The War.
a recent Yankee view of Affairs — what is said of movements in the
South, &c.
The New York
Herald, of the 22d inst., contains some speculations upon the recent events of the war, which probably reflect the popular sentiment of the
North at this juncture of affairs, and are therefore worthy of perusal.
The editorials ought to nerve every Southern man with a determination to disappoint those wild anticipations of an overwhelming triumph, and to sustain his country's cause the more readily in the face of reverses which give these Northern braggarts an opportunity of chuckling over the expected downfall of a free people.
After summing the results of the late battles, it says:
‘
But the prevailing panic which our recent triumphs and the onward movements of our imposing fleets and armies have created among the rebel leaders and encampments is our greatest victory.
This panic is like that of an unearthed colony of rats, scampering wildly in every direction, hither and thither, within a circle of rat catchers, and beaten back at every point.
Our
Baltimore correspondent informs us, for example, that
Beauregard has drawn off thirty thousand men from
Manassas to the defence of
Nashville, that his forces there already amount to sixty thousand men, and that he is fortifying the place for a stubborn resistance; while, from other sources, it appears more probable that
Nashville, like
Clarksville, is to be abandoned on the approach of our forces, and in deference to the wishes of its citizens.
’
Next, it appears that the rebels are laboring vigorously upon an enlarged system of defensive works around
Memphis, from which we conclude that we shall very soon hear of the evacuation of their extensive and enormous works at
Columbus, and a backing down on the
Mississippi of over two hundred miles, without risking on that river a contest with our gunboats.
But most significant of all are the mysterious movements going on in
Virginia.
In the rebels have not abandoned their batteries along the
Potomac, they have been very negligent of late in enforcing their blockade; and, if they intend to risk a great
battle at Manassas, they are acting very unwisely in weakening that army by the forces which they are sending from that point to
North Carolina and
Tennessee.
If they longer remain in
Virginia, they begin to realize the fact that they will be expelled or captured; but if they abandon
Virginia there will be no resting place for them this side of
South Carolina.
Upon two points depend their last chances in
Virginia,
North Carolina, and
Tennessee, and those two points are
Manassas and
Nashville.
Whether they evacuate or are expelled from their defensive line of
Manassas, they lose
Virginia and
North Carolina; for the Unionists of both these States are waiting only for an opportunity to open upon their
Richmond despotism a decisive fire in the rear.
Whether
Nashville is to be abandoned or defended by
Beauregard, we shall soon have an overwhelming force moving upon that important position, by land and water; and, with our occupation of
Nashville,
Memphis will become untenable to the rebels.
And so, with the loss of
Manassas and
Nashville, they will be compelled to move down their northern defensive line within the boundaries of the seven original seceding cotton States--
south Carolina,
Georgia,
Alabama,
Mississippi,
Louisiana,
Florida, and
Texas.
Compressed within these limits, and invested and invaded on all sides, the people of the cotton States will be very apt to make short work of the rump of the
Davis Government and the demoralized remnants of his wasted armies.
And such are the prospects under which, on this anniversary of the birth of
Washington,
Jeff. Davis is to be inaugurated in
Richmond as
President, for six years, of a Southern Confederacy which will probably be reduced to its birthplace, the swamps of
South Carolina, within less than six weeks.
The Roanoke Island Captures.
Under the heading of Capture of ‘"F. F. V's"’ a recent Northern account says:
‘
The prisoners captured in the Forty-sixth and the Fifty-ninth Virginia Regiment comprise a greater portion of the genuine fire-eaters than have before fallen into our hands.
The Adjutant of the regiment,
Henry A Wise, Jr., is a tall, fine appearing young man, and nephew of the
ex- Governor, who happens to have a son of the same name.
Company A, commanded heretofore by
Capt. O. Jennings Wise, is known at home as the
Richmond Light Infantry Blues, and comprises many of the first and most prominent young men of that city.
Their capture is a terrible blow to the
Clite of
Richmond, and will be felt there as the capture of the Seventh regiment would be felt in New York.
They are the identical company which treated the Seventh to champagne
shower baths when they went to
Richmond to escort back the remains of
President Monroe; and who, on a previous occasion, entertained the
Knights Templar of
Boston and
Providence when the latter visited
Richmond.
I saw among them many high-strung, chivalrous young men, who seemed gratified that their enemies did not immediately put them to death.
One of them generously offered me his entire pulse of King Jeff's treasury notes, to be used for his personal convenience when he arrived at Fort Lafayette, but not being aware that such currency was received on deposit in Wall street, and for other reasons, the kind offer was declined.
Capt. Johnson, of
North Carolina, was one of those captured at
Hatteras, and was only released from
Fort Warren by exchange on the 10th of January last.
