The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1862-02-27

FEDERAL ACCOUNTS.

FEDERAL ACCOUNTS.
We make some further extracts from the
Yankee newspapers In our possession, which
1t will be seen, readily admit the des perat,
lighting on the part OF the Confederate troops.
at Fort Donelson. The following is an ex-
tract from letter dated Feb. "A, written by
person who witnessed the naval engage
ment:
The flagship st Loais took the advance
ana was huggtrg the western shore thel
came our own he Lousviile,) th.n IN Pits
ourS ana Carondelet, III order, rs near SD
Dy SIDE as was possible in a river sc.rceiy
vide enough for tw boats 20 pass each other
In this order we formed q straight battery OF
Twelve guns in front, while ths two guu.
boats, CCnest toga and Lexington, folio wei IN
our wake, pouring In tDe,r quota OF III isstles
from their DOW coiuD biads at a S .fe distance
We could see nearly every Que of cur shots
take effect within or lear the rebel batteries
the more deadly and certain as We slowly
steamed up toward thtm. Thus we proceed.
ed side by side, our fire never Siackenilk or
our determination falteIing, until We arrived
within three hundred yards of the lower bat
terry AT this time the firing Oh TO tn sides
WAS truly terrific.
The enemy's shot and shells were sc,eam.
Ing through The air or ravaging our sides and
decks without cessation, whila ours were d.
vesti0G tn em OF their more eX ~ set b1ttsripS
plou2hiDX up tt cir hill sides ana De ,lmatins
their camps ia terrible has,e. / saw one
large smell from the Louisville fall ai d ex-
plods directly under one Of their guns, send
Ing n score Of rebel soldiers TO their long
homes, dem olishing the battery and scatter.
ing those not killed or wounded In IN oecs II /;
haste to the nearest covers. When We had
| attain Cd the last named position, viz: with.
| In three hundred yards Of their works we
] stopped our headway, aud when the bontg
| were motl0nlees We poured in cur last aud
| most destructive fire. 1t really seem si q,
| this time that the quintessence of desruc.
| ton WIS contatned Ia those twelve great iron
| thunderers. With each discharge a rebel
| gu was eilencsG, at each hroaSeids q most
| of frig q tened rebels would scad up the hIIt
| TO place OF safety behind the upper earth
| works, and all but two of the lower puus
had ceased to deal US their destruction. Now
| q now battery OF one hundred and twenty
pound guns opened upon Us from the
left and rear Of the first works
We were within point blank range, and tn
| destruction to our fleet was reilly terribls
One huge solid shot struck our boat Ius, IT
| the angle Of the upper deck and pilot house,
| perforated the iron plating, pissed through
| the heavy timbers and buri. itseif In a D. =
| Of hammOcks just in front and ia ~ diYec,
line with the boilers. Another n SHELLY ra K .d
US from bow to sterp, passed through the
| Wheel.hOuse, emerged dropped, and exploded
| in the river Just at our stern. Tbea a 10 inc h
| solid shot entered our starboard row u II,
dem shed gun carriage, killed three M u
aud wOu unded four others, traversed the en-
| tire length of the boat, and sunk iutu The
river N our wake. Then u shell came sh rick
Ing through the air, striking fnir into cur
forward starboard port, killing another man
and wOunding TWO more, past aft, sunderiu z
our rudder chains and rendering the heat
unmanageable Now We were mpr He'd "a
drop astern, ana leave the scene of action
bat our gunners sent their respects TO thr
| rebels as long as their fire could ha the lie 8,
| effective; and, so FAR as we We're concerned
the ba tile was over
This last battery was the one that put the
| finishing stroke to the fleet One of the enc
| my's shells entered and exploded dir ,ctiy in
| the pilot.houss Of the ST. Louis, killing The
pilot and woundiDg Flag Officer Foote Sc.
verely in the leg. Two Of the shots an ter ei
| the Pittsburg below the guards, causing her
! to leak badly, and 1t ID pr bab- that she will
sink before morning. Another entered lie
| Caron delet, killing four men and luiuriue
| eight others. BY this time III ee of ,hs boa s
l were disabled, and then the sIguai wqs gIveu
! to ba K out ard return to our anc horge The
| enemy's Lower battery was s'lenced, however
| and only the Two one hundred and twenty.
Founders on the hill were playing upon us
| and 1t IL universally conceded that If we az
had ten minutes more time Fort Done.soI
| would have Jared the fate of Fort Henry, anc
| the Gum berland river been opened and d j.
vested Of its rebel em bareo
Commodore FOote tells me that he has
commended at the taking OF six for;s, uud
| mas been III several naval engagements; bu,
| he never was under SO e a fire be
| fore. Fifty seven shots struck his vss.ei, his
| upper works were riddIed, and his lowe,
/ decks strewn with the dead and wounded -
| We count no less than thirty seven shot,
| which struck our own vessel, the Louisville
] while, in all, over one hnuoTed shot AL,
shell took effect upon the fieet.
I My curiosity is sa siated. have no psrtic
| ular desire to be on board q M of. wa,
l when another battery is to be attacked, bu,
on the contrary, think l shoul Id prefer lane
l view The fact Is. our boats are proofaRaips
ordinary shot, even rs large as IA sixty four
T., Al.x rka1h - IAv~
| rified tuirty-two rounoers, even, will peae
| ,rate our iron -idecr while one hundred an,
| twenty ponnder. merely laugh l.. the OBJ
s,ructton.
Another writer thus a,ludes 20 the fsht q
Friday:
Tae battle lasted one hour and seven tee,
l minutes The last shot was fred by the =,
| Louis. It fell within a few feet Of the rive
battery, causing earth and water to y in /,
| the :ort AT this, about q hundred OF in
| rebels stnrted as II TO run up the hill; The,
l sooL found, however, that We had Wi hdra VIZ
and returned to open On Intellectual ire upoI
our disabled feet.
| II s0ok about half an hour for our Il sst 4
| retire beyond the range of the guns Tn,
| withdrawal was managed with great skill
/ We permitted our boats to float gently dow,
| the stream in the sxac. line OF battle, su,
| although the ste aiming apparatus Of the ST
| Louis and the Louisville was powerless n,
| collision or accident Of any kind happened
i
| found that the Pitlsburg was leaking yrr
| rapidly, and she was ordered to tie up on III
| left bank Of The river.
The st. Louis was struck sixty one tim q
| in the engagement; the Pit,sburr forty
| seven the Cnrondelet fifty. four, and tn
Louisville about forty The enemy fire
| about hve hundred shols Our II -st fir ed
| little more than three huudr red abo ut seven
ty.nve OF which were eightinch shells
rHR LAND YIaHr.
4 = n has "a D.
giving an account Of the operations OF tn
land forces. . portion OF vhich We copy:
At daylight on Saturday morning the sns
| my opened ON the Eighteen th Illinois, Col
| Lawler, when all OF Osiesby's brigade wa
| soon engaged. This was soon followed h
Wallace's and McArthuTs brigad-s takip
part. the latter acting Under MeCts.naud'
| command.
As the position Of the troops lad hea
chsAgsd on Friday night, and 0en. Dran
being s-nt for during the mig ht frum the ut
| hoats, the movemea - Of al ,roops exc~p
those attached % MoOlornand's diyisiol
were cor dseted without anything but gene
rAl orders.
AZ the sugssstlen Of Gen. McOlsrnand. q On