I feel that it is a duty I owe to Colonel A. Heiman, commanding the Tenth Tennessee Regiment [Irish], to give this testimony of my high appreciation of him as a soldier and a man, due to his gallant regiment, both officers and men. I place them second to no regiment I have seen in the Army.

To Captain Dixon, of the Engineers, I owe [as does the whole country] my special acknowledgments of his ability and unceasing energies. Under his immediate eye were all the works proposed by myself at Fort Donelson and Heiman executed, while his fruitfulness in resources to meet the many disadvantages of position alone enabled us to combat its difficulties successfully.

To Lieutenant Watts, of the heavy artillery, as acting ordnance officer at Fort Henry, I owe this special notice of the admirable condition of the ordnance department at that post. Lieutenant Watts is the coolest officer under fire I ever met with.

I take pleasure in acknowledging the marked courtesy and consideration of Flag-Officer Foote, of the Federal Navy; of Captain Stembel and the other naval officers, to myself, officers, and men. Their gallant bearing during the action gave evidence of a brave and therefore generous foe.

Respectfully, your obedient servant,

LLOYD TILGHMAN,

Brigadier-General, Commanding.

RICHMOND, VA., August 9, 1862.

My attention having been called, since writing the above report, to certain statements made in the somewhat unofficial reports of the battles of Fort Donelson, on the subject of the condition of the fornications at that place at the time of the arrival of the re-enforcements, I deem it highly proper to protect my own as well as the reputation of the officers and men of my command, and place the facts of the case on record.

Nearly broken down by incessant work from the middle of June in organizing and perfecting the First Kentucky Brigade and in remodeling the brigade at Hopkinsville, Ky., I was not in the best condition, so late as December 15, to commence in a new field of operations, and work into perfect shape a third brigade and carry on the system of fortifications on both the Cumberland and Tennessee necessary for the defense of the important line intrusted to my care.

The facts of the case are simply these: On reaching Fort Donelson the middle of December I found at my disposal six undisciplined companies of infantry, with an unorganized light battery, while a small water battery of two light guns constituted that available river defense. Four 32-pounders had been rightly placed, but were not available. By January 25 I had prepared the entire batteries [except one piece, which arrived too late] for the river defenses; built the entire field work with a trace of 2,900 feet, and in the most substantial manner constructed a large amount of abatis, and commenced guarding the approaches by rifle pits and abatis. This was all done when the re-enforcements arrived, and, when the total lack of transportation is taken into consideration, as well as the inclemency of the season, and yet find not only the original troops there, but nearly all my re-enforcements housed in something like 400 good cabins, I conceive my time to have been well spent. While this was being done, the strengthening of Fort Henry, the building of all