The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1862-02-28
War Intelligence.
MORE AnoUr FORT boNEIsoN AND THE RHpE
PRISONERS.

/ NJHi'o' o"Sbatheu W Nno HunUuhl5 IN tno fOrl
Donelson encounter, speaks Of the shot rceo we'd
in the pilot house Of the st. Louis which killed
one Of the pilots, and Of the conflict general =,
as follows -
There is the passage through thirteen ineae,
OF WOOD ana one AMI quarter of iron that the
accurate death messenger came in at. II cams
a. an argle Of almost forty.fve degroes, which
IL easily determined by the fracture on the IA Z
staff Ivy the iams ball. The fact will cary
with IL some i'ea Of the forts elevation and the
consequent disaivsntage that the gunboats ha 4
to strive against. or such formidable elevA.
| tion was Fort Donelson.
The flagship got sixty.threo shells, and
every one of them made more or less havoc
with boat or msu. Four out Of the eighteen
| pilots Of the fleet were killed. AMI every
splinter, and scratch, and scar bears iniisputs-
bla testimony to the accuracy and cunning
with which the rebel she'll, we're sho wered II pom
our gallant gunboats. lf that first fi,al ball
had been postponed ten minutes, there il
no doubt that the st. Louis would have b,sn
above the fort, whore her sagAeious eon nanler
was heading for.
To say the truth, Ftrt Douolson must be seen
TO be appreciated. Its formi1ablenoss must be
witnessed 10 be comprehcnded. l.s hoisht,
length, breadth, and expanss, aud the outline
Of its method Of construction, you have 10 nu-
msrds and diagrams but It's bitches and di-
men3ous, Its batteries and its bSttlements,
must Oe lOokeu up Nv, Anu GOWN ~, an1 IN a.,
In order TO get al its commanding aud august
appearance. Tho men-of-wAr's men hore who
have been round the world, call II the third bost
Institution Of the kind they ever nd eyes on.
The Mt. Lewis, the proprietor Of the 9 imo oer-
land Rolling Mills that were burned by oar
boats IL now here q prisoner He IL psrson
OF Clns terable culture and sense, contesses TO
having helped on the robsllion TO the extent Of
his vast financial ability, but also that ho,
like Thousands Of his coun,rymsu, were deeply
deceived In the matter. lie obtained bis infor-
nation solely from Southern newspaper aud
secesh spouters. lie had no opportunity Of dis
covering what he now knows 70 bs tho genuine
sentiment of the North. lie says Z" | give it
up now. You've carried our Ss5ist)pol. 1t is
all over with us !"
The prisoners continue to p)ut in from the
fort. Two thousand have arrived toliy. And
such group Thsir garments are violet, in q.
digo blue green, yellow, orange and red, and
every other thade or tint possible in a comb
nation OF those. Some are In blankets, somo
in carpets, and some in huge pettieoat. They
vary in age from sixteen TO sixty in sizs from
the lowest to the lo!tiest, in countenince from
grave TO gay, from lively TO severe Bat
most carry face Of stupidity and detection. |
am sure that nineteen-tweutioths Of them would
as soon Sht on one side as on tho other of this
or any other conflict. The officers are socisble
and communicative and with very large pro-
portion OF the privatss, pretend at least to
having boon oyerruled In Judgment and prefer
ence in their taking up arms against the old dag.
| certainly cannot imagine a more pitiably-pic-
tuIvsque spectacle than that Of the,e rebel cap
tVss. IL NOsld move the most csllous TO look
up these blank low faces, and those beardless
iiccs snd these "a f.cos, and those filthy blan-
kots and tn 1870 matted keais, and th,so mutiA
4 rte,ct's Two htths OF ono boa,-leLd, |
,'ould guess, are undor twenty 90 yoars OF
aie-- many q them under nineteen.
Amt YOU tired at lighting Uncle SAM
(ce, q wouldn't hsht again If unelo Am
.Uu ii spit ia mo face.
wei, why did you fsht un,ls Sam, any
owi"
"B,csuso we were deceived. They stuffed
us with all sorts II yarns, and. wo believed
everything they told us"
From the learnedes. TO the lowest OF them
| you hsar the one story Of thsir deception and
delusion and beio ,lment by their political loai-
ers.
The Tennesss,ans, especially, are heartily
sick Of the part they have acted and do not
hesitate TO declare that they were forced or
| doluded into taking up arms. The most false
and abominable representations were made TO
them, and being msinly unable 90 read, they
| were not able 10 dotec' tho haSaness Of tho
men who led OF in the rebellion. give below
a few specimens Of taeir talk. The Mssissip-
plans arc doggod, and " their voice is still for
war. Tho Texans, moJt Of thom, give up all
| as lost.
Many amusing illustrations Of rural 4implici-
ty were witnessed among the prisoners this
| morning. newsboy rushed on board the T.
l. Mayill, jus. arrived from Donolson-vocifo-
rously shouting, Heres yer mornin papers
| A s,alwart TenneSseean shouted, "Give me the
| ArrKAL" lie really believed that he could
| buy the Memphis and New Orleans papsrs a,
Cairo, and when told they wore not for sale
earnestly remarked "Why, the last time was
| har | hnugbf all ntt T..r
to sell em p
The majority OF the prisoners entertain the
| same opinion concerning the futility of prolOng.
ing any longer the rebellion. They look upon
their cause as lost, and while tho majority are
evidently willing TO fight for the Z Jntedsracy
until death, there are many who openly, can
didly acknowledge that the southern people
were in the wrong in bringing about dissolu.
| tion OF the Union. On entering their barracks
the visitor Is heartily welcomed by tho prison
ers, and, If he offer his hand, he will invarabl y
notice the unmistakable signs Of psnitence-
Suivcr Of the lips, and the dropping Of a tear
The distance between the two armies during
the three days in many cases was 30 slight that
We could not bring of our dead, and the wouu-
ded who could neither walk nor crawl remained
where they fell till Sunday morning come,
even, till late that day. A prisoner told me that
tome Germans lay wounded before their earth
works On Friday night, calling for help aud wa
| tr, and that they went out to bring them in,
but II eing moo light our men fired on them,
aud they were ohl ged TO 20 back. II was early
Surdsy morning before they ventured out
ssain when they brought them in. They were
| trill alive, but blue with cold and covered
| win frCst ard snow. They did what they
CoIlt i,r item, but il was not much,
| zen. Grant ordered thai no fi'es should be
lu'lt ~ night, but fres were built and they
illun inod the woods for miles. Ii would have
been meIcul, 1t, at the close of each day, We
Lad been permIttsd, under a truce, TO bring of
| ur wounded but II was not so, and they lay
in the frost and sleet between the two armies
many TO hear, but none TO help them.
Most Of the horses Of many OF our batteries
were shot down. They had been we'll trained,
and stood fire well.
Saturday morning. whom the enemy came out
In heavy columns with knapsacks on, aud three
times were driven back with tremendous slAugh-
ter, scme batteries were ordered TO position.
which the enemy had little whilo before oc,
cupled. The horses hes'tated not TO tread on
the wounded, dying and dead, and the pom
derous artillery wheels crushed limbs and
skulls. 1t was an awful sight to behold weak,
wounded men lifting their feeble hands beneath
the horses hoofs. Sighs at least are due to the
noble horses which fell in this battle.
Every room in the houses in Dover contained
wounded and dead men. The inhabitants had
t.d. Some Of our soldiers Were'sacking il, c)n-
trary, TO express o'ders. saw plates, knives
| aWal l.VEa au1 81 Ag. r. Il.