to manded permission to return to their families. having been an eye-witness to the part acted in By threat and argument, most of them were in- it by General Floyd, it has suggested itself that duced to return to duty; but three or four held a few thoughts thereon would not be inapproout, declaring that they would insist on their priate. I first saw General Floyd, at Nashville, right to go home; but all these, save one, were in January, 1862. He was then on his way at last convinced that there was no alternative join General A. S. Johnston, whose headquarters but death or obedience, and, at whatever sacrifice were at Bowling Green, on Green River, Kenof feeling, concluded to shoulder arms again, and tucky. General Floyd had his command with return to duty. One man, however, firmer than him, the same that served with him in West Virthe rest, and who was continually haunted by the ginia. It was then supposed that the great batmemory of his destitute family at home, steadily tle of the war would take place at or near Bowrefused obedience to the new and terrible law. ling Green, which would decide the question He said he had fought faithfully and willingly for whether Kentucky was ours or belonged to the his country, but his time had expired, and he de- Federals. General Buell commanded the Fedmanded, as a right, that he should go home and eral forces, which occupied the line of Green Rivmake proper provision for the support of his family, er, and his army was rapidly reënforced, until, on when he promised to return and become a voluntary the 1st of February, 1862, it numbered one hunconscript. Argument, persuasion, threat, impris- dred thousand men. It was given out that Genonment were powerless to move him from this eral Johnston's army was also one hundred thouposition. At last he was tried by court-martial sand strong, and that the line of Green River for mutiny, and sentenced to be shot on the fol- would be held. A line of defence had been drawn lowing day. He received his sentence with per- from Bowling Green westward to Columbus, on feet coolness, declaring that he was right, and if the Mississippi, embracing Forts Henry, on the they chose to shoot him, they might do so. His Tennessee River, and Donelson, on the Cumbercase elicited universal sympathy, and Bragg was land. The latter place was selected by Governor persuaded, by the entreaties of some of his offi- Harris, of Tennessee, on account of the natural cers, to extend the condemned man three days of strength of the position, and because it was the grace. He was allowed the liberty of the camp, key of Nashville. This point was strongly fortiand every argument used to persuade him to get fied. Most of the heavy guns were mounted unaway, which he could easily do. "No," he replied der the supervision of General Buckner, who took to all such suggestions; he had done nothing command of the post in January, 1862. Thus, wrong, and he would not sneak away, as though on the 1st of February, 1862, the people who he were guilty. He wished nothing unjust or were south of this military line felt perfectly sewrong; his family at home were starving; his cure from the horrors of invasion, fully confident first duty was to provide for them. The three that the tide of war would roll towards the Ohio, days passed; and the Crescent regiment, which instead of south, on the Cumberland and Tenwas enlisted for three months, and which was, nessee. With the accomplished Sidney Johnston, perhaps, as anxious to return home as any other commanding an army one hundred thousand in the field, was detailed to complete the tragedy. strong, in Central Kentucky, and the people of The army was drawn up, enclosing the Crescent that gallant State rising in arms, it was believed regiment, for fear, it was said, they should refuse that the enemy would be beaten, and his flying to obey orders. The doomed man was brought cohorts driven out of the State. Such was the out, and marched, with a firm step, to his stand feeling of the people of Tennessee and Southern beside the coffin prepared to receive his dead Kentucky on the 1st of February, 1862. Fatal body. At the appointed moment he bared his security! It lost us an empire, not yet recovered. breast, gave the signal to fire, and fell, in the same Early in February General Gideon J. Pillow moment, upon his coffin, a lifeless corpse. A assumed command of the forces at Fort Donelson. squad of men were immediately detailed to bury He was the universal choice of the people of him, and the army was marched back to camp. Tennessee for that position. On arriving at the The unfortunate regiment, which was chosen as fort he commenced work with his usual energy. the instrument of this terrible despotism, was It was under his direction that the rifle pits were sickened by the sight, as though there had been | dug, earthworks thrown up, timber and underadministered to them the most powerful emetic; growth cut down, and guns mounted, to prepare and from that time on, upon the name of Braxton for a land attack from the enemy. His presence Bragg were heaped curses, both loud and deep; but open mutiny was effectually suppressed. RECOLLECTIONS OF JOHN B. FLOYD.