The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1862-03-03

Preston Talbot, Hoseygiile. poseN
u. II. Custen. Petersburg, Pike %.
Mark Grant, Canal r. o., WarrIck Co
q. 4. cavanali, 0wensvils, Gibson Co. r-egsa
MAFTERs AT FORT D0NELsON.
The steamer Courier, from Fort DoneI
son with large party Of excusioaists, ar
rived here Friday evening. representa-
tive Of the JOURNAL accompanied the expe-
dition and spent one day in examining the
fort battle field, and the different encamp-
ment Of United States troops. A large
force is stationed at Fort Donelson and
vicinity, but it is expected that the main
body viii move forward in few days leav-
ing sufficient garrison to guard the post.
The health Of the troops is improving rap
idly and the wounded and dangerously
sick have all been removed to Northern
hospitals
In company with Lieut.. Col. Morgan Of
the 25th Indiana, we rode over the battle
Geld. The descriptions of former cores
pondents has left little to add of interest
touching the fight. The evidences of a
hotly contested field are more apparent on
the right wing where the Illinois, Indiana
and Kentucky regiments drove back the
enemy after being themselves repulsed.
Scarcely tree or twig escaped the marks
of the rebel cannon and musketry. Num-
bers Of unburiea- horses marked the spots
where batteries had been disabled and the
trenches filled with rebel dead and the
newly madc graves of Union soldiers, indi-
Gated how feaEfully the battle ragged in that
quarter.
The ground was strewn here and there
with bullets, Crane and canister shot, and
as one looked with sadness upon the scene
il was difficult to realize that the loss on
our side is as small as represented. We
believe. that our loss has been much greater
than is generally believed, and we fear that
an Official list of the dead and wounded
will snbstantiate this superstition. The
ground upon which the battle was fought
on the right was less billy than that occu-
pied by cur forces on the left, and the great
advantage the enemy possessed was from
the fact that lhsir outer line of defense
commanded The scene Of the fight. Upon
these breastworks were stationed the rebel
batteries, which rained grape and canister
into the woods occupied by our forces
Our two batteries, silenced by the enemy's
sharpshooters, were taken, and our troops
fell back before the torrent of bullets Of the
rebel infantry, and the cannon balls of the
batteries referred to- The failure Of the
rebel forces to escape, can only be accounted
for By the supposition that flushed with
their success, they abandoned their purpose
of cutting through our lines, and endeav
ored, by danking our right, to drive the
whole army from The field Fortunately
for US, the arrival OF fresh troops turned
the scale in our favor, and the rebels re-
s.sin to their entertainments. From
eo''s'S0''ohs w. satelligent officers who
We're on the 6eld, we art o., a..
the descriptions of the positions of the ree.5s
nients, made by correspondents of the .,ress
are very imperfect, and necessarily contra
dietofy. One fact is evident, and cannos
De denied, that the day was lost until t,en
Lew MAllaea,s- bSi-s---ssJ On tfle
stf- Asisseasi ana Ifth Iuyiiuuu regiments.
came up, and with determined valor drove
the enemy to his entertainments, and With
in six hundred yards Of the rebel batteries,
threw mp, on Saturday night, a breast
work to secure the recovered ground.
The fort ITSELF with the surrounding for
tifieations, have been fdIly described in a |
Pfevions Lumber of this paper. We learned /
rom citizen Of Dover, that the work ON
the tortiiications was done by negroes.
thousands having been brought there from
Nashville and Clarksvillo. Months were
spent in the preparations of their wo,ts
aud they are declared impregnable. If beId
by sufficient garrison of determined men
With an abundance OF water, supplies and
ammunition, the rebels might have held
Fort Donelson for weeks, bit for treacberv
among their leaders and the conviction
among che men, that they were engaged in
an unholy and reasonable war;
The number of guns and small arms cap
tnred was immense. Although a number
OF steamers have been engaged in carrying
of the trophies, yet At least dozen bat !
teFies Of flying artillery and thousands Of