The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1866-02-15
The Battle of Fort Donelson. d

18th ofFebruary, 1869, with force ofabout
i fifteen thousand men, for the purpose OF
attacking Fort Donelson. astrong work on
the Cumberland, defended by garrison
some eighteen thousand strong, the whole
under the command ofths rebal general
and villain, John B. Floyd. of Virginia,
who had associated with him, or under
him, Generals Pillow, Floyd, Buckner,
Iand Bushrod X. R.Johnson. General Grant :
forces were in two divisions commanded
respectively by General John A. McCler-
nand and General G. F.iSmith. The ad-
vance approached the rebel works the
same day, and with considerable skirm-
ishing took position on a line parallel with
the eneny's outer works, McClernand on
the right, Smith Gu the left. On the day
/ following. the investment was extended
on both TANKS of the enemy, but awaiting
the gun boats under Flag Officer Foote,
and additional troops sent around by wa
ter as well as re-enforcements from
Carlo and ahove, General Grant made no
attack in force on the 18th, though there
was fighting all along the lines, and es-
| pecially on our left. .-r.. ..l. g.. .... =
The fleet arrived in the evening, and
the re-eniorcements disembarking,
augmented the Union army to u force
of about twenty-five thousand of all arms.
General Lew. Wallace had also arrived
with third division and taken position
on the center of our lines. About noon of
the 18th, our line of investment extended
| well round the rebel works from near the
| town of Dover, south of Donelson, to cul-
tavated farm below the works on the river
off which lay the gun boat fleet.
Meantime the army proceeded with the
| investment, which on the evening of the
l4th was complete on the west bank of the
| river, except in font of the enemy's ex-
| treme left. The fighting which had thus
| far taken place, and which on many parts
of the lines had been at different times Sc
we're, swelling into the proportions of bat
tie, had resulted advantageously to the
Union arms. The rebel generals, notwith-
standing the defeat of The navy, were fearful
| of disaster. They therefore held a council
of war in which a plan of attack was
agreed upon for the morrow. The plan
was. i'm brief. that Pillow should attack
the Union right vigorously, whilst Helm
an on the center and Ruckner on the reb-
al right, should demonstrate in their front
rather than seriouly attack. Pillows sue
cess. according to this an, "would roll
the enerny's force in retreat over upon
General Buckner, when by his attack in the
flank and rear, we could cut up the enemy
and pat him completely to rout."-a very
pretty plan, as thus stated by Pillow him
self, but splendidly marred in theexecution
hy certain counter dispositions made by
General Grant.
fsn-i@- tho rnnrnine- ~ .i----r-'rrr' II
low sailed from the works and delivered
an impetuous attack, his troops i'm heavy
masses, on the Union right. held bv Nc
Clnrnand. 1na few moments there was n
fearful strife on this part Of the field. 1t
continued with unabated fury for four
hours. The ground was strewn with the
dead and wounded. The Unionists We're
| forced to fall back, with the loss of several
pieces ofartillpry. But there was no dis
| order, nor confusion, nor were the troops
put in retreat. They were simply pressed
back by superior numbers, but they fought
every inch OF the way. Colonel w. III. l..
! Wallace, Colonel Richard Ogleshy here
commanded bri;sadeS of IIlinoisans. which
! fought on this field with IA courage and en-
duranre never surpassed. Colonel John
A. LOgan. and Lieutenant Coonel T. L.
g. Ransom, here fought with promise of
! future greatness, which was afterwards
crowned with splendid renown.
!
But whilst much of this was occurring
on the right of our lines, Smith on the left
was warmly engaged. General Grant
who in the morning had been engaged in
consultation with Flag Officer Foote on
the Cumberland, upon his return to the
| field ordered General Smith to assault the
works on the left. Smith selected the
brigade commanded by Colonel J. G. Lau-
man, Seventh Iowa, as the storming party.
| 1t was composed of the Second Iowa,
| (which only five days before had left ST.
Louis i'm unmerited disgrace) the Seventh
and Fourteenth Iowo. the first regiment of
western sharp shooter, the Twenty fifth,
and Ffty-second Indiana. the latter tenn
| porarily attached to the brigade Colonel
| Tuttle led the advance. Marching uv the
left flank, the left wing was in advance,
covered by the sharp-shooters deplOyed as
skirmslters. The right wing followed
about one hundred and fifty yards in the
rear, and was itselffollowel by the Fifty
second Indiana, the Twentyffifth Indiana,
the Seventh and Fourteenth Iowa, i'm the
order named.
The rebel works were five hundred
yards in advance. and the line of march
was npa considerable htll, ohstructed by
dbdtis. The advance was sounded at two
o'clock, afternoon. Officers drew their
swords. the men grasped their muskets
| firmly and moved on the rebel works. No
man spoke. Not a gun was fired from our
ranks. Silent as the grave and iuexora-
bile as death, the Second Iowa pushed its
way up the hill through storm of grape,
and shell and ball. Many dropped dead,
| But not groan nor "a cry was heard. The
regiment moved as noSelesSlv as mauv
lions stealing upon their prey. Reaching
the works. the men bounded over with
wonderful agility, and for the frat time
/ the Colonel gave command. Now give
them hell!' shouted Tuttle, in the fine ex
citement of them oment, paying little heed
to the orthodoxy of his order, "and If NOR
tails, says correspondent sever infiict-
ed the torments of damation upon the den
izens of earth it was then and there, in
obedience to that order" The enemy re-
sisted with great stubbornness, but the
/ whole regiment forming in line inside the
rebel works, drove the enemy to an inte-
! rior line of ri Iln niiS and then fell hncL To