The following letter was written by T. B. Bonar . . .

. . . 17^th Regiment Illinois Volunteers, to his father, mother, brother, and sisters at Oceola Clark [sic] County Iowa.

FORT DONELSON TENNESSEE,

February 20, 1862.

Dear father, mother, brother and sisters:  With pleasure I will write you a few lines to let you know that I am alive, but, I cannot say that I am well, although I am able to be up and around.

No wonder that I am not well, for I laid out three nights, with but one blanket to cover with, and two nights it rained and snowed.

We had the hardest fight that has been fought in this campaign, it commenced the 13^th and lasted until the 16^th, during which we were under their fire all the time.

On Sunday morning the glorious news came that the rebels had surrendered; and we all marched into the fort.  We got 10,000 prisoners and a lot of artillery, in fact all they had.

They have taken the prisoners to St. Louis.  It is not worth for me to write anything about that, for you will see it in the papers.

When we left the Cape we went to Fort Henry on the Tennessee river, 12 miles from here, and stayed there one night, and then came here.

Father, I cannot write much this time, but I thought I would write to you, so you would not think that I was dead.

I tell you it looked rather scaly to see those big shells coming at us, it makes a fellow feel kinder bashful that’s so.  I was in one of the hardest fights that we had.  It looked hard to see boys shot down.  We went within 40 yards of their breast-works.

I expect we will leave here before long but I cannot tell where we will go.

Direct via Cairo, not to any particular place.  Write soon, and I will do better next time.

I remain your affectionate Son,

T. B. BONAR,

17^th Regiment, Co. D. Ill. Volunteers

– Published in The Burlington Weekly Hawk-Eye, Burlington, Iowa, Saturday, March 8, 1862, p. 1