Rebellion Record: a Diary of American Events: Documents and Narratives, Volume 8.
Frank Moore, Ed.

[503] time. One of the most mortifying things to Forrest, connected with his terrible defeat here, must be the reflection that his men were whipped in part by “nigger” soldiers, whom he had come to take and shoot, with their officers. Captain H. Bartling, Deputy District Provost-Marshal, under Captain Hall, and once Post Adjutant here, was severely wounded in one of his arms. Sergeant Hays and one or two other officers were also wounded.

I must speak now, in the last place, of the injuries sustained by our city, which suffered terribly by the bombardment and conflagration. Nearly all of Front Row, below Broadway street, including the headquarters building, was burnt. Also all the houses in the vicinity of the Fort, by order of Colonel Hicks, to stop the rebel sharp-shooters from getting up into them and picking our men off in the Fort. The gas-works were burnt, through a misunderstanding of the order of Colonel Hicks, who wished them preserved.

The rebels burned the large new quartermaster building on Broadway, with the stores in it; and also the railroad depot and cars. There would not have been a single house on Front street fired into by the gunboats had the rebel sharp-shooters kept out of them. As it is, every house in that part of the city next the river bears the marks of shot and shell, and the effects of the bombardment are visible in almost every part of it. The loss of the gas-works is much to be regretted, so that our city is left “in darkness” as well as “in ruins.”

Last Friday night, information reached us that Forrest had made his appearance at Paducah at two P. M., with two thousand men, and had begun an attack on that city. Colonel Hicks, commander of the post, withdrew all his men, some eight hundred, into the fort, and sent the citizens across the river to the Illinois side. The telegraph operator at Mound City said he could see a great light in the direction of Paducah, and supposed the city was in flames. General Brayman, being notified of this, sent up the Twenty-fifth Wisconsin to reinforce the garrison. Saturday morning, the steamer Iatan came down, having passed Paducah at five o'clock, at which time the buildings occupied as headquarters, quartermaster's and commissary's offices, and ammunition depot, had been destroyed; also, many other houses, and the steamer Arizona, which was on the ways. The enemy appeared to have possession of the town, and the Fort and three gunboats had been shelling them vigorously. When the fight began, two hundred men occupied the Fort, and had three days rations, but soon after, six hundred other troops were thrown in, and the rations were quickly used up. The Iatan was ordered to load at Cairo with provisions, and go to the relief of the garrison.

Your correspondent went aboard of this steamer, and proceeded to the scene of action, to ascertain what damage had been done. Before we left, however, the Tycoon came down with a report that firing had ceased, and the rebels had gone. In the mean time, the Fourth division, Sixteenth army corps, which had been here for about a week, under command of General Veatch, embarked on several steamers for Paducah, hoping to catch Forrest before he could get out of the way. It is said that four thousand cavalry, sent out by General Grierson from Memphis, are in his rear. An order was issued from Headquarters, Friday night, prohibiting the landing of steamboats on the Kentucky side of the Ohio River, between Cairo and Paducah, and the crossing of skiffs from one side of the river to the other without a permit from some military officer.

We arrived at Metropolis at seven P. M., where we found a number of women and children, who had escaped from Paducah the day before. They were seated around a fire on the bank of the river, and apparently making the best of their condition. Here we were told that shelling had again commenced at three o'clock, but it was supposed that the gunboats were trying to drive the enemy out of the woods. At twelve M., it was said, a flag of truce had been sent in by Forrest. Friday evening, a rebel, who tried to cut the telegraph, was shot dead. Captain Bawkman and Captain Crutchfield, of the Sixteenth Kentucky cavalry, were wounded in the head, and Captain Bartley, in the arm. Sergeant T. Hays, of the Fifteenth Kentucky cavalry, was killed. Four white men and seven negroes in the Fort were killed. Twenty-five houses around the Fort were destroyed by the Federals, because they afforded shelter for sharp-shooters, who could fire directly into the fortification. At Metropolis, we learned that just before the enemy came into the city, all the citizens returned to the Fort, and remained there until Colonel Hicks informed them that he could not furnish arms for all, and those who desired to cross the river could do so. Accordingly, many got aboard of the wharf-boat, which was towed by a ferry-boat to the opposite side of the river. As we approached Paducah, we saw the camp-fires of these people illuminating the river. Provisions were scarce among them, but Colonel Hicks had just sent over a supply which had come from Cairo, with instructions to give to the poor, but sell to those who were able to pay. It was after dark when we landed at Paducah, but we walked up toward the Fort through the smouldering ruins of the once beautiful city. The warehouses and dwellings exhibited prominent marks of the recent struggle. In many places, nothing but bare walls and chimneys were standing. Scarcely a building escaped the terrific fire of the gunboats, and many of them were completely riddled by shrapnel and solid shot. The gunboats Peosta and Paw Paw fired, in all, about five hundred rounds, and had two men slightly wounded. The commander of the latter vessel received a slight scratch on his cheek, and a Minie ball passed through his pantaloons. The cabins of the boats were perforated with shot. It was the