The two objects for which the battle of Belmont was fought were fully accomplished.  The enemy gave up all idea of detaching troops from Columbus.  His losses were very heavy for that period of the war.  Columbus was beset by people looking for their wounded or dead kin, to take them home for medical treatment or burial.  I learned later, when I had moved further south, that Belmont had caused more mourning than almost any other battle up to that time.  The National troops acquired a confidence in themselves at Belmont that did not desert them through the war.

The day after the battle I met some officers from General Polk’s command, arranged for permission to bury our dead at Belmont and also commenced negotiations for the exchange of prisoners.  When our men went to bury their dead, before they were allowed to land they were conducted below the point where the enemy had engaged our transports.  Some of the officers expressed a desire to see the field; but the request was refused with the statement that we had no dead there.

While on the truce-boat I mentioned to an officer, whom I had known both at West Point and in the Mexican war, that I was in the cornfield near their troops when they passed; that I had been on horseback and had worn a soldier’s overcoat at the time.  This officer was on General Polk’s staff.  He said both he and the general had seen me and that Polk had said to his men, “There is a Yankee; you may try your marksmanship on him if you wish,” but nobody fired at me.

Belmont was severely criticised in the North as a wholly unnecessary battle, barren of results, or the possibility of them from the beginning.  If it had not been fought, Colonel Oglesby would probably have been captured or destroyed with his three thousand men.  Then I should have been culpable indeed.

CHAPTER XXI.

General Halleck in command—­commanding the district of Cairo—­movement on fort Henry—­capture of fort Henry.

While at Cairo I had frequent opportunities of meeting the rebel officers of the Columbus garrison.  They seemed to be very fond of coming up on steamers under flags of truce.  On two or three occasions I went down in like manner.  When one of their boats was seen coming up carrying a white flag, a gun would be fired from the lower battery at Fort Holt, throwing a shot across the bow as a signal to come no farther.  I would then take a steamer and, with my staff and occasionally a few other officers, go down to receive the party.  There were several officers among them whom I had known before, both at West Point and in Mexico.  Seeing these officers who had been educated for the profession of arms, both at school and in actual war, which is a far more efficient training, impressed me with the great advantage