and command. General Floyd said he would not surrender the command nor would be surrender himself a prisoner. I had taken the same position. General Buckner said he was satisfied nothing else could be done, and that therefore he would surrender the command, if placed in command. General Floyd said he would turn over the command to him, if he could be allowed to withdraw his command. To this General Buckner consented. Thereupon the command was turned over to me, I passing it instantly to General Buckner, saying I would neither surrender the command nor myself. I directed Colonel Forrest to cut his way out.

Under these circumstances General Buckner accepted the command and sent a flag of truce to the enemy for an armistice of six hours, to negotiate for terms of capitulation. Before this flag and communication were delivered I retired from the garrison.

Before closing my report of the operations of the army at Donelson I must, in justice to the officers and commands under my immediate command, say that harder fighting or more gallant conduct in officers and men I have never witnessed. In the absence of official reports of brigade and regimental commanders, of which I am deprived by the circumstances detailed in this report, I may not be able to do justice to the different corps. I will say, however, that the forces under my immediate command during the action bore themselves most gallantly throughout the long and bloody conflict. I speak with especial commendation of the brigades commanded by Colonels [Wm. E.] Baldwin, [G. C.] Wharton, [John] McCausland, [J. M.] Simonton, and [Joseph] Drake, and of Captains Maney and Green, who fourth their guns under the constant and annoying fire of the enemy's sharpshooters and of the concentrated fire from his field batteries, from which both commands suffered severely. Captain Maney was himself wounded, and had several lieutenants killed and wounded and many of his company killed and wounded; so did Captains Porter and Graves. If I should hereafter receive the reports of regimental and brigade commanders, giving me detailed information of the conduct and bearing of officers and men, I will make a supplemental report.

The absence of official reports deprives me of the means of giving lists of the killed and wounded of the different commands. I am satisfied that in such a series of conflicts our loss was heavy. I know the enemy's was, from passing over the field of battle in the evening, immediately after the battle, in company with General Floyd. His loss in killed was terrible, exceeding anything I have ever seen upon a battlefield.

Our total force in the field did not exceed 10,000 men, while, from what I saw of the enemy's force and from information derived from many prisoners of the enemy, we are sure he had between 30,000 and 40,000 men in the field.

I must acknowledge many obligations to Major Gilmer, engineers, for especial and valuable services rendered me in laying off terse works and the energy displayed by him in directing their construction, and for his counsel and advice. I likewise acknowledge my obligations to Captain Gus. A. Henry, jr., my assistant adjutant-general; to Colonel John C. Burch, my aide-de-camp; to Major Field, to Lieutenant Nicholson, to Lieutenant Charles, F. Martin, and Colonel Brandon, my volunteer aides-de-camp; to Major Hayners, my assistant commissary, and Major Jones, my assistant quartermaster, for the prompt manner in which they executed my orders under trying circumstances throughout the long and continued conflicts, and to Major Gilmer, who accompanied me to the field and was