Diary of Colonel John Beatty, February 21, 1862

Hear that Fort Donelson has been taken after a terrible fight, and ten thousand ears are eager to hear more about the engagement. No Teams crossed the river to-day; we are flood bound.

There was an immense number of deaths in the rebel army while it encamped here. It is said three thousand Southern soldiers are buried in the vicinity of the town. They could not stand the rigorous Northern climate. A Mississippi regiment reported but thirteen men for duty.

SOURCE: John Beatty, The Citizen-soldier: Or, Memoirs of a Volunteer, pp. 108-9

The Death and Funeral of Captain Jonathan S. Slaymaker of the 2nd Iowa Infantry

• Col. Jacob Lauman to Louise Viele Lauman, February 17, 1862
• Private Letter from Adjutant Tyner of the 14th Iowa, February 17, 1862
• Col. Jacob Lauman to His Brother, February 19, 1862
• Death Of Captain Slaymaker, published February 20, 1862
• Additional from Fort Donelson, published February 20, 1862
• Killed and Wounded in Company C, published February 21, 1862
• The Dead Of Fort Donelson, published February 21, 1862
• Capt. R. M. Littler, published February 21, 1862
• The Second Regiment at Fort Donelson, published February 21, 1862
• Iowa Legislature, published February 22, 1862
• Further From Ft. Donelson, published February 22, 1862
• Arrival Of Capt. Slaymaker's Body, published February 27, 1862
• Soldiers Of The Iowa Second, published February 27, 1862
• The Steamer J. D. Perry . . . published February 27, 1862
• Funeral of Capt. Slaymaker, published February 28, 1862
• From The Iowa 2d Regiment, published February 28, 1862
• Capt. Slaymaker's death . . . published March 1, 1862
• Battle of Fort Donelson, published March 1, 1862
• List of Killed and Wounded of the 2nd Iowa Infantry in the battle of Fort Donelson on February 13th, 14th and 15th, 1862, published March 1, 1862
• Army Correspondence, published March 1, 1862
• Further Particulars of the Fight, published March 1, 1862
• Honor to the Brave, published March 1, 1862
• An adjourned meeting of the Finance Committee . . . published March 3, 1862
• A Brave Boy, published March 5, 1862
• Public Meeting, published March 5, 1862
• The numerous friends of . . . published March 7, 1862
• Capt. Slaymaker’s death, (Iowa Second) . . . published March 8, 1862
• The Sudden Death Of Henry Y. Slaymaker, published May 20, 1862
• Report Of The Finance Committee, published April 4, 1862
• Obituary of Capt. Jonathan S. Slaymaker, published April 1864

Diary of Henry Greville, Monday, March 17, 1862

The Queen laid the first stone of the Mausoleum in Frogmore Gardens on Saturday. In this receptacle Prince Albert's remains and her own are ultimately to be deposited. The whole Household in Waiting attended the ceremony, and all those who had been in any way connected with the Prince, such as the bailiffs of Osborne and Balmoral, were summoned. Sydney tells me this Mausoleum had been determined upon before the Prince's death. I think these German fancies are much to be regretted, as keeping up a morbid and artificial sort of grief which in the case of the Queen will be of considerable inconvenience. She has visited the tomb and strewn flowers over the coffin, with which also the bed in which the Prince died is decked, and which she and the Royal children constantly renew, and his rooms are left exactly in the state they were in at the moment of his death.

A letter from Fanny Kemble, begun at Philadelphia and finished at Washington, received this morning, says: “The war seems to be approaching a crisis. The Northern troops are gradually surrounding the Southern forces, and there have been some very important advantages gained by the Federal Army, which indicate, I think, a termination, by no means remote, of the contest. A very important entrenched camp called Fort Donnelson, in Tennessee, which commands the entrance into the heart of the Southern country, and the approach to Nashville (a place of great importance), have just been taken by the Northern troops. They have also invested the city of Savannah, and the news of its surrender is hourly expected. In short, I think the clouds are bursting, and very decided daylight approaching. The end of the Civil War will leave the Government burthened with questions of infinite difficulty to deal with, but it will have been worth two good results to the American Nation. The theory of State Rights and the practice of slavery have both, I think, received their death-blow, and the efforts and sacrifices which the Northern States have made with such extraordinary energy and devotion will enhance for many a long year the value of the Union in the hearts and minds of the people. I arrived here yesterday (Washington); the whole road from Philadelphia to this place is a string of camps and military stations, sometimes only a small cluster of tents peering from the banks on the railroad track. The weather has been frightful, and the melting of the snow and the coming up of the frost out of the ground have left the surface of it one mud-bed, and the poor soldiers looked forlorn enough in their plank houses, which seemed but sorry shelter for such a season. They had huge wood fires blazing at all their posts, however, which, as evening came on, looked very picturesque. Wherever the train stopped, eager requests were made by the soldiers who crowded round it for newspapers, which the passengers gave them.

