Like Spears of Grass Before the Flames: Charging Fort Donelson with the 14th Iowa

For future Congressman William H. Calkins, the sight at dawn on February 16, 1862, repaid manyfold the privations and sufferings he experienced during the days in front of Fort Donelson.

    "The first gray streak of daylight displayed a white flag streaming from off the tops of the surrounding breastworks," he noted in a letter to the editors of the Lafayette Journal & Courier. "If you can imagine the feelings of our troops when they saw the rattlesnake flag fall and the glorious stars and stripes waving in triumph over the Rebel fort. It paid us tenfold for our suffering. To pay us for our gallant bravery, we had the honor to march in front of the long line of troops into the fort. General Floyd escaped as did General Pillow, but Generals Buckner, Johnson, and West were captured. There were from 10,000-12,000 prisoners taken and a rough-looking set I tell you."

    A member of the 14th Iowa Infantry, Lieutenant Calkins' description of the victory at Fort Donelson first appeared in the February 22, 1862, edition of the Lafayette Journal & Courier published in Lafayette, Indiana. 

First Lieutenant William H. Calkins, Co. H, 14th Iowa Volunteer Infantry went on to serve as regimental quartermaster of the 128th Indiana Infantry and major in the 12th Indiana Cavalry. After the war, he served four terms in Congress representing Indiana before moving to Washington Territory late in life. He died January 29, 1894, in Tacoma, Washington at age 51.  

Fort Donelson, Tennessee

February 18, 1862

Editor Lafayette Courier, dear sir,

          I do not wishto enroll myself among the many army correspondents or newspaper contributors,but as I am somewhat partial towards your excellent sheet, I though it wouldnot come amiss to give you the facts with regard to the battle and victory justgained by the brave boys of the western states.

          It will befolly for me to undertake a description of the fort but suffice it to say thatit is admirably constructed and could have easily been made impregnable againstany number of troops. The attack was made on the fort by General Smith’sdivision on the 13th instant; Colonel Lauman’s brigade, composed ofthe 2nd, 7th, and 14th Iowa regiments and the25th Indiana was ordered to storm the southwest barricadement. Weadvanced from the summit of a hill on which we had encamped the night previousand had scarcely moved 100 yards when the batteries of the Rebels opened out adeadly fire of grape and canister from their entrenchments, however, thegallant soldiers were not to be daunted by a few missiles of death.

          Onward we sped until we reached thefoot of the hill. Then we were ordered to halt and form the lines which werescattered and broken by the thick underbrush and timber which had been felledby the Rebels to impede our progress. We soon formed the lines and “onward” wasthe cry. We pushed forward until within about 100 yards of the entrenchment.The timber that had been felled by the Rebels proved effectual, for the largetrees fallen in all directions proved an insurmountable barrier for us, and theorder was given to halt and give them a few rounds from our muskets which wedid with telling effect. We completely kept them down behind the entrenchmentsand fought them five hours under a heavy fire from two batteries. The fallentimber proved quite advantageous for us; had it not been for this, we wouldhave been badly cut to pieces from the battery. And here suffer me to pronouncean encomium on the 25th Indiana: they suffered severely, being verymuch exposed, but they fought like heroes.

Colonel Jacob Lauman,
Brigade Commander

          When nightcame, we were ordered to fall back and encamp upon the ground where we campedthe previous night. The next day, our division was still, but on the extremeright, we heard heavy cannonading and musketry. And let me say here that neverin the annals of history was there a more severe contest that took place thandid on the right of the army. Floyd with his whole division came out of theirdens and attacked the Illinois brigade in General McClernand’s division. Floyd’sdivision numbered 7,000 strong, supported by 2,000 cavalrymen, making a totalof 9,000 men. The Illinois brigade was composed of four broken regiments, thetotal of the whole brigade did not exceed 2,500 men, odds of almost four toone.

          The Rebelsadvanced and commenced the attack. Our brave boys drove them back with tremendousslaughter. Again, they advanced and were driven back with awful loss. A thirdtime, they railed and presented a different front, for they had learned theextent of our lines and outflanked us on the extreme right. Their cavalry madea rear attack at the instant they came up but, nothing daunted, our brave boysdrove them from their position, about faced, and charged on the Rebel cavalry,running them clear out of the state for they have not been heard of since. Ourammunition gave out and we were obliged to fall back. We were soon reinforcedby the Kentucky brigade and the Rebels were driven from their hiding places andwent back inside their breastworks in great confusion and disorder. Such as thescene of the second day.

          The third daybeing the 15th instant, we found we had work to do yet. Orders cameto storm the breastworks of the enemy at all hazards. Colonel Lauman’s brigadewas selected for the work. We marched out a distance of a quarter of a milebelow the place where we first attempted the work. The division advanced; theyopened a deadly fire upon us and our boys fell like spears of grass before theflames. But soon the scene changed. Our boys mounted the works and over theywent. The Rebels fell thick and fast, but night set in and we were obliged toceased firing.

          That night wastruly a night of suffering to us. It had rained and the mud in the ditches wasvery deep and we were obliged to lay in the mud beneath the canopy of heavenwhile the bombshells played around us like hail and terra firma froze beneath us.We thought of the happy ones at home and envied them their places. But morningcame and all was still. The first gray streak of daylight displayed a whiteflag streaming from off the tops of the surrounding breastworks. If you canimagine the feelings of our troops when they saw the rattlesnake flag fall andthe glorious stars and stripes waving in triumph over the Rebel fort. It paidus tenfold for our suffering. To pay us for our gallant bravery, we had thehonor to march in front of the long line of troops into the fort.

          General Floydescaped as did General Pillow, but Generals Buckner, Johnson, and West werecaptured. I will not try to give you an estimate of the killed. One of theVirginia boys told me that his regiment numbered 800 and when they surrendered,they had 150 all told. There were from 10,000-12,000 prisoners taken and arough-looking set I tell you. Very soon, we will see New Orleans, but I mustclose.

To learn more about the charge of the Iowans at Fort Donelson, please check out this other post:

Buckeyes Among Hawkeyes : Ohioans at Fort Donelson with the 2nd Iowa

Source:

Letter from First Lieutenant William Henry Calkins, Co. H, 14thIowa Volunteer Infantry, Lafayette Journal & Courier (Indiana), February22, 1862, pg. 3