The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1885-05-28
FORT DONELSON.
An Eyewitness Gives His Version Of the

To THE EDITOR: Comrade Cannon in, his
article in THE NATIONAL TRIBUNE of April
on the so-called second battle of Fort Donelson,
is correct in general outline, yet there are a
few points on which his memory and mine do
not agree He comedies in some measure the
victory to the gunboats, while Comrade Lemon,
of the 9Th Iowa Cav, in more recent issue of
THE NATIONAL TRIBUNE, claims the victory
for his regiment, both of which / denounce as
unjust to the real victors. which / shall en-
deavor to show by reviewing briefly some OF
the facts in the case.
Strictly speaking that was not the second
battle but the third, as stated by Comrade
Lemon. But as the second by Col. Woodward,
was little more than a skirmish, the one i'll
question was generally accepted as the second
battle of Fort Donelson. Comrade Cannon is a
little under the number of troops at the post,
and Comrade Lemon is farther Oft on the other
side
The several morning reports of the post on
the morning Of Feb. 3, 1868, showed an aggre-
gate of 760 men for duty, consisting of Go. e.,
SD ILL.,; 5th Iowa Cav, and Floods battery
(C), I'd III. l.. A., and none other, as stated by
Comrade Lemon. In this l think my memory
serves ME very truly. Ii there was another
soldier at the post that morning belonging to
any other command than the above mentioned
he was either in the hospital or the guard
house. Comrade Lemon says the 18th Wis.
was there. To this | wish to state that / have
the documents at home in black and white,
showing that the 18th Wis. and the list Ohio
Tor part Of it, arrived at Fort Donelson on the
night of Wednesday, March 4, 1863 just one
month and one day after the battle III question
AS to the number of the enemyI think there
were about 5000. We took prisoners belonging
to 16 different commanders. They were the
combined forces of Forrest, Wheeler and Whor
ton. Comrade Cannon has the points of the
compass little mixed, as the first point of at
fo,l xl,no CT i,cfa nod of bn al
lowing his description as correct we come to
the big gun point. This gun was a 32-pounder,
mounted on barbet carriage, commanded by
Serg't Grant Abby, of Co. A, SD III. After
long continued firing they exhausted all the
friction primers, but still kept up the fire by
means Of rope fuze till all their proiectiles
were expended but one canister. This was put
into the gun to await final charge at that
point which came in due time like an ava
lanche, The enemy thought the gun slenced
and charged right up to within 80 feet of its
muzzc, when one of them shouted, We've
got it," when Serg't Abby shouted in reply,
Yes, but you have got the wrong end" and
just then touched it off by throwing shovel of
Goals from his cabin fire on the vent primed with
powder, and gave the rebs the biggest surprise
of the day, causing terrible slaughter in their
ranks and persuading them to abandon that
project. 1t is but just to say here that for his
gallant bravery Serg't Abby was promoted to
Second Lieutenant after that days work. l
pass on to the closing scene Just five minutes
before seven o'clock by my watch the firing
ceased, which at that season of the year is some
time after nightfall. Then we had moonlight,
and could fire with good effect. Then the flag
of truce came i'm for the second time. The Off
Ger told Col. Harding that he and his men had
covered themselves all over with glory, and
could now surrender without any disgrace but
if he did not surrender they would make
,,1} alias a,,I ,afn
Col. Harding told him that he had no such
notion and if he had. his men would not sur
render; that they had just got in good way
| for fighting, and ne would just give them (the
truce party two minutes to get out of his lines.
They took him at his word and got. But they
did not renew the attack, although we prepared
for it by baricading the streets for desperate
struggle. We could see their manuvering, but
afterward found that they were gathering up
their dead and wounded. This finished, they
retired from the field out of sight, and all was
quiet They collected their forces in the big
hollow on the west, about the Fort Henry road,
and we saw no more of them. Thus matters
remained for fully an hour after the firing had
ceased-an hour of intense suspense. Every
man of the little band determined if occasion
required. to sell his life dearly as possible.
But after all it was a needless suspense, as we
afterward ascertained that the enemy had
exhausted all their ammuni ton. save one round
for battalion of Texan rangers; and what had
we to fear from them when the whole force had
failed to subdue us? We were beginning to
quiet our suspense as to any further danger,
when 10. a signal shot from a gunboat away
down the river joyfully broke the stiffness of
the night. At this Col. Harding directed their
fire by signal rockets, and they sheled the woods
in the vicinity of our new neighbors, who soon
left and sought saier retreat. This is the part
the gunboats took in the fray, without over
drawing the picture. This was about s o'clock
p. M.
Now to the part the 9Th Iowa Cav. Except
Co. g. took. This regiment was at Fort Hind
man, about IA miles away. COmrade Lemon
says they attacked the rebels in the rear on
two roads leading from Fort Henry to Donel-
son. This is a new phase of the matter, as we
never found more than one road between those
points, and that not good one, and by the
time the 9Th reached us l don't think there
was any force of rebs nearer than seven miles
that night before they rode into our camp. We
were glad to see them come, for we could then
lie down and take some rest for the remainder
of the night.
Let the victory fall to whom victory is due
Col. A. G. Harding in short time thereafter
was promoted to rigadier-General for that
days work. Lieut. Col A. A. Smith became
Colonel, and a better one never marched to
battle.
Now, Mr.. Editor, am almost afraid this
article is too long for the first one, but l could
not cover the ground in shorter space satisfac-
torily.-JOE b. SAMSON, Co. b, SD ILL.,, Kaho-
ka, Mo.