nized for an officer. He saw at once that it was impossible to save the parties who were still out in search of the wounded, and completely cut off; so he turned his horse, riding back to the transports slowly, in order not to attract a fire. Getting nearer, however, he put spurs to his horse, and galloped hard to the bank, the animal sliding over the brink on his haunches. The rebel fire was now hot, and the transports were about pushing off, leaving Grant ashore; he however rode rapidly up, and a plank was put out for him, over which he trotted his horse aboard, under a heavy musketry fire. The convoy of gunboats then opened on the rebel ranks, which had by this time approached within fifty or sixty yards. Grape and canister were poured into them with good effect, mowing the men down in swaths.* The enemy fortunately fired too high, and a storm of shot passed over the hurricane deck, but wounded only three men, and killed none. By five o'clock, the last transport was out of range, officers and men equally elated with the idea of having gained a victory.

The next day, under a flag of truce, Grant met an old West Point comrade, who had become a rebel, and was serving on Polk's staff. Grant mentioned having ridden out and met the rebel line. "Was that you?" said the other; "we saw you, and General Polk called to some of his troops: 'There, men, is a Yankee, if you want to try your aim ;"" but all

*"After nearly all the troops had reëmbarked, and were about ready to start, a sudden attack was made upon the transport vessels by an apparently large reënforcement of rebels. Our boats being in good position, we opened fire with our grape and canister, and fivesecond shells, and completely routed them, we learn, with great slaughter."-Report of Lieutenant Walker, commanding naval force.

were intent on hitting the transports then, and nobody fired at Grant.

At Belmont, Grant lost four hundred and eightyfive men in killed, wounded, and missing; one hundred and twenty-five of his wounded fell into the hands of the rebels; he carried off one hundred and seventy-five prisoners and two guns, and spiked four other pieces three of these last were left behind, because drawn by hand, and the other had an inefficient team. About seven thousand rebels were engaged, and Polk sustained a loss of six hundred and forty-two men. By their own showing, the rebels had twice as many troops as Grant, and lost onethird more.* If any reënforcements were to be sent to Price, they were by this operation detained, and the movement of Oglesby was entirely protected. The enemy also remained concentrated thereafter at Columbus, lest another and more serious attack should follow.

This battle confirmed Grant in the belief on which he always afterwards acted, that when neither party is well disciplined, there is nothing to gain in the matter of discipline, by delay. The enemy organizes

* Pillow reported that, at the beginning of the fight, he had five regiments on the ground, but that these were greatly reduced by sickness, and, in consequence, numbered only twenty-five hundred men. Besides these, he had a battery of artillery and a squadron of cavalry. Polk reported reënforcing Pillow with five more regiments, whose numbers are not said to have been reduced by sickness. This entire force, at that period of the war, could hardly have been less than seven thousand men. The rebel reports greatly overestimate Grant's strength and exaggerate his loss. Otherwise they differ but in one essential point from the statements in the text. They all declare that Grant's troops broke and fled to the transports in great disorder, and were hotly pursued. The captured guns and the prisoners carried off by Grant, and the fact that men were sent back to gather up his wounded, disprove these assertions. The hot pursuit was after the national troops had got aboard.

and improves as rapidly as yourself, and all the advantages of prompt movement are lost.

The strategic results accomplished by Belmont might perhaps have been attained, had the original design been carried out, and only a demonstration made; but the troops, who had volunteered with the idea of active campaigning, were getting restive during the long delay at Cairo. When they found that they were really starting out, the blood of officers and men. was up; had they been taken back then without a fight, their confidence in themselves and in their commander, would have been impaired. Grant noticed this, and even if he had not received the information on which his attack was based, would nevertheless have made the assault. The influence of the fight upon the troops engaged was of the happiest sort. It gave them a confidence and a fortitude which they never lost, and long afterwards the "Belmont men" were known as among the stanchest soldiers in the army of the Tennessee.

The country, however, knowing none of the ob jects of the movement, and seeing only the fact that troops had advanced and then retired, regarded the affair as a disaster, while the enemy, of course, her. alded it for a rebel victory. Long after, many who looked upon Grant as one of the greatest of soldiers, declared that he should be forgiven for Belmont, and remained ignorant, not only that he accomplished more than he was sent to do, but that the very traits which contributed most materially to his later successes, were displayed as signally at Belmont as on any occasion during the war.*

* See Appendix for Grant's instructions and various papers relating to the Belmont affair.

CHAPTER II.

Rebel strategic line from Columbus to Bowling Green-Halleck in command of Department of the Missouri-Gunboats at the West-Demonstration in favor of Buell-Smith reports capture of Fort Henry feasible-Grant visits St. Louis to suggest the operation-Movement against Fort Henry sanctioned by Halleck-Attack by the fleet-Disposition of Grant's forces-Fall of Fort Henry-Grant proposes capture of Fort Donelson-Halleck directs strengthening of Fort Henry-March to the Cumberland-Position and strength of Fort Donelson-The siege-Unsuccessful attack by the fleet-Assault by the rebels on the 15th of February-Counter-assault of national forces-Scene at Floyd's headquarters on the night of the 15th-Escape of Floyd and Pillow-Buckner proposes surrender-The capitulation-Buckner's headquar ters-Halleck's dispatches after the victory-Results of the capture of Fort Donelson.

SHORTLY after the battle of Belmont, the rebels established a strong and well-selected line, reaching from the Mississippi to the Big Barren river, in middle Kentucky. On their extreme left was Columbus, where they soon collected one hundred and forty guns, and a force sufficient to cover Memphis, and hold the great Western river; on the right was Bowling Green, at the junction of the Louisville and Nashville, and the Memphis and Ohio railroads, and the northernmost point then held by the rebels west of the Alleghany mountains; at this place, one of their largest and best-appointed armies was concentrated,

*See Polk's report of evacuation of Columbus.

threatening northern Kentucky and protecting Nashville and middle Tennessee. At the centre of this important strategic line, the Tennessee and Cumberland rivers formed the natural avenues into all the disputed territory north of the cotton states. About fifty miles from the Ohio, and near the boundary be tween Kentucky and Tennessee, these two great streams approach within twelve miles of each other, and here, at a bend in each river, the rebels had erected their strongholds. Fort Henry, on the Tennessee, and Fort Donelson, on the Cumberland, completely commanded the navigation, and stood like great barred gateways against any advance of the national armies. Their sites had been selected with care; they had been elaborately fortified, and large garrisons were stationed to defend them. They covered the great railroad line of communication from east to west, through the border states, and their possession determined the fate of Kentucky and Tennes see; for Nashville and Memphis were not fortified, and Bowling Green and Columbus would both be turned, whenever the national arms subdued these forts.

The battle of Belmont was fought on the 7th of November, and on the 9th, Major-General Henry W. Halleck, superseding Fremont, took command of the new Department of the Missouri, including Arkansas and the portion of Kentucky west of the Cumberland. The Department of the Ohio, consisting of that part of Kentucky east of the Cumberland, and the state of Tennessee, as well as certain portions of the loyal states, was assigned to Brigadier-General Don Carlos Buell, with headquarters at Louisville.

In all the operations at the West, during the first