-A "Soldier" of the South contributed the following story to a Confederate journal: Having recently read a notice of the death of General Floyd, my thoughts went back to the days of Fort Donelson, and the period immediately following that disaster to our arms. Having taken a humble part in those affairs, and seemed to inspire every man with confidence, and he infused new energy into every laggard. I think it was on the 12th of February that General Floyd arrived at the fort, from Bowling Green, and assumed command of all the forces. He immediately examined the earthworks and defences, and pronounced everything that had been done "good." For a day or two previous the gunboats of the enemy had been seen hovering about the point below, and everything was in preparation to give them a warm reception. The scouts brought in word that the enemy was land ing a large force below the point, and it then became apparent that the ditching and digging were not labor lost. Our entire force, all told, amounted to thirteen thousand men. The fight was commenced by the enemy's gunboats on Thursday, the 13th, and continued through three days. From prisoners, which were taken on Friday, we learned that the enemy's land force was thirty thousand strong, and that they were being daily reënforced with fresh troops. The history of the three days' fight is well known. I do not desire to enter into an account of each day's fight; suffice it to say that the enemy was repulsed at all points with great slaughter, and that he gained no material advantage until Saturday evening, | when, by the loss of a battery, our line was bent back, and we stood in great danger of being flanked. During the three days' fight the gunboats had made no impression on the fort, while the fort had disabled two of the gunboats, and injured, to some extent, a third. No boat could stand a fire from heavy guns mounted on a bluff one hundred feet above the river. The terrible plunging fire of solid shot was certain destruction to all below. In Saturday's fight we were so overwhelmed by numbers that we were forced to give back. mined to commence the attack on Sunday morning at daylight. Some time later in the night another meeting of general officers was held, I understood at the request of General Buckner, at which he stated that the men were physically worn out and incapable of fighting any more, and that he was in favor of surrendering; that they were entirely surrounded by the enemy, and that even if they succeeded in cutting their way out, that there was not sufficient river transportation to convey the troops to Nashville; that an attack next morning would end only in a wanton destruction of life, and that he could not see any benefit that would result from_it. General Pillow spoke in favor of the attack next morning. He thought the men capable of another effort, and he spoke eloquently against a surrender, which would dim all the glory that had been achieved. He eulogized the troops; said they were not lacking in strength or spirit; that they were capable of one more effort, and that effort should be made; that he would never surrender to the enemy. General Floyd said he was opposed to surrendering; that he could not and would not surrender; that he knew the men were worn out, yet he thought almost the entire command could be saved by a vigorous Our line of defence once lost, we were then at attack next morning. General Buckner replied a great disadvantage. The weather was terrible. that the men were exhausted, and could fight no It had been sleeting and snowing for two days and more, and that he would stay with his men. nights, and was bitter cold. Several of the men General Floyd said, "I cannot surrender; I pass had frozen to death in the trenches. The rifle pits the command over to you, General Pillow." were knee-deep in water and ice. Many of the General Pillow said, "Nor can I surrender; I men had not tasted food for two days. Some pass the command to General Buckner." General were physically exhausted from hunger, loss of Buckner said, "I accept the command." sleep, and cold. More than three fourths of the these facts becoming known to the men, all was whole command were raw troops, and had never commotion. Many prepared to leave at once. faced an enemy before. Some murmuring was It was given out that all that wanted to could heard among the men, such as, "We can't fight now leave, as the way to Nashville was open. forever; if Johnston don't send us reënforcements Many crossed the river, and went on foot on to we ought to leave here." In this state of affairs Nashville. Colonel Forrest, of the Tennessee cava council of war was held late on Saturday even-alry, now General Forrest, said that he would ing. It was admitted that the place could not form a rear guard of his command, and protect all be held without reënforcements. General Pillow who would come out. Many availed themselves believed that reënforcements would yet arrive, and of this offer, and Colonel Forrest kept his word. he was in favor of commencing a vigorous attack | General Floyd brought out almost his entire comon the enemy next morning (Sunday), to regain mand, which had come with him from Virginia. our former line, and hold that position at all General Pillow was instrumental in bringing hazards until help came. He said that he had several of the men out. He made personal appeals promised Governor Harris that he would hold to many of the officers commanding Tennessee that place at all hazards and defend the capital, troops not to remain, which was responded to. and he was in favor of holding it. General Floyd It is my opinion that the entire command could said that no more aid would come; that he had have been saved had General Floyd's plan been brought the last available man that General adopted. As it was, more than four thousand Johnston could spare; that he had but twenty- men left the fort and the trenches on that night, five thousand men