USA > Tennessee > The Annals of the Army of Tennessee and early western history, including a chronological summary of battles and engagements in the western armies of the Confederacy > Part 26
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· Notwithstanding that communication was thus cut off, General Pillow urged the necessity of making the attempt to cut our way out, or make a fight for one day more, in which time he thought that we could get steamboats enough to put the whole command across the river, and make our escape by Clarksville.
General Buckner then said that, from the worn out and distressed condition of his men, and the occupation of his rifle pits on the extreme right by the enemy, he could not hold his position for half an hour if attacked by the enemy at day- light, which he would certainly do.
General Pillow replied : " Why can't you ? I think you can, sir," and added that the occupation of our riffe pits by the enemy left an open gateway to our river battery, and he thought we ought to cut our way through, at all hazards.
General Buckner retorted, saying: "I know my position ; I can only bring to bear against the enemy 4,000 men, while he can oppose me with any given num- ber."
General Pillow then said : "Well, gentlemen, what do you intend to do? I am in favor of fighting out."
General Floyd then asked General Buckner what he had to say.
General Buckner replied quickly that to attempt to cut our way out through the enemy's lines would cost a sacrifice of three-fourths of the command, and that no General had the right to make such a sacrifice of human life.
General Floyd admitted the fact and concurred with General Buckner on this point.
General Pillow then remarked that there was but one alternative left, and that was capitulation ; and, addressing himself to General Floyd, said : "Sir, I shall neither surrender the command nor myself; I will die first."
General Floyd then said he also would not surrender himself, adding : "You
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know my relations with the Federal Government, and it would not do." [Allud- ing to his course, when Secretary of War, in distributing to the South its quota of arms.]
General Buckner replied that he thought no personal feeling ought to control his official action.
General Floyd admitted it, and said nevertheless it was his determination.
General Buckner said : " Then, gentlemen, I suppose the surrender will devolve on me."
General Floyd, addressing General Buckner, said : " General, if you are put in command, will you allow me to take out my brigade ?"
General Buckner replied : " Yes, sir, if you move your command before I send my offer of capitulation to the enemy."
"Then," said General Floyd, " I surrender the command."
General Pillow, upon whom the command next devolved, said, " I will not ac- cept it, as my purpose is fixed never to surrender."
General Buckner immediately replied, " I will accept it, and will share the fate of my command," and at once called for pen, ink and paper, and a buglar to sound a parley, it being too dark to send a flag of truce.
General Pillow then asked if it would be proper for him to make his escape. To which General Floyd replied, that was a question for every man to decide for himself, but that he would be glad for every man to make his escape that could.
Colonel Forrest, addressing General Buckner, said : " I think, General, there is more fight in our men than you suppose, but if you will let me, I will also take out my command." To which Buckner and Floyd both assented.
Turning to General Pillow, Forrest then said, "General, I have fought under your command, what shall I do?" General Pillow answered, "Cut your way out." To which Forrest replied, " I will, by G-d !"
All the officers retired, leaving General Buckner alone with the command.
The following is the correspondence between Generals Buckner and Grant, touching the surrender of Fort Donelson :
General Buckner's Note to General Grant.
Headquarters, Fort Donelson, February 16, 1862.
Sir :- In consideration of all the circumstances governing the present situation of affairs at this station, I propose to the commanding officer of the Federal forces the appointment of commissioners to agree upon terms of capitulation of the forces and post under my command, and in that view suggest an armistice until 12 o'clock. I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant,
S. B. BUCKNER, Brigadier General. To Brigadier General U. S. Grant, commanding U. S. forces near Fort Donelson. Headquarters, Fort Donelson, February 16, 1862.
Major Casly will take or send by an officer, to the nearest picket of the enemy, the accompanying communication to General Grant, and request information of the point where future communications will reach him. Also inform him that my Headquarters will be, for the present, in Dover.
S. B. BUCKNER, Brigadier General.
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....
General Grant's Reply.
