The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1862-02-24

teries, planted so as to rake our ranks and
cross-hre through our columns, advancing
up steep slopes with the timber cut off,
made terrible havoc in our ranks:
BIrge's Sharpshooters-some of them In
dianians = immortalized themselves. By
their splendid rifle practice from behind
trees, they prevented rebel artillerists from
manning their batteries, and thus saved
many lives amongst our forces. 1t is said |
the Sharpshooters climbed trees by means
of iron spurs on their boots, and fred from
that position, remaining there hour after
hour. But for them, our loss would have
been much greater.
The prisoners taken by our forces in the
general caPitulation are given at 13, 300. |
Since that time two regiments, 500 men,
marched in and surrendered their arms. It |
| is said they came as reinforcements, and |
did aot know the Fort had been captured |
! 1t was stated that the rebels drew wagon |
leads of their dead to the river and threw |
! them in.
Floyd is said to have escaped at night by
the river, with only a body-guard. Pillow
left on the night before the surrender, with
two regiments--about 900 men. (The rebel
regiments do not average over 400 or 500)
Forests Cavalry escaped, numbering l 500.
Some say they swan the river, but a gen.
tleman of Henderson-from whom l got
much information, and who spent nearly
two days at Dover and talked with the rebel
officers captured-says they escaped through
our lines They must have gone through
next to the river, before our line of circum-
valuation extended completely around the
beeaguered post.
The circumstances of the capitulation are
about these A council of war was held
by the rebel commanders on Saturday
evening" the 10th. The position was held
to be untenable. Pillow, the General in
command, favored surrender Buckner
opposed it, aud insisted that the garrison
should cut its way out. Pillow opposed
this plan, saying half of them would be
killed. Buekner said that would be prefer
able to tie disgrace Of surrender. The
council broke up, and Pillow being the
; ranking officer gave the order for a capitu-
lation in the morning, and preparations
were made accordingly That night Pill
low ANONYMOUSLY fed on steamboats,, TAX
t ing with him 900 men The command
! then devolved on Bnckner, but it was too
late to reverse the action of Pillow. The
t men, with curses on Pillow for his coward
ice aud meanness. had commenced to stack
their arms, and early in the morning the
white flag was raised and an armistice
T asked for.
Buckner's proposition for an aFmistice
agree upon terms of capitulation was re-
jected by Gen. Grant, who required -" an
!. unconditional and immediate surrender"
] saying he was ready to move Immediately
4 on the works.
a Buckner replied as follows:
"The distribution of the forces under nv
: command, incident to an unexpected change
d of commanders, and the overwhelming
}. forces under your command, eompels me,
IT.. IL -
g Confederate army yesterday, to accept the
q ungenerous and unchivalrous terms which
y you propose"
d The enthusiasm OF our troops when they
|. learned of the equalization knew no bounds
t. But the Joy was not unmixed with sadness
l. for their dead comrades laid thick around
q them, and their thinned ranks attested
3 the terrible loss of life and limb. But the
g victory was worth ten thousand times
more than it cOst-dear as was that price
y for il gave fatal blow to the rebellion.
e Amongstthe prisoners are several former
d residents of Evansville. Amongst those
we heard mentioned are Clay Stinsou, VIM.
= n. Hedden, D. McCutcheon, Chas. Woods,
IT Robt. c. Slaughter, and Frank Coffman.
10 Several others mentioned.
i Clay Stiuson was the first and VIM H.
>. Hedden the second lieutenant of Green's
70 Battery. The Captain was Green of Mobile.
IL man named Gea-ge Davis, formerly OF
II Rockport was also captured. Also several
d formerly from Posey county. The Lee
y Guards from Henderson were bagged.-
d Their Captain was James Ingram, first
IT Lieutenant James Wilson. second do. Wash
8, Owen.
]. Col. Roger Hanson of Kentucky, is
/, amongst the prisoners. Also Gems s. B.
b Buckner of Kentucky, and Bushrod John
10 son of Tennessee-not the able Gen. Al
!, bert s. Johnston.
/. Clarksville was taken after the surrender
IS of Fort Donelson, without a struggle One
g of the boats--the st. Louis-had gone
n up near there and burned a large shot and
Is she'll fOundery, which had been supplying
g the rebels with these articles. A gun-boat
d was afterwards sent with one of General
j. Grants aids on board-Clark Lapow. for
n merly of EVansvlle-to GAINESVILLE, when
e white flags were seen flying all over the
town, for fear the boat would shell the
Ia place. LagoW went to a hotel and STAYED
;. there all night unmolested. The place is
q now in possession of the Union forces.
Y On Thursday, one of the secesh prisoners,
who had been allowed the freedom of the
q battle-ground to bury some of his dead
. comrades, found the body of a Union SOL
: der in the woods. He kicked it contempt
n uously, and was seen by guard who in
: stantly shot the gentleman dead "Served
b him right, was the verdict of all who
f knew of the act
IS The Sallie List, with a delegation from
n the Cincinnati Branch of the Sanitary Com
: mission, and hospital stores, arrived at Do
:. yer the day the Courier was there
a Gov. Morton left L. NJ. Vance at Dover,
e to look after the comfort and interests of the
| Indiana troops.
: The landing at Dover vas literally COW
e cred with captured arms and supplies, and
!, with those articles sent up from the depots.
: Wagon loads of guns were being unIoaded,
rusty from exposure the battlefield,
e where they had been left by the rebels.
J. Dover was entirely deserted by its regu-
lar inhabitants. None remained, and the
houses were occupied by our army for their
sick and wounded.
Incidents by the hundred cnnld be related