I bestowed a ‘Times’ on them. I did not think the American news would edify them much, but thought they might be the better for reading the history of the Hartley Colliery catastrophe. You cannot imagine how strange all this sudden apparition of warlike life is here, where till within the last year such a thing as a real soldier was never seen! President Lincoln has made a suggestion that pecuniary compensation should be offered to any State which will abolish slavery. This has made a great sensation in America, but is here considered quite impracticable and as a bait to the Border States to return to their allegiance to the Union.”

SOURCE: Alice Countess of Stratford, Leaves from the Diary of Henry Greville: 1861-1872, pp. 30-2

Diary of Elvira J. Powers, Friday, May 13, 1864

Miss O. since last date, has been daily growing worse. It seems she must have typhoid fever, and for one of her delicate health and sensitive nerves, we fear the worst. Her mind is at times wandering, and she dwells upon the scenes of filth and wretchedness she has seen among the refugees. At the commencement of her illness she was playfully told that she had "refugee on the brain." But it has since become too serious a matter to jest about, for she is sometimes certain they are in the bed with her; and this morning she told me of that "filthy refugee phlegm she spits up." She is a favorite in the house, and has every needed comfort and attention. I shall not leave for a hospital during her illness.

It was this subject which won from Mrs. P. the following: "A soldier at Fort Donaldson was wounded in the head, and was taken care of by Mrs. B. He was at times deranged, but got better and went to his home in Michigan. Afterward he became so bad as to require constant watching, and it was decided to take him to the insane asylum at Jackson. While on his way there, in the care of his brother, who was worn out with wakefulness, Mrs. B. entered the car. The insane man knew his old nurse, and she said the saying flashed through her mind that we should treat a crazy man as though everybody was crazy but himself. So she said to him :"Why you're taking your brother to Jackson, aren't you?" "Yes," he promptly responded.

"How long has he been crazy?" she asked.

"Oh! he has always been crazy," he replied with emphasis.

So she told him she would help him watch his brother, and taking his arm walked back and forth in the car with him, and let the well man lie down and sleep. They had had much trouble with him, but he caused none the rest of the way.

She accompanied him to Jackson and has since heard that he is rapidly recovering.

SOURCE: Elvira J. Powers, Hospital Pencillings: Being a Diary While in Jefferson General Hospital, Jeffersonville, Ind., and Others at Nashville, Tennessee, as Matron and Visitor, pp. 76-7

In The Review Queue: The Forts Henry And Donelson Campaign

The Forts Henry And Donelson Campaign: February 6–16, 1862

Edited by Steven E. Woodsworth & Charles D. Grear

New perspectives on the battles that opened the Confederacy to invasion

In early 1862, the Civil War had been raging for almost ten months, and the Confederacy had enjoyed virtually uninterrupted success. From seizing federal property to early battlefield victories, Southern forces had effectively expelled Union authority from nearly all of the Confederacy’s eleven states. The Union suffered repeated setbacks, while modest victories in western Virginia and Kentucky had little strategic impact. By the end of February, however, much had changed.

On February 6, Union gunboats under the joint command of Brigadier General Ulysses S. Grant and Flag Officer Andrew H. Foote captured Fort Henry on the Tennessee River, opening a crucial waterway into the Confederacy. Just days later, Grant moved against Fort Donelson on the Cumberland River. After several days of fighting, the fort surrendered on the 16th, along with more than 13,000 Confederate troops―the largest surrender in US history to that point. These twin victories shattered Confederate control of Kentucky and western Tennessee, allowing Federal soldiers and sailors to use the rivers to threaten the Confederacy’s interior. This first major strategic breakthrough of the war signaled a dramatic shift in momentum and elevated Grant’s national profile.

