The National tribune., 1900-12-06
LETTER.
from theF1EL.D
Conempaneous History the 9Sth Ohio
Campaigning IN Tennessee

! hill commanding the back country. The
| fort is well located for defense. and how
Gen. Grant was able to capture it and its
| garrison is worth reading by all military
men. All the boats passed the fort a
! couple of miles to the little town of Dover,
the upper end of the extensive line of
Notifications. We learn that determined
attempt had been made by Gen. Forrest
! to recapture the fort to-day, but he was
| beaten off. our gunboatS arriving just as
the rebS We're in retreat. thanks to a brave
! Colonel and a handful of men. The rebs
were fired on by the gunboats, and it was
this firing we heard on our way out. The
rebs had come a great distance to surprise
| the garrison and prevent our fleet from
coming up the river. The defenders were
| the SD ILL.,, and they proved to be of the
proper sort.
| Fort DonclSOn comprises a large space
I two miles along the river and three miles
! back; the whole space is high and cleared.
Many points and knobs are finished with
earthworks and heavy cannon, which COM
mand both the country and river. The en-
tire plot is surrounded with ritlepits, and
| beyond these are heavy woods. 1t was
over in these woods where Grant located
his army and where the heavy fighting
| took place.
Friday. Feb. 6.-The fotilla started
again this morning for Nashville. 1t was
most interesting sight. At 8 O'Clock the
boats, 30 in number, took positions in the
river, and with steampipes belchIng clouds
of steam i'll the frosty air, bells Changing
bands playing music, one could not help
being interested in the imposing spectacle
The gunboats took the lead, then came the
commands of Gems. Crook and Granger,
ours being in the rear; the whole force III
command of Gen. A. Baird.
Feb. I've are still going up the Cum
berand. and the trip is rather holiday
for us all. We passed GAINESVILLE in the
night, and expect to arrive at Nashville
this evening and then our river voyage
will be over. This afternoon the sun came
out bright and warm. and the decks are
filled with sightseeing soldiers. At every
town the people throng the shores to see
us pass. the negroes-men, women and
children-being the most interested. The
colored folks are all dressed in the rudest
manner. and evidently see hard times. We
are in sight of Nashville.
LANDING AT NASHVILLE.
Nashville. Tenn, Feb. 9. 1S63.-We ar
rived here yesterday at o'clock, and are
still on board the boat, waiting to get I'M
loaded. 1t was a grand sight to see the
fleet and city from the deck of our steam
err as we ncared the landing. There were
many more boats than we knew of, as
many kept coming up freighted with sup
plies of all kinds for the army. Viewed
from the steamer as we came near. the
city presents fine appearance, the State
House on high elevation being the most
conspicuous object. Streaming to the wharf
the river seemed alive with boats. Our
boat pushed its way, seeming determined
to find landing, crowding the small fry
at leisure The shores We're crowded with
people<out to see the biggest fleet ever as
sembled at their city.
Many houses were built on the waters
edge, with stone foundations up to the
hight of the streets. In many of these
buildings were rebel prisoners, who could
be seen at the windows, and they wasted
a great deal of strength cussing the Yam
KEGS and cheering for jeff Davis. The
towers of the suspension bridge still stand,
the bridge having been destroyed by the
rebels on the retreat
We finally made a landing and began
unloading 1t took sharp work to get your
own baggage, which is all on shore to-
night. ] took a stroll in the city, and was
not much impressed. The great city of
Nashville will not compare with those of
its class in the North. 1t is true it has