FORT DONNELSON.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XVII, Issue 1000, 11 June 1862, Page 3

FORT DONNELSON.

The capture of Port Donnelson is commented upon as follows by the Southern journals. The ' Richmond Despatch' of the 19th ult. says:— "After three days of the most desperate fighting ever witnessed on this continent (so declares a veteran regular officer), the most desperate fighting against the most tremendous odds, in which day after day the multitudinous host of invaders were driven back past their own camps, our glorious Spartan □and, from sheer exhaustion, has been borne down by a new avalanche of reinforcements ; piled upon the already enormous weight against whigh they have hitherto struggled

with complete success, and has suffered one of those misfortunes which are common to war, but which entail no dishonour on our cause, and which will only animate to the most stern and undying 1 resistance every true Southern heart. If these bloody barbarians, whose hands are now soaked to the elbows in the life-blood of men defending- their own homes and firesides, dream that they are now one inch nearer the subjugation of the South than when they started on their infernal mission, they prove themselves to be fools and madmen as well as savages and murderers. They have taught us a lesson, we admit ; they have admonished us to be more wary and circumspect, to husband with greater care our limited resources, and not to underrate our enemy. But they have also placed between them and us a gulf that can never be crossed by their arts or arms, and a universal determination to die, if die we must, for our country, but never permit her to be subjugated by the most malignant, the most murderous, the meanest of mankind, whose name is at this very moment such a byword of scorn and reproach throughout Europe, for their combined cruelty and cowardice, that their own ambassadors cannot stand the scorn of the world's contempt, and are all anxious to fly back to the United States. Their success at Port Donnelson, gained only by vast superiority of numbers, will only have the effect of con- . verting the whole population of the Southmen, women, and children—into an immense army, who will resist them at every step, and everywhere ' welcome them with bloody hands to hospitable graves.' The glorious valour of our troops at Fort Donnelson is not dimmed in the slightest degree by their inability to hold their ground against overwhelming odds, but, on the contrary, shines through the black clouds of disaster with a radiance which will kindle the whole South into a blaze, and surround their own names with a halo of imperishable venom." The ' Richmond Enquirer' of the same date says:—"By the mangled body of every man who fell at the hands of the scoundrel murderers who have invaded the country of those who never did them any harm—by the homes which we have established by our industry— by the beautiful land which we have inherited from our fathers—by the families that we love—by all that is noble and patriotic and brave, and in the fear and fervently invoking the favour of God—we must all resolve, in our inmost souls, and vow with an irrevocable vow, that we will die if we cannot live free men! And this vow we must set about making good. Let cowards tremble, if they will! Let vile niggards count their treasures in agony. But what brave or generous citizen would wish to survive the ruin of his country? Who would desire to live when odious and vulgar despots have foot upon our necks ? No, fellow-citizens; let us, as did our fathers, pledge our honor to each other and to the world that our lives and our fortunes shall be devoted to the vindication of our liberties; and that, if these are lost, nothing shall survive the wreck, for nothing would be worth saving. Courage, then, people of the Confederate States! You have now one of those 1 opportunities' which, if improved, make nations famous, and make brave men renowned ! History awaits our action to make up the record of glory or infamy- Any man can be brave when there is no danger. Any soldier can be enthusiastic when cheered by a round of successes. It is adversity that tries men's souls, and distinguishes between true men and false—the genuine and the counterfeit ! Let us as individuals, and let us as a people, seize this opportunity for true glory. Let us stimulate each other's courage, and emulate each other's zeal! If one man falls, let two step forward to take his place! The fight must be redeemed, we will have the victory ! What if we have reverses ? It is the fate of war; a war without disasters is a winter without storms. But we will bear them like patriots and brave men, and,, both in our fortitude and our daring, we will show ourselves worthy to be free. If we do not, we do not deserve to be free. Of the extent of the disaster which we have suffered at Donnelson we are very uncertain.