In this essay collection, leading and emerging scholars provide in-depth analyses of previously overlooked aspects of the Forts Henry and Donelson campaign. Contributors examine how ecological forces influenced the campaign, the effectiveness of the joint command between the Union army and navy, and Union brigadier general Charles F. Smith’s assault that doomed Fort Donelson. They also explore the battle’s impact on the military career of Nathan Bedford Forrest, the effects of surprise during the Confederate breakout attempt from Fort Donelson, Confederate colonel Gabriel Wharton’s memoir, and how the loss of the forts showed Texans that the fight to preserve the enslaved South would cost them more than they had imagined.

In the aftermath of the Forts Henry and Donelson campaign, most of the Civil War still lay ahead. The Confederacy would have many opportunities to regain its momentum and exhaust the Union will to prevail. However, with a few key exceptions, for the rest of the war, the Confederacy fought to defend itself rather than to take new territory. It was in this massive shift of momentum during ten days in 1862 that the war’s military outcome was foreshadowed.

About the Editors

Steven E. Woodworth has authored, co-authored, or edited more than thirty books, including Manifest Destinies: America’s Westward Expansion and the Road to Civil War and Nothing but Victory: The Army of the Tennessee, 1861-1865. Charles D. Grear is the author of Why Texans Fought in the Civil War and an extensive list of other publications on the state’s involvement. Together, Woodworth and Grear have edited several books in the Civil War Campaigns in the West series, including The Vicksburg Assaults, May 19–22, 1863, and Vicksburg Besieged.

Contributions by Michael Burns, Sheilah R. Elwardani, Blakeney K. Hill, Jonathan M. Steplyk, and Brian S. Wills.

ISBN 978-0809339976, Southern Illinois University Press, © 2026, Paperback, 164 Pages, Maps, Tables, Photographs, End Notes follow each essay & Index. $24.95.  To Purchase the book click HERE.

Diary of Henry Greville, Ash Wednesday, March 5, 1862

The Federals, under the command of General Grant, have at last achieved a brilliant success, having captured Fort Donnelson after hard fighting, and (according to their own version), have taken 15,000 prisoners and a vast amount of war material, and the Confederates were in full retreat. This success will probably be attended by political consequences of great importance, as Fort Donnelson was the key of a strong position, and its capture will open the road to further advances. Already the New York papers proclaim that the rebellion is on the point of being crushed, and great rejoicings are going on throughout the Northern States. It remains to be seen whether the South will preserve its constancy under the great difficulties which now begin to surround them, and if they will be able to maintain the strife. The Times' says: “The recent triumphs, though they have undoubtedly improved the position of the North as regards any possible negotiation for a division of territory, have scarcely brought the Federal Government any nearer than before to a reconstruction of the Union.” Fanny Kemble complains to me in a letter I received from her to-day, not only of the gross ignorance but the wilful misrepresentation of American affairs by the “Times” newspaper.

Last night at Flahault's I met Lacaita, who is about to start for Turin, by no means in good heart at the state of affairs there, and regretting the fall of Ricasoli, whom he considers to be the most honest public man in Italy.

SOURCE: Alice Countess of Stratford, Leaves from the Diary of Henry Greville: 1861-1872, pp. 25-6

Diary of Private Edward W. Crippin, Saturday, February 8, 1862

Weather cool & cloudy much rejoicing over the victory gained at Ft. Henry Our success in that section we think decides the fate of Columbus     Rumors are current that fighting is going on in the region of Ft. Henry and Donelson. Nothing definite.

SOURCE: Transactions of the Illinois State Historical Society for the Year 1909, p. 235

Diary of Private Edward W. Crippin, Sunday, February 9, 1862

Clear but cold. Guard mounting at the usual hour Lt Allen Officer of the Guard. Inspection of Battalion by the Staff at the usual hour 10 O'clock 48th Ind. arrived here last night 2 Regts also came down from St. Louis this evening    It is reported that Fort Donelson is taken by our troops.

