The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1898-11-17

ant orators who made the assertion that
lone Southerner could whip five Yankees,
ETC., and who were still at home (or large
majority of them) doing the wind work fo
, the Confederacy, and urging the boys to 90
to the front at once and not miss the glor
Gus opportunity of expelling the ruthless in
vaders from our sacred Southern soil"
Our little fort replied as vigorously as il
was capable; the booming of its guns mingled
with those of the gunboats, the crashing o.
shells through the timber, and the falling o
limbs around and about US seemed terrific tt
our unaccustomed ears, though the real
danger was small, as very few Of the shells
burst near our line, and being on lower
ground than the fort those which missed il
went clean over our heads. Our appetites
were completely knocked out in the first
round ," empty stomachs no longer realized
the vacancy caused by the absence OF both
breakfast and dinner When we were ordered
to pile overcoats, load and cap our guns, with
suppressed excitement we awaited the ap-
preach of the enemy; but nothing more
dangerous looking than trees and lagoons
appeared in the direction from which we
expected them to come. The cannonading
continued necessarily for something near an
hour and half, when it ceased as suddenly
as it had begun.
We Immediately ordered to right-face,
forward, march-up the river, which ap-
peared little strange, as the enemy were
supposed to be in the opposite direction, and
for a short while we could not comprehend
what had happened; but it soon dawned on
US that the fort had surrendered, and we were
etreating-running from the Yankees, We
who had so recently left home with visions
of glory to be achieved on the field of battle
hun nlc Of IN
our "buck and ball." and our long -bladed
knives stepped in Yankee gore, actually
running before we had fired gun, OF even
caught glimpse of blue coat
A LIVELY PROCESSION.
When it became known that we were re-
treating the impulse to 90 faster and faster
seemed to strike all of US at the same time,
while the dashing past of small squads OF
frightened cavalrymen and an occasional
shot in the rear served to accelerate our speed
until short-legged fellows like myself had to
go in a lively trot to keep up with the pro-
cession
We followed dim road which led UP the
river, and had not gone very far when we en-
countered an obstacle which again placed
short-legged fellows at disadvantages per-
feet torrent of a creek, which, swollen from
recent rains was rushing down from the hills
towards the river, full 60 feet wide and rum
ming like mll-race.
Here was a preiicament for fel low who
had lust broken out - with me asles-a
stream of cold water ahead and Yankees be-
hind; either was bad enough, but of the
two evils | took the cold bath as the lesser.
The stream was so deep and the current so
strong that one man alone could not stem it;
so. locking together tall and short, by fours,
we plunged in
Dennis Clark, big six-footer, took my
gun, and swinging Oh to his belt with one
hand while | held my cartridge-box on my
head with the other, he landed me safe on
the o5keT bank, though the water came to my
and several times swept my feet
from under me.
We felt some relief when we had placed
the creek between Us and our pursuers, hop
ing it would check, If not stop, the pursuit
indeed. the stream seemed to be rising, and a
very few inches would render it impossible
to infantry. We did not wait to see if the
Yankees would take to the water as freely as
we did, but kept moving, following the
course of the river several miles, then turned
across the country towards Fort Donelson.
The cavalry pursued and charged upon our
rear occasionally during the afternoon, but
in small force, and were easily repulSed.
Night ended the pursuit. but not our
troubles, for it set in cloudy and so dark we
could not see the man in front of US. All
night long we CROPPED our way over hills and
hoilows, wading mum berless creeks and
branches, and finally reached Fort Donelson
at daylight, exhausted an d almost starved.
Truly, we were in a sad plight: SO hours with
out food and 15-hour run through mud
and water with out n minutes rest WAS pretty