The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1866-02-15

Gil Of war. Floyd, much more successful
| in the line of felony than in the military
4 art, was anxious to save his precious BODY
from capture. Pillow was precisely in
the same predicainent. All knew that the
i works could not be held an hour after sun
rise the next day. Wherefore Floyd, in
order ITO steal himself away" and there
by preserve unsullied the consistent in
fanny of his character, turned over the corn
mand to Pillow, who turned it over ncon-
tinent to Buckner. Floyd and Pillow es-
capped up the river with a few followers -
AS day dawned on the morning ofSunday
the 10Th, Colonel Lauman observed white
flags on the rebel inner works. Lieuten-
ant Colonel Parrott, ofthe Seventh Iowa,
advanced and brought back offers of capit-
rrlation. 1t is well known that Grant de-
mantied and received an unconditional
surrender. h'"
Bythis great victory General Grant took
about thirteen thousand prisoners, several
thousand horses, forty-eight pieces of field
artillery, seventeen heavy siege guns,
!
mense quantities of stores. The rebels
themselves admitted a loss of two hun
dred and thirtv-Ufie slain and one thou
sand and seven wounded. but it is certain
their losses were greater than this. 6 H.
eral Pillow afterwards admitted a loss of
two thousand killed and wounded. The
| Union loss was about four hundred and
| A., N
and thirty five wounded. and some two
hundred prisoners, t,ken in the earlier
part of the Investment and sent away from
the fort before the surrender.
a- s. Na.-s -
AS for the Second Iowa, II here won
| reputation which can never fade from the
minds Of mankind 80 long as the victory
of Fort Donelson shall be remembered
| In the fine army of Western troops, whose
wonderful gallantry wrested the strong
hold from the insurgents, and caused even
rebel writers and rebel officers to admit
that the volunte5as from the Northwest
ern States and the Territory of Nebraska
were more than "A match for the best troops
of therrSonth; i'm all this gne array the Iowa
| Gus and daring conduct. All the troops.
with n sense of jostire which is ever char
acteristic of brave men, gladly admitted it
and the lines of the army rang with loud
praises of Colonel Tuttle and his regiment
AS well as OF General Smith and Colonel
Lauman, the general officers who had
charge of the assault. More the admirable
"a. of b.,r
enthusiasm from the impurtabie Halleck,
"A thing welln nigh as wonderful as the mir
acie of Moses which brought forth living
waters from the barren rock o the wilder
ness. lie telegraphed aS follows:
st. louis, February Is. 1862
ADJUTANT GENERAL \. B. BAKER:-
The Second Iowa Infantry proved them
seve the bravest of the brave; they had
tire n"1or or feaulng the coIunin wnicn en-
tered Fort Donelson.
III. w. HALLEcK, Major General"
After the rebel General had consented
to surrender. the Second Iowa was award
ed The post of honor, and was the first TO
enter Fort DOnelson--marching in at the
head of the grand column, which made a
most imposing display. The
Second marched up to the citadel, when
Corporal Voltair p. Twombly, the only
one Of the color guard who had escaped
uniniured, planted the stars and stripes
upon the captured tort, amid the wild huz-
ZaS of the victorious army, and Salvos of
artillery firing joyful salutes.
The history of the color guard is intert-
ing. Color Sergeant DoolttIe fell early in
the engagement, pierced by four ballsSand
dangerously wounded; the colors were
then taken up hy Corporal Page. who soon
fell dead; Corporal Churchill then took
them, but was severely wounde Just as
the regiment reached the rebel works.
when the flag was seized by Corporal
Twomblv, who WAS almost instantly
knocked down by spent ball. but ris-
ing from the shock bore the colOrs to the
end of the tight--the only man of the guard
on his ieet at the close of the contest.
1t may well be supposed that the fame
of the Iowa Second, borne on the swift
| wings of the telegraph and the press, soon
penetrated every par of Iowa. The Cen
eral Assembly was in session, and when a
committee sent to the field of battle to care
for our wounded. returned to the capital
bearing with them the flag that had been
borne on The glorious field, there was an
outpouring of people and of eloquence at
Des Moines. The flag was presented to the
| House. for custody on the Speakers desk
! till the close ofthe session, then to he turn
ed over to the State Historical Society,"
| The Hon. Rush Clark, Speaker. received
| the flag. and made an address of which /
quote but little. 'rbe valorous deeds of
the iowa Second are already part of our
national history. and make up one of its
most brilliant pages. 1t would be vain to
rehearse them now. The unfaltering on
set of those gallant men is written in the
/ sleepless memory of a million freemen -
Nothing can he ahated, none of their
achievements Forgotten" ..a.
| But this bright page in history was writ
ten with blood. OF the six hundred and
! thirty officers and men who formed the
stOrminr party being All of the regiment tit
for duty ut the time. fnrty-one was Slain,
and one hundred and filiy-seven wounded.
...
/ The Tribune's Washington special saws
( that on Thursday of this week the Govern
ment has large sale of four hunsred cam
non, thirty-six mortars, seven millions
cartridges and large number of musk cts,
at Old Point Comfort and at Alexs ndria,
on Friday next, it will dispose of 750, 900
/ feet of lumber.
The Ways and Means Committee has
entirely failed to conclude on an agreement
/ with the Canadians in relation to the reci-