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THE CAPTURE OF FORT DONELSON.

About 11 o’clock Com-mander Walke, of theCarondelet, engaged thewater-batteries. The airwas then full of thestunning music of bat-tle, though as yet nota volley of musketryhad been heard. Smith,nearest the enemy atstarting, was first inplace; and there, leav-ing the fight to hissharp-shooters and skir-mishers and to his bat-teries, he reported tothe chief in the log-house, and, like an oldsoldier, calmly waitedorders. McClernand , fol-lowing a good road,pushed on rapidly tothe high grounds on theright. The appearanceof his column in thevalley covered by thetwo Confederate batter-ies provoked a furiousshelling from them. Onthe double-quick hismen passed through it; and when, in the wood beyond, they resumed theroute-step and saw that nobody was hurt, they fell to laughing at them-selves. The real baptism of fire was yet in store for them.

When McClernand arrived at his appointed place and extended his brigades,it was discovered that the Confederate outworks offered a front too great forhim to envelop. To attempt to rest his right opposite their extreme left wouldnecessitate a dangerous attenuation of his line and leave him without reserves.Over on their left, moreover, ran the road already mentioned as passing fromDover on the south to Charlotte and Nashville , which it was of the highestimportance to close hermetically so that there would be no communicationleft General Floyd except by the river. If the road to Charlotte were left tothe enemy, they might march out at their pleasure.

The insufficiency of his force was thus made apparent to General Grant,and whether a discovery of the moment or not, he set about its correction.He knew a reenforcement was coming up the river under convoy of Foote;besides which a brigade, composed of the 8th Missouri and the 11th Indiana

LIEUT.-GENERAL SIMON B. BUCKNER, C. S. A. FROM A PHOTOGRAPH.