He immediately rejoined what was left of his old regiment, and got in just in time to be taken again.--Some of his old friends of the 24th Massachusetts, who so carefully guarded him at
Fort Warren, expressed their joy at seeing him again, to which he gruffly replied that he "Wasn't glad to see them." He can now serve out his second term, and is justly entitled to the appellation of "an old offender."
’
When the Zouaves had brought back the boats that were endeavoring to escape through Shallow Rock Bay,
Wise, mortally wounded, was taken to the house of
Mr. Samuel Jarvis, which had been converted into a hospital for the rebel wounded.
He was shot in the arm, both legs, and mortally wounded in the left breast, the latter being the result of the Zouaves' fire.
General Burnside shortly after visited
Wise and assured him that everything due to his position as a wounded prisoner would be cheerfully accorded him. The wounded rebel was too low and weak to be conscious of the fact that the soldiers of the nation against which he had raised his treasonable hand were now his friends, ready to minister to him in his dying hour.
The loss of the enemy is, without doubt, much below ours.
They had their usual advantage of fighting behind breast works, against which our musketry fire was of little avail.
Their wounded are scattered all over the island, and it is difficult to get at their correct loss.
It will probably be, however, not less than twenty killed and fifty wounded. They lost three officers killed and eight wounded--all
Captains and
Lieutenants.
A Southern account of Affairs in Tennessee.
The Lynchburg
Republican, of yesterday, which came to hand last night, contains the following account of the state of affairs in
Tennessee, written by its editor,
Mr. Glass, who, as our readers are aware, has been for some time past serving with the army in the
West:
Murfreesboro, Tenn., Feb. 17, 1862.
We have fallen back to this place, 32 miles
East Nashville, where
General Johnston has established his headquarters, and where, I presume, he intends to make a stand against the enemy.
Our scattered columns begin to come in rapidly, and in a few days we will be in good trim again.
This is the
Bowling Green army, and comprises, amongst others, the brigades of
Gen. Breckinridge,
Gen. Hardee, and
Gen. Hindman.
They are as brave and daring a set of fellows as ever trod the field.
Before this reaches you, you will have heard of our disaster at
Fort Donelson on Sunday morning. For three days did our little army, under the commands of
Pillow,
Floyd and
Buckner, struggle with complete and brilliant success against the enemy, who out numbered our forces at least four to one.
The enemy was driven from all his positions at the point of the bayonet, his batteries assaulted and taken, and hundreds of his mercenaries slaughtered upon the field.
Never was there such a struggle upon this continent — never more daring heroism and unflinching courage displayed under the sun than was exhibited on that memorable field.
Our men fought literally into the cannon's mouth, and upon the bayonet's point.
The victory was ours up to Saturday night, but reinforcements after reinforcements continued to pour in to the enemy, and on Sunday morning, our glorious little army, after three days of incessant fighting, without food or fire, found themselves entirely surrounded, and in part, by fresh troops.
It was determined best to surrender.
Gen. Pillow and staff,
Gen. Floyd, staff, and some fifteen hundred of his men made their escape.
Gen. Buckner and nearly all the balance of our army were captured.
This is certainly a great calamity — by far the worst of the war — but it must not discourage our people, or dim for a moment the prospects of the Southern Confederacy. Ten millions of people, whose blood flows in the veins of those whose deeds have rendered immortal
Donelson, and its bills and valleys and streams, can never be conquered.
The enemy will exult, but he never won a dearer victory.
His loss was tremendous,
and far exceeded ours.
Twenty-five hundred will not, perhaps, cover his killed alone.
It will necessarily cause the fall of
Nashville, and the surrender, for a time, of a portion of
Tennessee, but the enemy has a long road to travel before he penetrates the heart of the ‘"rebellion."’
Our people, however, must arouse themselves to a man. The crisis is imminent, and calls for all the energies of the
Republic.
Speculation must cease, the greedy hunt after gold must be abandoned, and every man must become a soldier.
Speculation has ruined
Nashville, and caused its fall.
Its people, with few exceptions, have been hunting money instead of preparing for defence.
So it is all over the country.
Able-bodied men are rushing to and fro, from east to west, speculating in the very life-blood of the people, at the moment the battering rams of an accursed enemy are playing upon the walls of our liberty's citadel.
What but disaster can such a people expect, or what better do they deserve?
The panic in
Nashville on Sunday was, perhaps, never equalled since the affair at
Bull Run.
The news of the fall of
Donelson reached the city just as the several congregations were assembled for morning worship.
It was announced from the pulpits, and the ladies and children were told to look out for themselves.
Such consternation was never seen before.
All those who could do so packed up and fled the city.
Every road was soon lined with rapidly flying vehicles, heaped with baggage and families.
