Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1862-02-19

The Fight ct Fl. Donaldson.

Fl Donaldson Is situate on the Cum
baIiand river, about twelve miles east Of
Fl Henry N the Tennessee river. The
Two rivers st this point are only 10 or 12
miles apart. f, Donaldson was built by
tAa rebels last summer, to command Cum
Lesland river.
The fight commenced on Thursday last,
at ! in the morning The Fort was in
vested by our troops, who nearly surround
ed it. Gen. Netherlands division opera
ting on the right wing and Gen. Smiths
on the left. An account written on the
day the fight commenced, says:
The force estimated within the breast
works, from the best information, is about
$4,000. No reinforcements can now ar
rive. as all communication is cut off.
A considerable number wounded on
both sides. The 18th Indiana, which
rushed boldly up to the entertainments,
had during the day forty men wounded,
allslightly. The eth Illinois and 18th Iowa,
who have been close TO the enemy's fire,
lost some men. Among the killedis Capt.
Mendell, of Co. 1, 18th Illinois, and Col.
Morrison, 49th Illinois, is wounded.
Birger's Sharpshooters have done good
service; they kept several of the enemy's
guns idle by picking off the c~annoniers as
fast as they appeared at the guns.
Capt. Brink, with a company of Caval-
~, went around to the left bank of the
river this afternoon. and reports that the
gunboat Carondelot received q ten-ineLi
ball through her casemste, which wound
ed eight mcan, but did not injure the boat
materially. Capt. Walker, of the Caron-
delot, says he has dismounted three of the
enemy's river guns.
The enemy's rife shots and grape have
been flying thick and fast about here all
day. Some six shots struck around Gen.
Grant and Staff this afternoon while they
were riding along the lines. One ball hit
one of the horses of the body-guard near
by. The fort will be stormed in two days
if not surrendered before. Our men have
driven back the enemy in every instance.
Pillow, Floyd, johnson and Buckner are
said to be in the Fort. One company has
been within IS yards Of the enemy's en-
trenchments.
Our attacking force was $4,000, with 90
pieces of light artillery.
THE FIoHT on FRIDAY.
Firing commenced at daybreak, and
continued at intervals all day long up to
four o'clock. No movement or assault by
the land force had been made. Our loss
in wounded is considerable, but not more
than three or four are dangerously wound
ed. Six gunboats commenced an attack
on the Fort at 2 P. NJ. The firing lasted
an hour and twenty minutes when our
gunboats fell back. The four iron clad
gunboats went within three hundred yards
of the fort. All of their river guns, ex-
cept six, were either dismounted or silenc-
ed.
The first shot fred from the Louisville
b erebels' thirty-eight pound
er. The Louisville received ffty-seven
shots, two of which took effect, one strik-
the starboard side of her deck and
through the length of the boat, |
three men and breaking her tiller
a short distance from her pilot house.
The rope was then managed by some of
the hands, when a shell from the Tyler,
which lay some distance astern, burst over
the Louisville, scattering the men at the
filler rope and so much disabled the steer
.ng tackle that the boat was compelled to
lrop astern. One shot struck the Pitts
ourgh in the bow and stove an immense
lole in her which caused her to drop out
IF the action. The leak, however, has
been stopped. One shot struck the pilot
house of the ST. Louis, passing through it
the pilots legs without injuring
lim.