Daily Democrat and news. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1859-1864, 1862-02-25
LETTER FROM FORT DONELsON'


our friends and relations engaged.
circumstances prevented ne from send.
ing YOU an earlier account; however
may yet sketch few items OF Interest.
The extensive field OF operations and
my limited opportunities Of observation
prevent me from writing Of anything
save what have been witness 10.
We arrived at the scene Corporations
on the 18th, and found the place closely
besieged by our troops. The forti6ca-
tions Of the enemy extended distance
OF two miles from the river and tour
miles parallel with it The thick growth
OF timber 10 which it was situated, had
been telled within the space OF five hun
dred wards around the works, AID
deep rayine separated them from our
lines Of decentralization which surround
ed the whole, and Of which the Second
Iowa formed the extreme left. FOR
several days the enemy had been max
ing Intellectual attempts TO escape, and
some hard fighting had been dore on
The right Of our lines, yet nothing had
DccuITcu Ou Jul iNtt, CarS ~ q S"'e'"~
Gus and close diminishing with the enc
my's sharp. shooters, until the 10Th,
when it was determined that Gen. Smith,
commanding the left division, should
assault the enemys works on the right,
and that the Second Iowa should lead
the advance. The day was calm and
sunny, and the keenly cod air made the
afternoon an unexceptionable one for
battle.
The Second Iowa was drawn up in
two batallioDs, the left wing in front, a
thousand yards from the point Of attack
The order to march was given, and the
left wing moved rapidly forward and
soon reached the base Ct an abrupt hill,
ron the summit OF which frowned the
grim, clay .celorcd redoubts Of the enemy.
Behind those works lay the I'd Kentucky
regiment and the "Mlssissippi Tigers"
the latter armed with revolving five.
shooting rifles, ard all silently waiting,
confident that the first volley from theiI
well directed weapons would scatter the
advancing battalion to atoms. Mean
time, the assalants paused not, but
scrambling over fallen timber with
laborcd tread, moved steadily up this
rugged path until within point blank
range Of the cnemy's guns, when there
burst upon them terrific shower o.;
lcadcn hail, carrying the gallant Major
Chapman to the ground, and laying
Captains Slaymakcr and Clontman dead j;
and though tramplipg over the dead
bodies Of their comrades whose warm
blood stained the crested snow, though
that incessant and calling fire was
moving them down like grass, they
marched intrcpidIy forward, looking
neither TO the right or left, but with eyes
fixed steadily upon the object ahead
and with the fiery and sui phnroas breath
Of musketry belching into their faces,
they mounted the ramparts and the
enemy was driven from tho breastwork
in hand to hand fight.
This regiment is noted for being COM
posed almost exclusively Of young men.
Young, ardent and patriotic, their zeal
chated by long inaction, when told to
plant their flag upon the stronghold Of
the enemy without The firing OF a gun,
they shrank not from the task, but rush
ed recklessly to the onslaught, and cold
steel and native valo1 decided the con
fl'ct. The result shows that forty OF
their number have been made to bite
the dust. The accomplished gentleman
and splendid officer, Captain Slaymaker,
tie sturdy soldier and honest man, Cap
tain Cloulmap, and Lieutenant Harper
are no more. One hundred and fifty
Others are mangled, crippled or bruised,
yet Of those who passed through that
terrible ordeal OF fire, lead and steel, not
one would hesitate to again march into
the ''jaws of DEATH"
The right wing was exposed to the
same fire which raked the left, and
though it did not participate in the bay.
onet charge, it came up the moment the
redoubt was carried, and the whole,
pursuing and pursued, rushed pell-meIl
down the opposite hillside, through the
camp OF the flying rebels, sending volley
after volley among the fugitives until they
we're lost to view in the forest or behind
other carthworks, when our troops were
ordered to fall back to the conquered re-
doubt. Our artillery now came up, and
"The war which for space did fail,
Now trebly laundering swelled the gale"
1t was now I o'clock, P. NJ, from
which time until dark the air was filled
with the music Of singing grape, buzz
ing ball and bursting shell.
Our troops rested on the field all
night, and all was quiet until daylight
the next morning, when the friendly
strains of parley were piped out by the
Confederate bugle, and flag Of truce
borne by huge African moved slowly
towards our lines. The signal was an
swered, and Col. Lauman met the Con-
federate officers in conference, the re-
suit Of which was an unconditional sur
render to Gen. Grant, of the Fort and
entire army, numbering about $4,000
men.
| The rebels Pillow, Floyd and other
notabes, possessed of large share Of
discretion, and not coveting the bloody
honors Of Zo!licoffer, took up their beds
and ANONYMOUSLY stampeded, leaving
things in charge OF Gen. Buckner, who
chose rather to remain aud share the
fate Of the unfortunate men under his
command. Those who escaped left the