Headquarters, Army in the Field, Camp near Fort Donelson, Feb. 16, 1862. General S. B. Buckner, Confederate Army :
Sir :- Yours of this date, proposing an armistace and appointment of Commis- sioners to settle terms of capitulation, is just received. No terms except uncon- ditional and immediate surrender can be accepted. I propose to move imme- diately upon your works.
I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant,
U. S. GRANT, Brigadier General Commanding. General Buckner to General Grant. Headquarters, Dover, Tenn., Feb. 16, 1862. To Brigadier General U. S. Grant, U. S. Army :
Sir :- The distribution of the forces under my command, incident to an unex- pected change of commanders, and the overwhelming force under your command, compel me, notwithstanding the brilliant success of the Confederate arms yester- day, to accept the ungenerous and unchivalrous terms you propose.
I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant,
S. B. BUCKNER, Brigadier General, C. S. A.
Distribution of Public Stores-Subsidence of the Panic.
To return to Nashville. During the morning of Monday, the 17th, a small portion of the public stores was distributed, but an order from General Floyd was soon promulgated countermanding the distribution, and many a "poor, lone woman," and not a few men, who had reached the scene "just in time to be too late," turned away griev- ously disappointed. It was announced as the determination of Gen- eral Floyd, who was in command of the post, to ship off the stores for the use of the army, and impressments of wagons and men were ex- tensively made with the view of getting the provisions and other stores, not needed for the hospitals, to the railroad depots and placed in the cars, and large amounts were sent off during the day.
The timid were not yet assured that a battle would not be fought on the opposite side of the river, and their fears were heightened by ru- mors that Generals Johnston, Pillow and Floyd had determined to make a stand a few miles out of the city, and the counter-marching of troops, in the rain which continued to pour down most of the forenoon, gave color to these rumors. So general had become the conviction that a battle was to be fought almost upon the confines of the city, and that it would be necessary for the women and children to seek safety in flight from the impending conflagration which was to sweep Nashville, "at one fell swoop," from the face of the earth, that it became neces-
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sutry for General Barrow and Mayor Cheatham to again confer with General Johnston, to ascertain whether he had changed his purposes with regard to Nashville. Upon their return they each briefly ad- dressed the eager crowd assembled upon the Public Square, stating that they had the assurance of General Johnston that, at a council of war held that morning, Generals Pillow and Floyd fully agreed with him that, under the circumstances and in the condition of the Confed- erate troops, it would not only be hazardous but impolitic to make a stand here, and that the Confederate army would retire before the arrival of the Federal troops, and leave the city to be quietly turned over to General Buell. Thus was removed all fear of danger to the safety of the city from an apprehended collision in the immediate vicinity.
During his remarks Mayor Cheatham stated that the remainder of the public stores would be distributed to the people under the super- vision of competent and reliable gentlemen, to be designated by him- self, who would see that a fair and equitable distribution was made, so that everybody in the city who needed should get a fair proportion. This was done, he said, to prevent parties from getting more than they needed, while others, who really were in want, would perhaps get none. This announcement was satisfactory to the crowd, and they quietly dispersed.
Specches by Generals Pillow and Floyd.
Late in the afternoon a handbill was issued announcing that General Pillow would address the people on the Public Square at seven o'clock that evening. Long before the hour designated had arrived, a very large crowd assembled to hear what the General, fresh from the bloody field of Fort Donelson, had to say, for it was not known to what sub- ject he would address himself. At the time appointed General Pillow addressed the people briefly, not occupying exceeding five minutes' time, informing them that no stand would be made here for the pur- pose of defending the city, that it would be left for the civil authorities to surrender it into the hands of the Federals, and counseling them to remain quiet and orderly at 'home. "The Federals," he said, "will be with you only for a time, and I pledge you my honor that this war will not end until they are driven across the Ohio river. The officees who will come among you are gentlemen, and, of course, will behave as such toward you." After some remarks about the terrible fight at Fort Donelson, General Pillow retired, and left immediately upon the cars for his home near Columbia.