left; and that he thought it and arrived safe at Nashville. All left who chose best to make a vigorous attack on the enemy to, and those who remained chose to remain. next morning, and, under cover of the attack, to Indeed, many left the fort after it had been surretire the whole command. To this General rendered, on Sunday, and walked all the way to Buckner made some objection, but finally he as- Nashville. Eleven members of a Texas regimen sented to it. It was admitted by all that the came into camp at Murfreesboro', thirteen dayı place could not be longer held without reënforce- after the surrender, having left the fort on Mon ments, and after General Floyd's statement it day morning after the surrender. The report tha was seen that it was impossible to be reënforced. the fort was surrounded by the enemy was a mis The plan of General Floyd was assented to by take. It was not even invested on Sunday evenGenerals Buckner and Pillow, and it was deter-ing, as our men were continually leaving the On from Seward to Garrison. They all, from Lincoln to the lowest minion, hated, with a venomous hatred, John B. Floyd. Therefore he could not surrender. To that noble old man it would have been too deep a humiliation. Had he surrendered, the vile Northern rabble would have hooted and howled at his heels, from the Ohio to the St. Lawrence. He would have been hawked at by the Yankee owls in every city and village through which he passed. Therefore General Floyd fort from morning until night on that day. About six thousand men remained with General Buckner, and he surrendered these with the fort on Sunday, the 16th of February. Our loss in killed, wounded, and missing was not more than one thousand. The loss of the enemy was immense; it could not have been less than six thousand in killed and wounded. The ground on the slope in front of the rifle pits was literally covered with his dead and dying. Never were troops handled better than ours were at Fort Donelson. Never" could not surrender." Did he do wrong, then, did men fight with greater resolution. The force brought against them was immensely superior in men and munitions of war, and for three days they held out, fighting each day fresh troops, and repulsing them with terrible slaughter. That the victory was not ours is not the fault of those who fought on that ensanguined field. Had five thousand fresh troops arrived on Saturday evening the victory would have been ours. in leaving Fort Donelson, and saving all that he could of the garrison? I think not. He did right in saving a part, if he could not save the whole. He was willing to make the effort to save all, but in this he was opposed; he then did the next best thing, he saved all he could. It was said by one high in authority, that he could not understand how seven thousand men could surrender with arms in their hands. How, then, could it be conceived that twelve thousand men could surrender with arms in their hands, which would have been the case had General Floyd remained at Fort Donelson. I now desire to state a few facts in relation to the surrender, not for the purpose of doing any injustice to the living, but to do justice to the dead. In stating these facts I do not wish to draw any invidious distinction between the troops When it was known on the march from Murfrom the different States who fought at Fort freesboro' to Decatur that the President had susDonelson. They all fought well, and they all de-pended General Floyd for the part he took at serve well of their country. As long as success Fort Donelson, a feeling of regret pervaded the seemed possible, the different State troops vied army. It was supposed that his suspension would with each other in bravery and gallantry. When be of short duration. Men of common sense success seemed impossible, then murmurs were heard, and there was dissatisfaction expressed at the non-arrival of reënforcements. When the question was mooted, whether the garrison "fall back" or surrender, loud disclaimers were heard against the former. It was said, “Are we to leave our homes and families, and fall back fighting for other States? No; we have fought enough; we will surrender and go home." The troops that fought at Fort Donelson were volunteers, many of them "home guards," who had left their homes, as they thought, to fight at Fort Donelson, and then go home. They had no idea, if unsuccessful there, to "fall back" and fight indefinitely. These men fought bravely as long as there was a show of victory; but when the dark hour came, and the question was surrender or fall back, they preferred the former. There were many such at Fort Donelson. It was said that these men had some weight in influencing General Buckner to remain. If true, it is no argument against his humanity, honor, or patriotism. On the contrary, he deserves credit for remaining with his men, to share their fortunes, good or evil. There was another class of men at Fort Donelson, who were not from any particular State, but from all the States there represented, who had determined never to surrender who preferred death to surrender. The head and front of this class was General Floyd. When he said, "I cannot surrender," there was a deep meaning in it. He had been Secretary of War under the Buchanan administration. He had sent the arms belonging to the Government South, and the whole North howled like demons over it. He had been denounced by the whole abolition tribe, could not see wherein he had done wrong. He "To bow the supple hinges of the knee and he went down to the grave with the censure |