The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1866-06-12

day that hilltop and side, down to Its
base. covered with dense thicket OF
undergrowth-briars, vines and sap
plings so interviewer that it was with
the utmost difficulty | could make my
way to the decisive point where were
the rebel OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES ground
made sacred by the blood of so many
of our best men, and the pos
session of which crowned the three
days battle with victory. 1t was in
teresting to see in that wild and lonely
thicket, where man now seldom wan
dered, to recall the scene there enacted
more than four years before. How
wildly did remember the charge OF
that gallant brigade up the hillside.
How the leaden hail came thick and
fast. How the grape and solid shot
and bursting shells made such rents
in the shattered columns. Still they
pressed on with undaunted steps up
towards the entertainments, which
seemed on fire with the flames of death.
Not shot fred from the line-bayon-
cts fxed-on they came. No wonder
that such charge drove the enemy
from their works. 1t was a noble
work, well done by two thousand raw
volunteers, receiving their first bap-
tism of fire. L thought of that gallant
old soldier, General Smith, who led
that brigade up to victory, and could
almost see him then, on his white
horse, hat in hand, his gray hair
streaming in the wind, joining with
the men in the shout of exultatiOn.
Every one of the survivors of that day
will remember him. as they soon after
mourned his untimely death; and after
the work was done and night settled
down upon them how they gathered,
from this trench and from the hillside
yonder, the dead and the dying. /
felt that / stood on holy ground-and
ever green in the memory of the COM
8 rades Of, those fallen heroes-holy to
to the nation for whose life they
had consecrated this hill with their
blood. Then the cold bivouack that
night as they laid in the entrench-
ments, holding fast the key point of
the line, that the army might thence
begin again the next day. And as the
: gray morning came, and the sun from
the rebel line beyond the white flag of
surrender, and they marched down
from that hill into the rebel fort,
keeping step to the grand music of
freedom, they began to feel the thrill
tory, glowing for the nation, which
{ began to feel that its life was assured
victory, glowing in the annals of our
history, concentrating the triumphs
of soldiery.
Passing along around the line from
| left to right, | found, wherever | could
distinguish at all, that the rebel en-
trenchments were nearly washed away.
and in little while nothing will mark
the line where the battle ragged. The
battle field on the right, where the
rebels on the morning of Saturday left
their works and assailed our troops in
camp, and where the most murderous
confictwas carried on, can now hardly
be reached, on account of the thick
network of underground. ASH wan
dered over these rugged hills and saw
again how strongly the rebels were
entrenched and advantageously posted,
the wonder came over me again, why
twas they so tamely. surrendered their
works without more fighting. Taking
the rebel position into consideration.
histofywill write Fort Donelson down
as one of the easiest, as it was one of |
the most complete, of our victories.
After weary tramp of three hours.
j returned to the dilapidated town Of I
Dover, well repaid for my mornings /
ramble, and having fresh in my mind |
the glowing achievements of our sol
diers. f.