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Subsequently the crowd called on General Floyd, at the residence of S. D. Morgan, Esq., and in response to repeated calls for him, he appeared upon the steps and addressed them 'briefly, confirming what General Pillow had said in regard to the surrender of Nashville. The surrender of Fort Donelson, he said, was an event that human fore- sight could not guard against. The soldiers sent to defend that place · had been on duty for four days and nights, and human endurance must have an end. In regard to the policy of falling back, he con- tended that it was wise and judicious; that the Confederates would be sure to whip the Federals when they got them back into the mountain gorges, away from their gunboats; that there had been too much glorification of the South and depreciation of the North, and that the time had come now when every man must fight.
Closing of the Post-office and Suspension of the Newspapers.
The post-office was closed at an early hour in the morning, the estab- lishment having been removed to Murfreesboro. For more than two weeks Nashville was entirely isolated, no mails having been received from or sent off to any point .* Notwithstanding the Federals did not take possession of Nashville for more than a week after the grand stampede, no mails were received from the South after that of the morning of the 16th, having all been stopped at Murfreesboro.
All the newspapers in the city were suspended, the stores and busi- ness-houses were closed, and a melancholy gloom hung over the city. For fully ten days it seemed one continuous Sabbath, the silence of which was broken only when there was a distribution of provisions or an effort made to ship them off. It has been truly said that half the people one met during this period looked as though they had lost their best friend.
# Another protracted isolation occurred about a few months later. Toward the close of August, 1862, General Buell, with the main portion of his army, fol- lowed General Bragg into Kentucky, leaving only a small garrison to protect Nashville. Shortly afterward communication. with the North was cut off, both by railroad and telegraph, and for about three months we received no mails from any direction. Only occasionally, when parties came through from Louisville, on horseback or in carriages-the trip being considered hazardous by either mode of conveyance-did we receive news of what was going on in the "outside world." It is a fact that the result of the battles fought in Maryland, in Sep- .tember of that year, was known in London as soon as in Nashville.
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Burning of the Gunboats.
During the night of Monday, the 17th, the two boats that were being converted into gunboats were burned at the wharf by order of the military authorities, and as the fire-bell pealed out its terrifying notes of warning, in "the dead watches of the night," thousands were aroused from their slumbers expecting, from the bright glare that met their gaze as they hastily peered through their windows, to see the city one vast conflagration. It had been freely circulated during that and the previous day, that some of General Johnston's troops had sworn in their wrath that they would reduce the city, which they re- garded as of so much importance to the Confederate States, to a heap of ashes sooner than see it turned over to the Federals. These threats were mainly attributed to the Texas Rangers, and it is due to General Johnston to say that he had sent them South among the first troops that passed through the city on Sunday, and that only a few straggling Rangers were in the city afterward. Whether these rumors had any foundation in reality was of little consequence; they served the pur- pose of frightening thousands of people almost out of their wits, and they were only assured when the cause of the alarm was ascertained. The impropriety of such a confiagration at night was clearly demon- strated, but the lesson was not heeded.
Distribution of Public Stores Resumed.
The morning of Tuesday, the 18th, dawned cloudy, damp and chilly, but with it came no intelligence of the gunboats, except a repe- tition of the idle rumors of the previous day.
The distribution of the Government stores was again commenced, and large amounts of various kinds were given out during the day. This distribution created much excitement, and serious fears of a riot were entertained. Indeed, it was all the Mayor and city police, in connection with the military, could do to keep even an approach to order in one or two localities. A good deal of the stores, especially in the Quartermaster's department, was turned over to thousands of poor women who had labored faithfully for the Confederate Govern- ment for months previous, in satisfaction of the balances due them. The rush made to the Quartermaster's store by hundreds of women and men, who hoped to get a portion of the goods distributed, was closely akin to a mob, and the wonder is that many were not seriously injured.
VOL. I, NO. VI .- 2.
