utterly astonishing how our brave boy
were able to overcome the enemy and cap
g ture their position. This result can be at
0 tributed to only one cause Conscienc
makes towards of US all" Southern me-
;. are, on an average, as brave in a good caus
}. as Northern men, but on this occasion tn
) rebels knew they were fighting in an unhol
i cause, and hence they made a cowardly sur
b render of what was really an impregnabl
e position, if properly defended.
|. They were undoubtedly outnumbered.-
= The best accounts give them from 20, 90
e to 200, while we most probably had be
d tween 10000 and 35, 900. But the extra
q ordinary strength of their defenses reall
g ought to have made one man as good a
t five in the right kind of cause.
In addition to these great advantages en-
8 joyed by the rebels they had telegraph
j wire around the whole line which also con
n neeted this fort with Fort Henry on tn
d Tennessee river, and also no doubt with th
s southern system of telegraph lines. On
n forces had to fight on ground which the
y were unacqaainted with, over high hill
8 and across deep hollows, in thick woods
+ over fallen timber and stumps, and acros
rifle pits, while the extent of their lines, witt
It all the other disadvantages, rendered it YER
d difficult to keep up communication between
r their various corps. In addition, they lai,
r out in the rainy, snowy and cold weathe
}. over two days, without oyercoats or blan
e kets, without fire, and almost without food
9 while the rebels were comfortably provide
K with everything in abundance.
u The hardest part of the battle or series O
n battles was on our right, which was Ia
It rebels left-southwest about mile and
half from Dover. Here is where the enem,
n attempted to break through our lines to es
d cape. The place where the 25th Regimen
Y of Indianians-the one in which our read
It ers are mostly interested-was engaged