SOURCE: Transactions of the Illinois State Historical Society for the Year 1909, p. 235

Diary of Private Edward W. Crippin, Monday, February 10, 1862

Weather cold cloudy and disagreeable. No truth in the reported capture of Ft Donelson

SOURCE: Transactions of the Illinois State Historical Society for the Year 1909, p. 235

Diary of Private Edward W. Crippin, Tuesday, February 11, 1862

Weather still cold no news from Fort Donelson to day of any consequence Troops still going by way of this place for that point.

SOURCE: Transactions of the Illinois State Historical Society for the Year 1909, p. 235

Diary of Private Edward W. Crippin, Friday Morning, February 14, 1862

Weather extremely cold clear with snow about 12 inch deep. Report of Burnsides capture of Roanoke confirmed this morning. The seige of Ft. Donelson is said to have commenced both by land and water.

SOURCE: Transactions of the Illinois State Historical Society for the Year 1909, p. 236

Diary of Private Edward W. Crippin, Sunday, February 16, 1862

Our Regt. on Guard to day Lt. Williams detailed with 40 men on fatigue duty to Mound City to day, more news from Fort Donelson to day rather unfavorable although the reports are conflicting.

SOURCE: Transactions of the Illinois State Historical Society for the Year 1909, p. 236

Diary of Private Edward W. Crippin, Monday Morning, February 17, 1862

Camp Cairo Illinois.  Glorious news this morning, Ft. Donelson is taken, Fifteen Thousand prisoners and an immense quantity of arms and ammunition. A salute of 34 Guns fired by order of Col. Buford in commemoration of the event.

SOURCE: Transactions of the Illinois State Historical Society for the Year 1909, p. 236

Diary of Private Edward W. Crippin, February 18, 1862

Prisoner taken at Donelson are continually arriving Lt. Williams detailed with a squad of 50 men on fatigue duty in town A salute of 10 Guns was fired at 10 O'clock in honor of Gov. Yates and Suit who arrived to day also Gov. Morton. Weather fair.

SOURCE: Transactions of the Illinois State Historical Society for the Year 1909, p. 236

Diary of Private Adam S. Johnston, January 16, 1863

Passed up the Cumberland river all safe, and arrived at Fort Donelson the same day, making a march of 85 miles.

SOURCE: Adam S. Johnston, The Soldier Boy's Diary Book, p. 26

Diary of Edward Bates, Monday, February 24, 1862

Late last night, Mr. Newton⁴ came in to tell me that the Prest had just reed, a telegram to the effect that Columbus was evacuated.⁵ This morning the story is contradicted by another telegram. And now Gen McDowell⁶ tells me that Com[modor]e. Foote⁷ has made a reconnoisance [sic] in one of his boats, and finds a very strong fort there. Still, McDowell says that our affairs look bright and well — No certain news today from Nashville⁸ or Savanna[h] .⁹

I am anxious about Norfolk. The rumor is that we are about to attack Craney Island¹⁰ — may be so, but I think if the attack is made at all, it will be a feint, to draw attention while we assail Suffolk.¹¹ Possibly it may be good policy to risk something in assailing Norfolk before the Merrimack is ready to make a desperate effort to escape.

This afternoon, tho' very unwell, attended the funeral of Willie Lincoln — Note. The Depts. closed today on a/c of the funeral.

The morning was gusty, with several rain storms — cleared off in the afternoon, with very high wind. Note. Stepping out of my own door to speak to Klopfer,¹² with my loose gown on, I was laterally, blown away! Seised by the gust, I had to run before it, for fear of falling, till I caught hold of the boxing of a tree — then came my servant Tom¹³ and helped me in.

_______________

⁴ See supra, Jan. 5, 1862, note 12.

⁵ Columbus, Kentucky, was a Confederate stronghold and railroad terminus on the Mississippi, twelve miles below Cairo. The capture of Fort Henry on February 6 and of Fort Donelson on February 16 forced the evacuation of Columbus.

⁶ Supra, Nov. 16, 1861, note 53.

⁷ Supra, Feb. 17, 1862, note 77.

⁸ Nashville fell February 26, 1862.

⁹ Supra, Feb. 17, 1862, note 83.

¹⁰ Near the mouth of the James River.

