The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1862-03-01

gradually forced back. Their ammunition
giving out, some of the regiments were
thrown into confusion, while the enemy
was decimating their ranks by fearful vol
lies of musketry and cannon. At this juno
ture, when the day seemed lost on the right |
wing, Gen. Lew. Wallace, brought his |
splendid brigade, composed of the 18th In |
promptly took the places of the retreating |
regiments.
We know not why it is, but all the sc-
counts of the battle that we have read,
while containing columns relative to the
gallant struggle maintained by the Illinois
regiments to preserve their ground, have
hardly found space to devote a paragraph
and some scarcely a sentence descriptive of
the manner in which the 18th Indiana and
9Th Missouri regiments checked the advance
of the rebels, drove them back, and recov-
cred the ground that was lost. That Tay-
lor's Chicago battery contributed largely to
this result everybody readily acknowledge;
but That Illinois soldiers alone recovered the
lost ground, as Gen. McClernand claims in
his Field Order No. las, published by US
yesterday, is untrue.
4th. Here then is G, simple statement Of
| the manner in which Fort Donelscn was
| taken. On the left wingof the Union army,
composed alone of Indiana and Iowa troops,
the Union forces were not only never driven
| back, but when commanded to storm the
rebel breastworks, did SO at the point of the
bayonet and held them until the rebels sent
a Gag of truce with proposals to surrender.
On the right wing, the Union army met
with serious repulse, losing one of their
batteries and part of another; the forces
were driven back until new division, COM
posed of troops not from the State of IlIi-
nois, came on the feld-met the enemy,
flushed as he was with the prospects of VIC
tory, drove him back into his works, recov-
ried the star spangled banner to the breast
works where they remained until the fort
was surrendered.
! General McCIernand has necessitated thi;
) 1
"Field Order" We have no disposition t.
make comparisons-no wish TO exalt sol
diers of one State by Understanding thos'
of another; but when we see the General 0
a Division cooIly appropriating all the credi
: of capturing Fort Donelson to himself and
the forces under his command, ignoring
others who did equally as much, we fee
called upon to set forth the facts.
The Illinois volunteers are as brave a:
I any troops in the world. They endured pri
vations and fought with valor that ehRl
A lenges the admiration of the whole eoun
, try; but we cannot see that their glory (
in the slightest dimmed, by permitting
other troops-Who are just as brave, we'll
q disciplined and skillful, and who, owing t
n circumstances. were, if anything, littl
more suecessfal--to participate in tha
q We cannot close here without suggestin
d that it would not be out of place if Tndi
n ana, with 10000 men 10 the field, wa
permitted to have a fair portion of th
Is Brigadier Generals. She has furnished til
e Union army with some twelve brigades {
e troops, and yet she has but three Brigade
j. Generals in the field. Her soldiers al
i commanded by Generals who, in spite I
It themselves, may be disposed to bestow G
:. troops from other States praise fairly b.
re longing to the HOLSTERS. We may be III
y necessarily sensitive on this point, but "
a are jealous for the homer of our State an
II her noble volunteers.