Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes County, Ohio) 1856-1865, 1862-03-13
The Desertion of C1arksvil1e.

Clarksville, so suddely deserted by the
rebels after the fall of Donelson before the
war had a population of about 5000, and
was considered one of the most flourish
ing business points in Tennessee. The
rebels deserted the town two or three DAYS
before our troops occupied it, the stores
being closed and many of the houses de-
serted. A letter from a loyal source states
that the evacuation of the town was a
most sudden as well as ludicrous opera
ton, and adds:
On Saturday the people of the place
ard the two or three regiments garrisoned
here, received intelligence that the Yam
KEGS were rapidly being whipped back 10
their Northern homes, and general jolli-
fica,ion was at once INDUCED in. But,
alas, there S many a slip between the cup
and the lip. They had hardly begun to
feel the effect of their carousal, when, lol
and behold, who should appear upon the
scene but the brilliant heroes, Floyd and
Pillow, with some items of information
which hardly confirmed their previous ye-
racious accounts of the evening before
There was then mounting in hot haste
sure enough. The Lincoln gunboats which
according to the yesterdays accounts had
all been sunk or crippled, were supposed
to be in immediate proximity, and but few
of the doughty champions of the South
thought it best 10 stand upon the order
of their going. An Alabama regiment
stationed here chartered steamboatfor-
tunately lying near by, and went at once.
A Colonel of Tennessee regiment gave
orders to his men, whe occupied the fort
ifications below the city, to prepare to
march, and upon visiting the fort an hour
afterwards found only eighteen of them,
stealing horses, mules, and every descrip
tion of conveyance attainable, were already
in full persuit of their Alabama brethren
in arms. l need not state that Pillow
and Floyd did not either tarry long in
Jericho, but pressed on with the spediest
of them. 1t had only been about week
before that both of these distinguished re-
bels, together with Buckner, had passed
through Clarksville. and had received not
little lioniziug. Both Pillow and Floyd
had been called an to make speeches, and
responded in the most blood thirsty of eff
forts making glad the harts of all rebell-
dom hereabout by the promise of exter-
minatiou of each and every Lincolnite who
had dared to polute their soil, Referring
TO the surrender of Fort Henry by Gen.
Tilgham, Pillow said, with the peculiar
grammatical elegance of the South; "But
gentleman I never did surrender, and so
help me God, saever wM surrender. Me
and Gen. Backner, and Gen. Floyd and
our gallant troops, and are non gong
down there and ace ,oM sWeep every Yam
kee son Of them back TO their cam homes" :"
Great applause, and burahs for Pillow
Gen. Floyd also presented himself, and
made equally brilliant promises. Gener-
al Buckner, who alone of the unworthy
trio said nothing, was the only one of them
who stuck to his troops, and included him
self in the "ungenerous and uncbivalrous'
terms which Gen. Grant saw fit 10 impose
upon him. | need not add that upon
their return, neither Floyd nor Pillow
stopped to favor the good people of Clarks-
vile with any further promises of Yam
kee determination, and | doubt very much
whether they would have taken much
stock in his promises. even if he had.