Mrs. Lyon’s Diary
Fort Henry, Tenn., Feb. 4—A dispatch from Colonel Lowe yesterday called the Thirteenth to Fort Donelson. We had a night of great excitement. All the men went out of camp except the sick, and all that could stand up on their feet followed. We heard that the Thirteenth was fighting about six miles out. We could hear the cannon boom once in a while. After dark, and all night, the couriers were running. They brought news that some of the officers were killed. I had to bear this alone, for I could not tell the wives, and thought it might not be true; and if it was I did not want to be the one to tell them. We packed up everything, and were ready to start at a moment’s notice. We were to take the boat and go down the river a few miles. After midnight the ladies all got together in our tent and talked. They seemed to depend upon me. I felt myself a very weak stick—I knew of these reports, and felt so nervous.
