h Missouri, and Twelfth Iowa; and the
fourth, Colonel John G. Lauman, contained the Twenty-fifth and
Fifty-sixth Indiana, and the Second, Seventh, and Fourteenth Iowa. Major
Cavender's battalion of Missouri artillery was attached to the division.
Some of Major Cavender's guns were twenty-pounders. Three pieces in
McAllister's battery were twenty-four pound howitzers.

McClernand's division, preceded by the Fourth Illinois cavalry, marched
in advance on both roads. No opposition was encountered before reaching
the pickets in front of Donelson. The advance came in sight of the fort
about noon. McArthur's brigade, forming the rear of the column, halted
about three miles from the fort at 6 P.M., and moved into position at
half-past ten. It was observed by Colonel W.H. L. Wallace, whose brigade
was at the head of the column on the telegraph or direct road between
Forts Henry and Donelson, that the enemy's camps were on the other side
of the creek, which, on examination, was found to be impassable. He
moved up the creek and joined Colonel Oglesby, whose brigade was the
advance on the Ridge road, in a wooded hollow, screened from view from
the works by an intervening ridge.

The moment that deployment was begun, Oglesby's brigade, which was the
farther to the right, was briskly attacked by cavalry, who, after a
sharp skirmish, retired. McClernand's division was assigned to the
right, C.F. Smith's to the left. The day was spent feeling through the
thick woods and along deep ravines, and high, narrow winding ridges. At
times a distant glimpse was caught, through some opening, of the gleam
of tents crowning a height; at times, a regiment tearing its way through
blinding undergrowth was startled and cut by the sudden discharge from a
battery almost overhead, which it had come upon unawares. The advancing
skirmish-line was in constant desultory conflict with the posted
picket-line. Batteries, occasionally, where an opening through the
timber permitted, took a temporary position and engaged the hostile
batteries. The afternoon passed in thus developing the fire of the line
of works, feeling towards a position and acquiring an idea of the
formation of the ground. Smith's division, by night, was in line in
front of Buckner, and McClernand's right had crossed Indian Creek and
reached the Wynn's Creek road. The column had marched without
transportation. The men had nothing but what they carried in knapsack
and haversack. Shelter-tents