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Destruction of the Bridges.
It was known to a good many citizens on Monday that the destruc- tion of the railroad and suspension bridges had been determined on as "a military necessity," and this work was expected to have been accomplished Monday night, but for some reason, satisfactory, it is presumed, to the authorities, it was not done. The fact became gen- . erally known on Tuesday, and urgent appeals were made to General Floyd (General Johnston and Pillow having left the city) to spare the suspension bridge, as it was of the highest importance to the people of Nashville to have uninterrupted communication with the other side of the river, from whence, for a time, at least, they would have to draw all their market supplies. His uniform answer was, that the destruction · of both bridges was regarded as " a military necessity," and that it was his imperative duty to put into execution the plans agreed upon.
Tuesday night the torch was applied to the railroad bridge, and in a short time all that remained of that splendid structure were the naked pillars and abutments and a few smoking fragments of timber. The precaution had been taken in this instance to prevent the fire-bells , giving the alarm, so that the burning of the bridge was witnessed by comparatively few persons, and the event did not arouse the fears of those who had expected a general conflagration. This bridge was one of the finest draw-bridges in the country, and was built for the joint use of the Louisville & Nashville and Edgefield & Kentucky Railroads, at a cost of about $250,000. The funds to build it were loaned to the two companies by the State of Tennessee, under the general internal improvement laws. The bridge was built under the supervision and direction of Mr. A. Anderson, Chief Engineer of the Edgefield & Kentucky Railroad Company, and the trains passed over it the first time the 28th of October, 1859.
The wires of the suspension bridge were cut about the same time that the reilroad bridge was fired, and the morning revealed a com- plete wreck of this magnificent structure. This fine bridge was about seven hundred feet long, and its height one hundred and ten feet above low water mark. It was built during the year 1850. The archi- tect was Colonel A. Heiman, of this city, who was in command of the Tenth (Irish) Tennessee Regiment at Fort Donelson, and was taken prisoner at the surrender of that post. The contractor was Mr. M. D. Field, brother of Mr. Cyrus W. Field, who superintended the laying down of the Atlantic telegraph cable. This bridge was owned by a
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joint stock company, chartered by the State Legislature under the name of the Broad Street Bridge Company, and it paid handsome dividends to the stockholders. It had been stated by letter-writers from this place, and perhaps others, that the late General Zollicoffer owned a large amount of stock in this company ; that nearly all he was worth consisted of this stock; and that, by the destruction of the bridge, his children (all girls) had been left in destitute circumstances. Such was not the case. General Zollicoffer owned only $8, oco of the stock of the company, and he was esteemed one of the "solid men" of Nashville. The rents from his improved property in the city alone yielded a handsome income in ordinary times.
Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, the 19th, 20th, 21st and 22d, passed off without any notable change in the aspect of affairs.
Distribution of Stores-Reprehensible Conduct-Almost a Riot-Dissal- isfaction.
The distribution of provisions and other government stores was re- sumed Wednesday morning, but was shortly afterward suspended by order of General Floyd, who, it appears, came to the conclusion that the Federals were not as near Nashville as had been supposed, and that these supplies could yet be shipped off for the use of the Confed- erate army. Squads of cavalrymen were stationed in front of each store to keep off the crowds of people who had been drawn hither in expectation of getting a portion of what was to be distributed. They had come-some with wagons, some with wheelbarrows, some with baskets, and others, perhaps the largest portion, without any thing- hoping to get a piece or two of meat with which to feed their children during the period they would be unable to get employment, conse- quent upon the deranged condition of affairs in Nashville. It was a matter of wonder with those who witnessed the conduct of these sol- diers, that large numbers of women and children were not seriously injured, if not killed. Most of them were mounted upon spirited horses, and they would dash into the crowd at full speed, brandishing their swords, or flourishing loaded pistols already cocked. It was pain- ful to witness these exhibitions of recklessness on the part of men unused to the exercise of authority. We have often heard it said of a man, "He swears like a trooper;" but we are forced to admit, after hearing a trooper swear, that the simile lacks in expressiveness. Such
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conduct was reprehensible to the last degree, and we feel satisfied the perpetrators would have been severely punished had the attention , the Commanding General been directed to the matter.