The rush at the cars was overwhelming.
Nothing was ever seen like it. Not one hundred part got off who sought to go. The scene was indeed indescribable.
Women in tears excited our sympathies, many things excited our laughter, but the cowardly conduct of hundreds of men was the subject of unmitigated loathing.
Grown up men would tell you the enemy would be in the city in two hours, when he was at least 60 or 70 miles distant.
Our loss in the fall of
Nashville is very great.
It was one of our largest depots of provisions, and the quantity of bacon sacrificed is immense.
But it will not fall into the hands of the enemy, but be destroyed.--Indeed, the whole city should be fired by its people, so that the enemy would only match into a burning
Moscow.
Generals Pillow and
Floyd and their staffs reached
Nashville Sunday night. They are undismayed by their defeat, and will soon put the enemy to a severer test.
These two men are the idols of the people and the army in this section.
Universal confidence is put in them, and ‘"Old Floyd"’ especially is pronounced to be one of the best
Generals in the field.
He was the only one who marched off any respectable portion of his brigade.
R. H. G.
Graphic description of the battle — by a Participant.
The
Republican also furnishes a description of the battle, by one who participated, dated
Nashville, Feb. 17th, which effects some of the braggadocio Yankee letters published in the
Northern journals.
After giving an account of the repulse of the gunboats, and the augmentation of the
Federal force on the land to 50,000 against our 14,000 men, the writer proceeds:
‘
Our
Generals determined to go out of the entrenchments and drive them away, or sacrifice the life of
all in their armies in the attempt.
So, early on the morning of the 15th, we left our rifle pits, and attacked the enemy in his strong position, and after seven hours of the most terrific fighting,
put them to flight.--We took at our charge 200 prisoners.
Just here, I'll call particular attention to
Col. John McCausland's Virginia regiment.
He led the charge upon a battery, took it, and brought it within our breastworks; and lost, in doing so, 72 men, killed and wounded, out of 300 ! Such is the gallant spirit of old
Virginia.
Then, the 51st regiment, Col
Massle's, lost in the fight, 51 out of 250; and are 56th, 41 out of 300;
Col. Reld led the regiment, (its gallant
Maj. Thorburn at the time very sick, and was wounded in a charge he had made.) I should have said that
Col. McCausland commanded the 2d brigade, of which the 56th regiment was a part.
The 96th was commanded by
Major Smith,
ex-Governor's son. I have not ascertained the loss of the 50th, but it was about the same as that of the others.
We took three batteries and brought them inside our works.
I must not fail to call particular attention to
Col. Wharton, who commanded the 1st brigade (
Floyd's.) He charged the enemy in their position, and lost 44 men out of 600 in doing so.
Col. Forrest's cavalry of
Tennessee, took one battery.
It was nobly done, I was an eye-witness!
What a sight it was to see the 2d Kentucky regiment charge over the breastworks after the
Lincoln I was in ten feet of them when the order was given by
General Floyd to charge!
What a grand sight!
Then we chased the
Yankees about two miles! I never saw the like!
But our soldiers had now been fighting for four days! They were exhausted, they could pursue them no farther, and we were compelled to go to our breastworks again.--In the course of some two hours, the enemy having received 15,000 reinforcements, attacked us on our right; and such an attack as they made I reckon was scarcely ever before known.
They came up and took a portion of the breastworks on the right and held them — took one battery, but were immediately repulsed and driven beyond the reach of buck and ball.
But on the extreme right they fought so very desperately that at one timed thought we would not repulse them.
We get out of ammunition on the right, and the was I was apprehensive of the result.
But our boys took their fire without any ammunition, eagerly awaiting their nearer approach that they might " as they call it But they didn't give them a chance.
The
Yankees fell back, and it was not long before plenty of ammunition was at hand, and now they prepared them.
We fought four days, and were up four nights, and under such circumstances a man might fall asleep whilst firing a gun and our
Generals (
Pillow,
Bruckner, and
Johnson) knew that a surrender was almost inevitable.
General Floyd said he wouldn't surrender, and took his original division,
Col. Wharton, and
Col. McCausland, and started for
Nashville.
I fear that one of his regiments, the 20th Mississippi, was taken.
I rode over, the battle-field.
There were over 1,000 Yankees
left dead? To give a correct idea of the number killed I ought to say 5,000.
I rode over the field on which the battle (outside the breastworks) was fought, and really I would have supposed there were 000 killed there; but
Gens. Pillow and
Floyd supposed there were 1,000 killed outside the breastworks.
Our loss must be fully 000; but I have not ascertained accurately what it is. We have a great many wounded.
It seems strange, but every Yankee I saw on the battle field was shot through the head.
It was remarkable!
’
