On the 7th, the day after the fall of Fort Henry, I took my staff and the cavalry—­a part of one regiment—­and made a reconnoissance to within about a mile of the outer line of works at Donelson.  I had known General Pillow in Mexico, and judged that with any force, no matter how small, I could march up to within gunshot of any intrenchments he was given to hold.  I said this to the officers of my staff at the time.  I knew that Floyd was in command, but he was no soldier, and I judged that he would yield to Pillow’s pretensions.  I met, as I expected, no opposition in making the reconnoissance and, besides learning the topography of the country on the way and around Fort Donelson, found that there were two roads available for marching; one leading to the village of Dover, the other to Donelson.

Fort Donelson is two miles north, or down the river, from Dover.  The fort, as it stood in 1861, embraced about one hundred acres of land.  On the east it fronted the Cumberland; to the north it faced Hickman’s creek, a small stream which at that time was deep and wide because of the back-water from the river; on the south was another small stream, or rather a ravine, opening into the Cumberland.  This also was filled with back-water from the river.  The fort stood on high ground, some of it as much as a hundred feet above the Cumberland.  Strong protection to the heavy guns in the water batteries had been obtained by cutting away places for them in the bluff.  To the west there was a line of rifle pits some two miles back from the river at the farthest point.  This line ran generally along the crest of high ground, but in one place crossed a ravine which opens into the river between the village and the fort.  The ground inside and outside of this intrenched line was very broken and generally wooded.  The trees outside of the rifle-pits had been cut down for a considerable way out, and had been felled so that their tops lay outwards from the intrenchments.  The limbs had been trimmed and pointed, and thus formed an abatis in front of the greater part of the line.  Outside of this intrenched line, and extending about half the entire length of it, is a ravine running north and south and opening into Hickman creek at a point north of the fort.  The entire side of this ravine next to the works was one long abatis.

General Halleck commenced his efforts in all quarters to get reinforcements to forward to me immediately on my departure from Cairo.  General Hunter sent men freely from Kansas, and a large division under General Nelson, from Buell’s army, was also dispatched.  Orders went out from the War Department to consolidate fragments of companies that were being recruited in the Western States so as to make full companies, and to consolidate companies into regiments.  General Halleck did not approve or disapprove of my going to Fort Donelson.  He said nothing whatever to me on the subject.  He informed Buell on the 7th that I would march against Fort Donelson the next day; but on the 10th he directed me to fortify Fort Henry strongly, particularly to the land side, saying that he forwarded me intrenching tools for that purpose.  I received this dispatch in front of Fort Donelson.