A vigorous effort was made to get the provisions and other stores transferred to the railroad depot, and a large number of wagons fron! both the city and the surrounding country was impressed into the service, as were numbers of the citizens of Nashville. There was no system, however, in what was done, and every thing went on pell-meil. and the consequence was, much remained undone that might have been accomplished.
The impression got out, and prevailed pretty generally Friday morn- ing, that the goods and clothing in the Quartermaster's department, on the corner of Front street and the Public Square, would be distributed that day to the poor and needy. It is said, however, the intention was to distribute what remained of these stores to those who had been working for the Confederate Government, especially the women, and had not been paid, as compensation for their services. The rumor attracted an immense crowd, and it was a motley one. All ages, colors and sexes were drawn thither in the hope of sharing a portion of the spoils. Hundreds of voices would demand that the doors be thrown open and free access given to everybody. The excited crowd swayed to and fro, and grew more clamorous for the promised distri- bution. As the door would open for one or two of the beneficiaries to pass in or out, the crowd would make a surge before which it seemed almost impossible to stand, and it really appeared a miracle that, in that wild commotion, limb and life escaped. The efforts of the police and military to preserve order were of no avail, and a serious riot was imminent. The Mayor appeared and appealed to the crowd to dis- perse, but his appeal was unheeded, and the impatience of the multi- tude was almost ready to break forth in that wild spirit
" Whose rage doth rend Like interrupted waters, and o'erbear What they are used to bear."
It was a critical moment, and luckily the Mayor bethought himself of an expedient which proved more effective than the bayonets of the sol- diers. He ordered out the steam-fire engine, and soon the muddy waters of the Cumberland were pouring down like an avalanche upon the excited populace. The effect was magical. Two or three men were knocked down by the powerful stream, many were thoroughly
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drenched, while others were well sprinkled, whereat those who escaped laughed most heartily. The passions of the people, wrought almost to " demoniac phrenzy," were cooled down, everybody was soon in a good humor, the crowd was dispersed, and a disgraceful riot prevented. So much for cold water!
It was highly honorable in those having charge of these stores that they made an effort to turn a sufficient amount of them over to those who had worked for the Confederate Government to compensate them for their services, and it is to be regretted that a number of poor women, who had toiled for that government for weeks and months, failed to get their pay. They represent that they made the proper ap- plication before the hour for distribution arrived, but because they were unwilling to risk limb and life in the excited crowd that besieged the building, or from some other cause, they received nothing, and have since held remembrances of the Confederate Government in the shape of little bills; while others, "well to do in the world," who had no little bills or claim of any character, had remembrances of the same government in the shape of piles of cloth, and provisions, and groce- . ries, sufficient to last them for from six months to a year or two.
The plan for distributing the provisions and other stores among the people, so that the poor and needy should be supplied, was admirably conceived; but, unfortunately, it failed in the execution, and the conse- quence was very great dissatisfaction and the charge that favoritism was shown-that parties who really needed nothing got considerable quantities of valuable stores, while hucksters and even merchants were enabled to lay in supplies for which they could find no use in their own families. What truth there may have been, or whether any, in these complaints of course we do not know.
The Shipping of Provisions Stopped-Rumors.
The heavy rains of Monday, Wednesday and Saturday had greatly interfered with the shipping of the army stores. The creeks were very much swollen, and the washing away of two small bridges on the Nashville and Chattanooga Railroad, a few miles from the city, on Saturday evening, put a complete stop to the shipping business.
Every day brought forth a fresh brood of rumors as to the where- abouts of the Federals, and many speculations were indulged in as to their purposes. At one time it was stated that General Buell had in- formed General Johnston that he desired to fight him at Nashville, and
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