Follow Up

Dear Freddy,

The news of Fort Donelson's fall--surrendered or captured, depending on the viewpoint--was received in various was in different parts of continent. 

In the North, Grant was praised and even honored with a new nickname, which played off his initials "U.S." He was now widely acclaimed as "Unconditional Surrender" Grant due to his 'terms' of surrender sent to General Buckner:

Following is General Simon Buckner's response:

In the South, the fall of Fort Donelson was known to open the door even wider for the Federals to continue their interloping into Southern land.

General Joe Johnston, in Nashville on the 16th, was endeavoring to disperse the military stores within the city to the Confederate soldiery. As Nashville was itself to be left to the enemy, protocol would have had it for the remaining stores to be destroyed. However, the General made a deal, partly to pacify the civilians being left in the path of the Yankee's that they could have the left overs. When Floyd arrived on Monday (the 17th), Johnson left him in charge of the supply salvaging and headed out of the city. 

Floyd continued the task until Wednesday (the 19th), when Nathan Bedford Forrest arrived. The General quickly passed the job onto the Colonel and marched out the next morning; leaving behind him order for Forrest to stay one more day and continue saving as many of the stores as possible.

Forrest, being a man of backbone, stayed not one day--but four. His actions were of real consequence, for he sent rifling machinery and other ordinance equipment down to Atlanta. As you know, such supplies were quite rare in the South, so this was indeed a wise move on his part. 

He was much more efficient in getting the supplies removed than than been Floyd. So much so that the people began to fear that they were going to miss out on the spoils and thereby started trying to impede his progress! Appealing to their patriotism did little to help the Colonel, so he resorted to spraying the congregated populace with ice cold water siphoned out of the Cumberland River. 

But that is getting rather ahead of ourselves, is it not? I felt it would make more sense in a unit. Forrest would not leave until the Yankee pickets started showing themselves toward the end of the week.

Til tomorrow,

Grandfather

Chuck grinned with the vivid picture of the Nashville civilians being sprayed with water, "Wouldn't that have been something to see, Fred-lad? I can't imagine them trying to keep the food from their own soldier's!"

His voice was rather indignant; which was more the cause of Fredrick smile than the idea of the populace of Nashville being bathed in muddy water...

*Much of the information about Forrest in Nashville came from Vol. 1 of Shelby Foote's "The Civil War".