Mr. Nichols Goes to War: An Iowan at Fort Donelson

Charging the Confederate works at Fort Donelson on the afternoon of February 15, 1862, Andrew Nichols of the 2nd Iowa recalled the intensely personal nature of combat.

"The enemy did not fire a shot until we got within about 50 yards," he wrote. "As for me, I held my head as low as possible and ran my best for they were shooting high until I got within about 10 feet of the ditch. I saw a man stick his gun under the log as they had laid logs on top of the breastworks with just room to shoot under. I saw him just about to shoot; I thought I was just about as sure of him as if I was inside so I blazed away at him. He went out of sight and I jumped into the ditch and loaded. When I got loaded and over there was a good many ahead of me. The first shot I got inside was at a fellow in butternut clothes who slipped out from behind a tree about 30 yards off and was going to shoot at one of our boys. I was just about to pull when another one stepped out to shoot over his shoulder; I let fly at him and one of them went down. The other turned, went about three steps, and fell also. After that I do not know where I shot, only I did not shoot without seeing a man and I shot about 20 shots."

          Private Nichols’ letter, originally written to his brother, first saw publication in the March 2, 1862, edition of the Muscatine Journal.

 

Early in the war, the infantry of both armies often fired buck and ball ammunition from their .69 caliber muskets. Consisting of a .69 caliber round ball along with three buckshot, it was not effective much beyond 100 yards but up close and personal like at Fort Donelson, it packed a devastating punch. 

Fort Donelson, Tennessee

February 21, 1862

          Of course, you have heard all about the taking of the fort. Our trip down the river was very slow and up the Ohio and Cumberland rivers slower yet. We were afraid all the way that we would not be here in time for the show. When we had to stop for wood, the colonel and all the officers and soldiers helped with a good will.

          We left St. Louis Monday evening and got here at the landing about 5 miles below the fort about daylight Friday morning. We came out to within about a mile of the fort and stopped. The sharpshooters were picking the enemy off every chance they could get. We could hear them firing plainly. I stood it just as long as I could and then took my gun and slipped off and went out for a shot on my own hook. I got among the sharpshooters which were within about 300 yards of the trenches and the space between us and the enemy was covered with downed timber, cut to break the ranks of our men in an attack and hinder them from making a charge with the bayonet.

          Well, I got behind a big tree and thought I’d peep out and see if I could discover anything to shoot at but had not looked long when a ball came whizzing along to let me know that I was seen by them. I got behind another tree, kept a good watch on the place where the ball came from which I thought was outside of the trenches. Pretty soon I saw a black spot move and thought I would shoot at it for fun so I took good aim and fired. You ought to have seen how quick that chunk got out of that! I don’t know for certain whether I killed him or not but he didn’t get up; he got on his knees and climbed over a log which was the last I saw or heard of him.

Colonel Jacob Lauman
Brigade commander

I got one more shot and went back to camp, getting there just as they had fallen in to march up on the hill back of the fort. We went up and our company was thrown out as skirmishers. We kept up a sharp fire on them till dark but I don’t think we did them much harm and none of us got touched that night. We went back in the woods about half a mile, had no blankets or anything but hard crackers and got ready to pass the night as best we might with an inch of snow on the ground. We built big fires and laid down around them. We had not been down long when boom came the sound of an old cannon and down came about 15 of our boys from an old house that stood nearby. They had gone in there and built a fire but the light showed through the window. The Rebels thought they would start them and they did for the first shot went right through the house, knocking the hat off one of the boys but did not hurt any of them but it gave them one grand scare you may bet.

About 9 o’clock it commenced snowing. You can imagine what kind of humor we were in out there by a fire without tents or blankets. We were in good trim for a fight any time that night. We got up, or rather were up, Saturday morning without more than half a cracker to the man for breakfast. I ate mine and thought I would try skirmishing again so I went over to the edge of the timber but did not see anything to shoot at but could hear men fighting on our right flank very hard. I started down but stopped for fear that our regiment would be called out and I not there. So I missed that fight but expect it was well enough.

I went back to our camp and we sat around until afternoon then the captain told us to be ready to fall in at a moment’s notice. That began to look like it. At 2:30, the left wing formed in line of battle and started for the trenches with orders not to fire a shot till we got inside. When we got within about 200 yards you could see their heads thick peeking over the breastworks. Then we had a ravine to cross which kept us out of sight till we came up within about 75 yards at the foot of a very steep hill with timber cut every way to bother us.

 


“Just imagine a hill about as steep as Brady Street with tree tops felled all over the ground and you will have a picture of what we had to climb over, and on the double quick at that. I fell down three times over the dead bodies of my fellow soldiers before I got over the breastworks. I tell you it makes a fellow feel kind of ticklish to hear the bullets whizzing around him like hailstones with his companions falling around him every minute, but it didn’t last long. After the first two or three volleys, he gets perfectly reckless or what you might call insane at any other time.” ~ Private James W. Morrison, Co. C, 2nd Iowa Infantry

 


The enemy did not fire a shot until we got within about 50 yards then they opened on us, but it did not have the effect they intended it to have and did not check us a bit. Those that were not shot down set up a cheer and started a run for the trenches. As for me, I held my head as low as possible and ran my best for they were shooting high until I got within about 10 feet of the ditch. I saw a man stick his gun under the log as they had laid logs on top of the breastworks with just room to shoot under. I saw him just about to shoot; I thought I was just about as sure of him as if I was inside so I blazed away at him. He went out of sight and I jumped into the ditch and loaded. When I got loaded and over there was a good many ahead of me.

The first shot I got inside was at a fellow in butternut clothes who slipped out from behind a tree about 30 yards off and was going to shoot at one of our boys. I was just about to pull when another one stepped out to shoot over his shoulder; I let fly at him and one of them went down. The other turned, went about three steps, and fell also. After that I do not know where I shot, only I did not shoot without seeing a man and I shot about 20 shots. I took one prisoner. He was hid in a lot of brush. I had got clear past him but happened to see him raise on his knees to shoot. I was just about 10 paces from him. To jerk up my gun and draw a bead on him was my first thought and you may bet it did not take long. He saw it was all day with him so he threw down his gun and asked me not to shoot him and of course I did not.

General Charles F. Smith

After I gave him up to one of the officers, I went on up the hill and commenced bushwhacking, that is to hide behind logs, stumps, or trees and shoot as opportunity offered. While I was behind a stump loading, some fellow shot from our left and hit me in the side. It knocked me down but I jumped up, felt for the hole in my coat but could not find it. I thought it was a spent ball that hit me so I kept on loading and shooting.

The 52nd Indiana came up behind us and commenced firing right into us. Then we received orders to fall back to the trenches as we were almost to the inner work. As we went back, the balls fell so fast that you would have though the ground was alive and crawling. As we went behind the trenches, General [Charles F.] Smith told those Indiana boys that he was ashamed of them and that if he had had another regiment like the Iowa boys he would have taken the enemy’s works.

Our right wing was 300 yards behind and did not suffer much. The general said he never saw such a charge in his life. When they surrendered, some of the other regiments were going to march in first but he [Smith] stopped them and had us go in and plant the colors of the fort first and had them give us three cheers.

To learn more about the 2nd Iowa at Fort Donelson, please check out “Buckeyes Among Hawkeyes” which features three more account from soldiers in the 2nd Iowa.

Source:

Letter from Private Andrew W. Nichols, Co. B, 2nd Iowa Volunteer Infantry, Muscatine Journal (Iowa), March 7, 1862, pg. 2



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