¹¹ A town «about eighteen miles southwest of Norfolk on the Nansemond River. It controlled Norfolk's rail connections with the Confederacy.

¹² Henry A. Klopfer, head messenger in the Attorney-General's Office.

¹³ Tom Hare who had come from Missouri with Mr. Bates.

SOURCE: Howard K. Beale, Editor, Annual Report of The American Historical Association For The Year 1930, Vol. 4, The Diary Of Edward Bates, p. 236

Diary of Horatio Nelson Taft, Saturday, February 15, 1862

The City is quite wild with Excitement today at the reported capture of Fort Donoldson with 15000 prisoners. It is not yet confirmed. We all hope & rejoice. Good news also from Gen^l Lander, he has made an important capture of rebel officers & Stores near Winchester V.A.

Cap^t White of the 27^th came over from Camp today and gave us a call, he returned this evening. Union Stock has raised astonishingly within three or four days past. We have been sometime getting ready to fight and now the “ball” is open. No obstruction now but Bad roads. Spent the evening at home, it has snowed all day.

SOURCE: Horatio Nelson Taft, The Diary of Horatio Nelson Taft, 1861-1865. Volume 1, January 1,1861-April 11, 1862, Library of Congress, Manuscript Division, Washington D. C.

Diary of Horatio Nelson Taft, Sunday, February 16, 1862

Cold and wintry day but has thawed some. Out to church with family this morning. Almeron Field came up from his quarters and went to Church with us. Doct Smith preached. The air in the church abominable, no ventilation. No further news from Fort Donoldson yet.

SOURCE: Horatio Nelson Taft, The Diary of Horatio Nelson Taft, 1861-1865. Volume 1, January 1,1861-April 11, 1862, Library of Congress, Manuscript Division, Washington D. C.

Diary of Horatio Nelson Taft, Monday, February 17, 1862

After a day or two of great anxiety we have today rc^d ample confirmation of the reports in reference to the great Victory at Fort Donoldson, 15000 prisoners, 4 Generals, and an immense quantity of Military Stores. I[t] must have been a most desperate fight. We have no particulars to be relied on but it is reported that the Rebels lost 10000 killed and wounded. It is also reported that Savannah is taken. The Streets here were gladed with ice this morning. This afternoon it has rained. Snow going off fast. Called into our next neighbor Forneys tonight with my wife.

SOURCE: Horatio Nelson Taft, The Diary of Horatio Nelson Taft, 1861-1865. Volume 1, January 1,1861-April 11, 1862, Library of Congress, Manuscript Division, Washington D. C.

Brigadier-General John A. McClernand et al to Major-General Ulysses S. Grant, March 9, 1862

[hd. qrs., 1st Div., Pine Landing, Tenn.]

[March 9, 1862.]

We have heard with deep regret of your having been deposed from your authority as Commander in the field of the forces in this district. Whether, in fact, this be true, we do not pretend to say; much less to make it occasion for censure or reflection upon any. On the contrary, we disclaim not only the feeling but the purpose to do so. Our object is far different—it is simply and singly to perform an act which justice to ourselves as well as to you, equally, requires. Not to perform it would prove ourselves wanting in the sympathy and generosity which become fellow soldiers, who have fought and suffered together. This is our explanation and apology for this hasty note. Reverting to the past, we cannot forbear the expression of our thanks for the uniform urbanity and kindness you have extended to us. Nor in the sterner realities of war are we wanting in reason for awarding you our gratitude and respect. As our Commander at Belmont and Forts Henry and Donelson, besides in numerous mere skirmishes, you were successful. Under your lead the flag of the Union has been carried from the interior further towards the seaboard than by any other hands. You have slain more of the enemy, taken more prisoners and trophies, lost more men in battle and regained more territory to the Union than any other leader. If we have born a part in achieving these results we are proud of it, and are, therefore, naturally concerned in what may darken or disparage them. We place this spontaneous tribute at your disposal for such use as you may think proper to make of it.*

_______________

* This letter was signed by McClernand, Col. William H. L. Wallace, Col. Leonard F. Ross, and eight officers of McClernand's staff.

SOURCE: Simon, John Y., The Papers of Ulysses S. Grant, Volume 04: January 8-March 31, 1862, vol. 4, p. 338