Page:Confederate Military History - 1899 - Volume 9.djvu/67

CHAPTER V.

SITUATION AT PORT DONELSON— DISPOSITION OF FORCES—ACCOUNT OF THE BATTLE—ATTACK BY THE GUNBOATS—THEIR REPULSE—GENERAL GRANT INVESTS CONFEDERATE LINES—SORTIE IN FORCE BY THE CONFEDERATES—ITS SUCCESS-BLOODY REPULSE OF THE FEDERALS— ESCAPE OF CONFEDERATE ARMY INSURED WHEN THE TROOPS WERE ORDERED BACK INTO THE TRENCHES—INDEFENSIBLE POSITION— SEVERE WEATHER—EXPOSURE AND SUFFERING OF CONFEDERATE TROOPS-GALLANT FIGHTING OF COLONEL HARRISON AND SECOND KENTUCKY, AND COLONEL LYON AND EIGHTH KENTUCKY—COUNCIL OF WAR—GENERALS FLOYD AND PILLOW TURN THE COMMAND OVER TO GENERAL BUCKNER AND ESCAPE TO NASHVILLE—GENERAL BUCKNER SURRENDERS TO GENERAL GRANT.

THE fall of Fort Donelson which occurred on February 16, 1862, was a far-reaching disaster, which opened up to the occupation by the enemy not only all of Kentucky, but all of Tennessee west of the Cumberland mountains. As the details of the battle belong properly to the history of the Confederate operations in Tennessee, only such reference to them will be made as is necessary to show the part taken by the Kentucky troops. General Pillow being in command at Fort Donelson, and an attack being imminent, the commands of Generals Buckner and Floyd, which had for several days been at Clarksville, were moved by boat, and the last of them arrived with General Floyd on the night of the 12th. General Buckner, in his report (Rebellion Records, Vol. VII, page 329), says: "The defenses were in a very imperfect condition. The space to be defended by the army was quadrangular in shape, being limited on

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