Fremont journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County [Ohio]) 1853-1866, 1862-02-21

' six men men were killed and wounded on
he gun boats. Pilots Riley and Hinton, Of st.
souis being among the latter
Com Foote, while Standing on the Pilot houee
II the ST. Louis, biz nag ship, vas slWhiiy +
vounded. The ST. Louis YES nit 81 tirnes.-
Two gun boats were disabled. The Tyler end
Connestoga remained out Of ranee Of thp ene-
ny : guna The line Of battle was as follows;l
The So I.suis on the riglh. next the Louisvillt,
then the + ittsburgh, and Cafondelet on the len.
The enemy's firing VS. very accurate. They
had three batteries, one near the water, one 40
feet above this, and third SO feet above the
second. The upper one mounted four l6-poun-
ders. This one was held in reserve until our
boats got within 400 yards Of the fort
Our hre wPsdrectsd principally q the water
battery Ohc Of the enepy's gums barst and
number were dismounted The enemy could
he seen currying their dead out Of the trencheu.
All the gunboais we're left mp the Cumberland
except the COnestoga and she left there yester-
day morning. A rifed gun on the Carondelet
burst, killing six men. The radder Of the Pitts
burg was shot away.
The fight went on all day yesterday, aud the
right wing Of the enemy IS Notifications had been
turned, and the Union flag was floating over
them The forces were breast 10 breast and the
A Cairo special to the Democrat eays Captain
Wise, Of the steamer Mnnchaha, reports that the
enemy Innde sortie from the fort at 10 O'clock
Yesterday morning, driving our furces back
three-q quartersofA milk, and captured Sehwart&s 3
battery, and at o'clock our troops rallied, re-
captured the battery, and drove the rebels be-
fore them, and planted our flag on their outer
forti tihcations. p. ffui 'Al1 ana p. HHN
Friday night wasyyeFy severe on our troops,
rain having set in which turned to snow,
An witness says the Fort seems almost
impregnuble. The outer works and bastions are
located on ridges $50 to $50 feet high covered
with dense timber aud undergrowth. Upon n
similar range of hills outside these our army is
drawn up in line Of battle, completely encircling
the enemy from the Cumberland South Of the
fort to the back water Of a stream which fianks
the fort on the north. .-tisF 800
A battery has been planted commanding the
river which win cffectually prevent the arrival
of reinforcements. tn fact We have them COM
pletely surrounded and can complete the job at
our leisure. -4.r1 gfff.flaJ 10
A formidable attempt was made last night TO
take Taylors battery by the enemy who APP
preached under cover Of the darkness, but they
we're gallantly repulsed by the Goth i'll. Con-
siderable skirmishing occurred during the night
both forces endeavoringi the darkness to crawl
in upon the other.
This morning it was discovered that the enc
my had placed logs on the top their breastworks
leaving little space for them to shoot through
and diminishing their risk from the uneering
aim of our sharp-shooters.
| Yesterday afternoon, after the storming party
had retired, and when rebels had been thickly
banded together TO repel the assault, Capt. Tay
lor opened on them with she'll with terrible eff
feet His practice was superb creating the
| greatest consternatiOnin in their ranks, and caus-
ing them to take refuge in their intrenchments.
The gunboat assault was terrific, exceeding even
the Fort Henry b0mbardment. 1t lasted about
an hour and half The enemy has fronting
on the river, two batteries, the lower one af
and the upper A guns, besides ten inch Col
umbiad.' The wooden gunboats Tyler and Con-
estoga were engaged in the fight. Com. Foote
pronounees the engagement the hottest he ever
Witnessed. Seven OF the 9 guns in the lower
tier Of the enemy's battery had been silenced
and everything was apparently progressing ia
yor&bly, when the rudder chain of the Caronde-
let was severed. The Pittsburgh was damaged
in her wheel so as 10 be unable to stem the cur
rent, and the pilot house Of the St. Louis was
knocked away, killing the pilot and slightly
wounding several Others, among them Commo-
dore Foote. The fleet was then obliged to retire.
One Of our shells struck Immediately under
one of the ehemy's guns throwing the gun and
bodies of the guuners high in the air. great
number of dead and wounded could be seer
carried up the hill. uJ5 s.l
Com. Foote'S wound is slight. The ST. Lou
is was struck 6l times, the Louisville 35, th'
Pittsburgh 81, and the Carondolet &C.
st. Louis, Feb. l7.-Dcspatches from Genera
Grant to Gen. Halleck announce the surrende
of Fort Donelson with $4,000 prisoners. includ
: ing Major General johnson aud Buckner. d.
5 st. Louis, Feb. l7.--Further official advice
!; from Fort Donaldson say Gen. Floyd escape
y during the night and that the rebels in the Fo
o denounced him as a black hearted traitor an
e coward. The enemy are known to have ha
: 25,000 troops, $4,000 of whom are our prisoner
e 5000 escaped and the balance are reported xii
: ed, wounded or otherwise disabled. -s7f
The Casualties on the gunboats are as 70
. lows: st. Louis killed and 10 wounded; I'll
Louisville---5 sailors killed, four slightly an
r two severely wounded, eack having both arm
d shot away; the Carondolet-4 killed and 81
: badly wounded; the Pittsburg-2 wounded.
s Some of our best officers aud men had gone
d their long home, and hardly man went ov,
d the field after the battle that did not discov,
IS some comrade who had fallen. We lost thr'
e Lieutenant Oolonels; and at least one quarter
all the other commissioned officers were kille
/ or wounded. -.
e During Saturday night a contraction of a
n our lines was made for simultaneous nssau
d from every point and orders were given
If Gen. Grant to take the enemy at the point
e the bayonet. Every man was at his post.
At daylight an advance was made. Whe
i full light of day broke forth, while flags WEI
! hung in many places on the enemy's works, a
h officer at a convenient point was informed til;
r they had stacked their arms and sunendere
e early in the morning, the following pithy COZ
r respondence having passed between their CON
Q manders:l @ 2t
II HEAboUARTERs FoRT DoSELsoN.
So February l6, 1862.
SIR:-In consideration of all the circumstan
: ces governing the present situation of affairs q
: this station, propose tothe commanding Office
E of the federal forces the appointment OF con
e nissioners to agree upon terms of capitulatio
e of the forces at this post under my command
!. in that view j suggest armistice until u Oeloc
S to-day. 9 am your Obedient servant,
i f9 bar a1.,rr, g. b. BUCKNER,
'e Brigader General, q. s. A.
> To U. s. GRANT, Brig. General U. s. A., cor
ID manding U. S. forces near Fl. Donaldson.
'e HEADoUARTERs IN FIELD, I
RI Fort Donelson, February I6, 1862.
!, To Gen. s. B. Buckner:-Sir. Yours Of th
= date proposing an armistiee and appointment
= Commissioners TO settle terms of capitulatio
= Is Just received. NoterIns except uneondition
:, and immediate Surrender can be accepted.
. propose 10 moye immediately upon your work
am, sir, very respectfully, -, .,..-
Your obedient servant,
e ieeH teft3 U. s. GRANT,
Afl Bngadier General Commanding.
'dtoa ili urt HEADQuARrERs, Dover, Tenn.
a. oa lH February l6, 1862
~ Brigadisr General US. Grant u s. d., ,.i
h. SIR:-The distribution Of forces under \
n command incident TO an unexpected change