Colonel Lyons.
Fort Donelson, June 13, 1863—None but light draught boats can go up the river now, and not many of them.
I have had a small bed put in my room for the Paymaster to occupy. I hear of Hinson’s gang, forty strong, three miles from the rolling mill, but having no cavalry, I can not pursue him. He has not molested us yet.
Colonel Lyons.
Fort Donelson, June 12, 1863.—Nothing but the regular routine has transpired today. There has been no chance to send off a mail for several days. I will send the Nevada down when she returns from Clarksville. There are several boats on the shoals below and we have to stop all the boats from above to take part of their cargoes.
We have not had any bushwhacking about us since I have been in command, and I do not expect much of it. I tell the citizens that they can have the burden of a military occupation of their country very light or they can have it very heavy, just as they please. They desire to take it light.
Captain Morrell is quite feeble and has asked for leave of absence. He will probably get it.
Colonel Lyons.
Fort Donelson, June 11th, 1863.—It has rained considerably lately. The river is rising. There are five boats here tonight. They go up the river tomorrow morning. I send a guard of three companies under command of Captain Randall with them to Clarksville. They will escort back the Paymaster, who is there. I send the Nevada to bring them down. We shall be glad to see the Paymaster.
Colonel Lyons.
Fort Donelson, June 9, 1863.—All quiet on the Cumberland. It is raining some tonight. Mr. Hillman, a wealthy iron manufacturer on the river below Canton, stays with us tonight. My duties keep me very busy nearly all the time.
The Nevada arrived today, bringing back Dr. Horton, Bardwell and Haley. Haley is much better. His family are seventy or eighty miles above Cairo. Captain McConnell has received his commission as Colonel of the 71st Ohio. The officers of the 83d have their commissions also.
Major Bond’s expedition returned with between fifty and one hundred horses and mules.
Colonel Lyons.
Fort Donelson, June 7, 1863.—I have a hard, anxious summer before me. At home some, I suppose, will think that it is a nice thing to have the command of a post like this, garrisoned with a large force, with a fort and lots of artillery, and no commander over you but General Rosecrans. It is a very honorable command, one that a higher and more experienced officer might well be proud of; but when you remember that it is a place much coveted by the rebels, one where several bloody battles have already been fought, and where we have always been victorious; a place that no commander would surrender so long as he had a man left to fire a gun; a place where above all others death would be preferable to defeat, and where we are almost entirely out of the reach of reinforcements for several months in the year if attacked, you can imagine that the responsibility more than equals the honor of the position.
The most pressing work now is to finish the fort, build the magazine, build a guard-house inside the works, procure forage to last all summer, get a light-draught steamer to carry our mails as long as possible; mount, equip and organize about 200 men for scouting purposes; besides several minor matters which require attention.
When these things are accomplished I shall ask for a leave of absence. Do not let any one out of the family see this letter. It is egotistical, and I have no right to be that with outsiders.
The telegraph wires are down between here and Clarksville.
Colonel Lyons.
Fort Donelson, June 6, 1863.—The cavalry started today—Major Bond’s expedition also, and it is very quiet here. I have been beset today by women whose husbands are in the guard-house—citizens. One complained that she had eight small children and nothing to eat. Her husband was caught taking a load of whisky South some time since. I promised to investigate the cases soon.
You recollect a Court-Martial at Fort Henry last winter, of which Lieutenant Warren was a member. They sentenced a private in Flood’s Battery to be shot. The sentence has just come back approved, with a direction to Colonel Lowe to execute it. As Colonel Lowe is named in the order I do not like to shoot the fellow without further orders. He is the worst desperado I ever saw. He is the fellow that used to break his fetters so often last winter, and once he escaped. He has slipped his handcuffs twenty-seven times and proposes to make it a round thirty before he gets through.
Colonel Lyons.
Fort Donelson, June 5,1863.—Last night the brass band came about eleven o’clock and gave me a serenade. I had been asleep two hours, but had to get up, dress, go out and make a little speech.
The cavalry crosses this afternoon and are off for good tomorrow morning. They feel pretty sober. I send out Major Bond and six companies of infantry tomorrow after horses. A and B go from the 13th. Little Johnny, the Adjutant’s orderly, was mad this morning. He said, ‘I give five dollar to know who tied my mule loose last night.’ I shall keep the Adjutant as Post Adjutant.
Colonel Lyons.
Fort Donelson, June 4, 1863.—Soon after I went over to headquarters this morning, an order came to me from General Rosecrans to send the 5th Iowa Cavalry to Murfreesboro, and then another directing me to gather up horses and mount enough infantry for patrols, pickets and scouts. The cavalry will cross the river tomorrow and march by Clarksville and Nashville. The 1st Wisconsin Cavalry, now at Eddyville, will join them at Clarksville. This order settles matters here by throwing the command of this post on my shoulders, and probably fastens us here for some time. I do not know, but presume, that Colonel Lowe will have a cavalry brigade at the front. We don’t hear a word from him. You know I feared this result when Colonel Lowe was ordered to headquarters. The responsibility of this command is heavy and I would gladly avoid it. It would be a very honorable command for a Brigadier-General, and is a larger and more responsible one than many of them have. Unless there is some change I have a laborious and anxious summer before me, but I will try to get along with it. I shall start an expedition in a day or two for horses.
Colonel Lyons.
Fort Donelson, June 3, 1863.—Colonel Lowe was telegraphed for on account of the sickness of his wife, and the command of the post will doubtless be on my shoulders for some weeks. There is no danger at present that we shall be sent away from here. I do not like to have this responsibility upon me at all, but must stand it, I reckon. Captain Ruger starts out in the morning to make his surveys, or rather to commence them. His wife will worry for fear he will be shot by guerillas. When you write to her tell her that I will keep a strong guard of cavalry and infantry with him, and will do everything possible for his safety that I can.
Colonel Lyons.
Fort Donelson, June 2, 1863.—Weather cool and cloudy. River is rising a little. H and G returned today. Found no enemy. We have a rumor that Woodward, with 1,500 men and four pieces of artillery, is on Yellow Creek, thirty miles from here.
The fort progresses finely. We have all four of those 32-pounders in position now. The brigade band is about organized and we shall have lots of music soon, I suppose.
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