CAPTAIN JOHN A. RAWLINS, U. S. Y. Assistant-Adjutant-General on General Grant’s staff. From a photograph taken in 1861.
DOVER TAVERN —GENERAL BUCKNER’S HEADQUARTERS AND THE SCENE OF THE SURRENDER.
From a photograpli taken in 1884.
When General McClernand perceived the peril threatening him in the morning, he sent an officer to me ־with a request for assistance. This request I referred to General Grant, who was at the time in consultation with Foote. Upon the turning of Oglesby’s flank, McClernand repeated his request, with such a representation of the situation that, assuming the responsibility, I ordered Colonel Cruft to report with his brigade to McClernand. Cruft set out promptly. Unfortunately a guide misdirected him, so that he became involved in the retreat, and was prevented from accomplishing his object.
I was in the rear of my single remaining brigade, in conversation with Captain Rawlins, of Grant’s staff, when a great shouting was heard behind me on the Wynn’s Ferry road, whereupon I sent an orderly to ascertain the cause. The man reported the roads and woods full of soldiers apparently in rout. An officer then rode by at full speed, shouts ing “ All ’s lost ! Save yourselves ! ” A hurried consultation was had with Rawlins, at the end of which the brigade was put in motion toward the enemy’s works, on the very road by which Buckner was pursuing under Pillow’s mischievous order. It happened also that Colonel W. H. L. Wallace had dropped into the same road with such of his command as stayed by their colors. He came up riding and at a walk, his leg over the horn of his saddle. He was perfectly cool, and looked like a farmer from a hard day’s plowing. “ Good morning,” I said. “ Good morning,” was the reply. “ Are they
his laurels. General •Pillow’s vanity whistled itself into ludicrous exaltation. Imagining General Grant’s whole army defeated and fleeing in rout for Fort Henry and the transports on the river, he deported himself accordingly. He began by ignoring Floyd. He rode to Buckner and accused him of shameful conduct. He sent an aide to the nearest telegraph station with a despatch to Albert Sidney Johnston, then in command of the Department, asseverating, “on the honor of a soldier,” that the day was theirs. Nor did he stop at that. The victory, to be available, required that the enemy should be followed with energy. Such was a habit of Napoleon. Without deigning even to consult his chief, he ordered Buckner to move out and attack the Federals. There was a gorge, up which a road ran toward our central position, or rather what had been our central position. Pointing to the gorge and the road, he told Buckner that was his way and bade him attack in force. There was nothing to do but obey; and when Buckner had begun the movement, the wise programme decided upon the evening before was wiped from the slate.
When Buckner reluctantly took the gorge road marked out for him by Pillow, the whole Confederate army, save the detachments on the works, was virtually in pursuit of McClernand, retiring by the Wynn’s Ferry road — falling back, in fact, upon my position. My division was now to feel the weight of Pillow’s hand; if they should fail, the fortunes of the day would depend upon the veteran Smith.
country was once more open to Floyd.
Why did he not avail himself of the dearly bought opportunity, and march his army out?
Without pausing to consider whether the Confederate general could now have escaped with his troops, it must be evident that he should have made the effort. Pillow had discharged his duty well. With the disappearance of W. H. L. Wallace’s brigade, it only remained for the victor to deploy his regiments into column and march into the country. The road was his. Buckner was in position to protect Colonel Head’s withdrawal from the trenches opposite General Smith on the right; that done, he was also in position to cover the retreat. Buckner had also faithfully performed his task.
On the Union side the situation at this critical time was favorable to the proposed retirement. My division in the center was weakened by the despatch of one of my brigades to the assistance of General McClernand; in addition to which my orders were to hold my position. As a point of still greater importance, General Grant had gone on board the St. Louis at the request of Flag-Officer Foote, and he was there in consultation with that officer, presumably uninformed of the disaster which had befallen his right. It would take a certain time for him to return to the field and dispose his forces for pursuit. It may be said with strong assurance, consequently, that Floyd could have put his men fairly en route for Charlotte before the Federal commander could have interposed an obstruction to the movement. The real difficulty was in the hero of the morning, who now made haste to blight
GLIMPSE OP THE CUMBERLAND RIVER WHERE THE GUN-BOATS FIRST APPEARED.
Looking north from the highest earth-works of Fort Donelson. (From a photograph taken in 1884.)
He then gave the order to retire the division.
W. II. L. Wallace from his position looked off to his right and saw but one regiment of Oglesby’s in place, maintaining the fight, and that was John A. Logan’s 31st Illinois. Through the smoke he could see Logan riding in a gallop behind his line; through the roar in his front and the rising yell in his rear, he could hear Logan’s voice in fierce entreaty to his “boys.” Near the 31st stood W. H. L. Wallace’s regiment, the 11th Illinois, under Lieutenant-Colonel Ransom. The gaps in the ranks of the two were closed up always toward the colors. The ground at their feet was strewn with their dead and wounded; at length the common misfortune overtook Logan. To keep men without cartridges under fire sweeping them front and flank would be cruel, if not impossible ; and seeing it, he too gave the order to retire, and followed his decimated companies to the rear. The 11th then became the right of the brigade, and had to go in turn. Nevertheless, Ransom changed front to rear coolly, as if on parade, and joined in the general retirement. Forrest charged them and threw them into a brief confusion. The greater portion clung to their colors, and made good their retreat. By 11 o’clock Pillow held the road to Charlotte and the whole of the position occupied at dawn by the First Division, and with it the dead and all the wounded who could not get away.
Pillow’s part of the programme, arranged in the council of the night before, was accomplished. The
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