for the day.  The gunboat which Flag-officer Foote was on, besides having been hit about sixty times, several of the shots passing through near the waterline, had a shot enter the pilot-house which killed the pilot, carried away the wheel and wounded the flag-officer himself.  The tiller-ropes of another vessel were carried away and she, too, dropped helplessly back.  Two others had their pilot-houses so injured that they scarcely formed a protection to the men at the wheel.

The enemy had evidently been much demoralized by the assault, but they were jubilant when they saw the disabled vessels dropping down the river entirely out of the control of the men on board.  Of course I only witnessed the falling back of our gunboats and felt sad enough at the time over the repulse.  Subsequent reports, now published, show that the enemy telegraphed a great victory to Richmond.  The sun went down on the night of the 14th of February, 1862, leaving the army confronting Fort Donelson anything but comforted over the prospects.  The weather had turned intensely cold; the men were without tents and could not keep up fires where most of them had to stay, and, as previously stated, many had thrown away their overcoats and blankets.  Two of the strongest of our gunboats had been disabled, presumably beyond the possibility of rendering any present assistance.  I retired this night not knowing but that I would have to intrench my position, and bring up tents for the men or build huts under the cover of the hills.

On the morning of the 15th, before it was yet broad day, a messenger from Flag-officer Foote handed me a note, expressing a desire to see me on the flag-ship and saying that he had been injured the day before so much that he could not come himself to me.  I at once made my preparations for starting.  I directed my adjutant-general to notify each of the division commanders of my absence and instruct them to do nothing to bring on an engagement until they received further orders, but to hold their positions.  From the heavy rains that had fallen for days and weeks preceding and from the constant use of the roads between the troops and the landing four to seven miles below, these roads had become cut up so as to be hardly passable.  The intense cold of the night of the 14th-15th had frozen the ground solid.  This made travel on horseback even slower than through the mud; but I went as fast as the roads would allow.

When I reached the fleet I found the flag-ship was anchored out in the stream.  A small boat, however, awaited my arrival and I was soon on board with the flag-officer.  He explained to me in short the condition in which he was left by the engagement of the evening before, and suggested that I should intrench while he returned to Mound City with his disabled boats, expressing at the time the belief that he could have the necessary repairs made and be back in ten days.  I saw the absolute necessity of his gunboats going into hospital and did not know but I should be forced to the alternative of going through a siege.  But the enemy relieved me from this necessity.