The Potter journal. [volume] (Coudersport, Pa.) 1857-1872, 1865-06-07
BATTLE OF DONELSON.

The army CORES spondents had no pow.
er, through love or largeness, to obtain
horses on their February campaign in
Tennessee, the second year of the War.
The taliSman Of the Press had lost its
equine potency, and most of the war
pursuing BohemIanS were compelled to
60 to the field from Fort Henry over a
rough and miry road in pedestrianlzlng
capacity.
Philosophers complaip of nothing but,
to a vivid Imagination, the prospect of
the approaching fight was more unique
thar fascinating.
| faucied the Bohemians wandering
over tAe field knee deep in mud. liable,
without uniforms or any badge OF dis
tnction, to be mistaken by each side for
fOes, aud, 10 event of defeat, to be rid
den down and shot at, under suspicion
of being Rebels, in the most miscelIape,
Gus and magnificent manner.
So [ fancied and my fancies were
more than half realized.
No one cares for Bohemian, | hope,
aud no true Bohemian cares who cares
for him.
If, to speak geographically, he is set
up loaded with a shooting stick, or his
form knocked into everlasting pf by a
shell, DO column rule will be turued for
him There will be merely one journal
ist less in the World, and one more phase
Of boredom exhausted.
For any i'll fared quill.driver who may
breakfast with Proserpine one of these
dull mornings, have composed an epl
taph. which nothing but regard for my
readers, aud the memory OF the deceased
that is to be, prevents NE from inserting
here
Well | remember how we of the Press
wandered about that hard fought field,
hslf starved and half frozen, having left
our blankets and india rubbers behind,
and brought 20 ratious with US; suppus
ing, as did every one ia the army, that
the capture of Douc.Son would be a sim.
pie before breakfast recreation.
Few of US, as | have said, had horses
and, being without tents, provisions, or
sufficient clotting-particularly after the
sudden change, on the day Of our arrival,
from Spring like softness and warmth to
raw, biting. penetrating wind and storm,
followed by sleet, snow, and severe win
try weather-we suffered greatly, but,
fortunately for US, not long
At Fort Henry an explosion Of box
of ammunition had dashed a piece of
cartridge paper into one of my optics,
which soon iufamed the other through
sympathy, aud made me nearly blind.
For three days | groped over the
frozen and snowy ground, and, with my
companion of the New York World, fol
lowed, from time to time. army wagons,
to pick up pieces of hard bread which
were jolted out mi-occaSionaly over the
rough roads
| thought that difficult to endure then
but. since my long apprenticeship iD
Rebel prisons, | regard by com parison all
previous experience of my life, however
unpleasant aud painful, as path of roses
and stream of JOY.
The battle of Donelson, or siege of
Fort Donelson, as it is often called, was
continued by land and water for
four days, February 18th, 18th, 18th,
and 10; though, from the position of the
Rebel works on the river, our gunboats
were enabled to do little toward the OBJ |
tainment of the victory.
The country about Donelson was very
uneven, being surrounded by high hills,
aud covered in many places with trees
aud undergrowth, SO that nothing could
be seen of the main work from any point
of land that our men were able to reach.
Although | was wandering over the
field all four days, | did not see the for,
proper myself, nor meet single person
who had seen it, though the outwork,
were visible from various places, and the
hebels working the guns.
Va Saturday, the 10th inst, our troops,
though 4most Of them had never been
under hFe, fought like veterans, under
the most dlsadvantaSeous circumstances,