is and the Government at Richmond expected
everything of him. And he manfully strove to do everything.

There was a mighty marching of men, some news of which came through to
Dick and his comrades with Grant. Johnston with his main army, the very
flower of the western South, fell back from Bowling Green, in Kentucky,
toward Nashville, the capital of Tennessee. But Buckner, with his
division, was sent from Bowling Green to help defend Donelson against
the threatened attack by Grant, and he arrived there six days after the
fall of Henry. On the way were the troops of Floyd, defeated in West
Virginia, but afterwards sent westward. Floyd was at the head of them.
Forrest, the great cavalry leader, was also there with his horsemen. The
fort was crowded with defenders, but the slack Pillow did not yet send
forward anybody to see what Grant was doing, although he was only twenty
miles away.

All eyes were now turned upon the west. The center of action had
suddenly shifted from Kentucky to Tennessee. The telegraph was young
yet, but it was busy. It carried many varying reports to the cities
North and South. The name of this new man, Grant, spelled trouble.
People were beginning to talk much about him, and already some suspected
that there was more in the back of his head than in those of far better
known and far more pretentious northern generals in the east. None at
least could dispute the fact that he was now the one whom everybody was
watching.

But the Southern people, few of whom knew the disparity of numbers,
had the fullest confidence in the brilliant Johnston. He was more than
twenty years older than his antagonist, but his years had brought only
experience and many triumphs, not weakness of either mind or body. At
his right hand was the swarthy and confident Beauregard, great with
the prestige of Bull Run, and Hardee, Bragg, Breckinridge and Polk. And
there were many brilliant colonels, too, foremost among whom was George
Kenton.

A tremor passed through the North when it was learned that Grant
intended to plunge into the winter forest, cross the Cumberland, and
lay siege to Donelson. He was going beyond the plans of his superior,
Halleck, at St. Louis. He was too daring, he would lose his army, away
down there in the Confederacy. But others remembered his successes,
particularly at Belmont and Fort Henry. They said that nothing could be
won in war without risk, and they spoke of his daring and decision. They
recal