Sketch Of Fort Donelson

The spejial correspondent of the Chicago Tribune gives thu folk) W Dg ketch of Fort Donelson, the sceno of tho recent brillrant Federal vietory : The current of the Cumberlaod river at Dover i ;ins nearly North, but imrnediately ui the towti aa yon aseend the streum, it leads towards the East, not an abrupt bend but a gentío curve The banks on tho West sido are quite elevuted, but the iiiilw areeutbynnrnerous riivines. The hills are about ona hundrod ieet high, just sucli elevatione ns are to be seen in Ei-'ypt or along the Ohio, About one half mile below or north ot tho town, ibera is i i'Hind knob cleared, and planted with oom the past aeason. It is fully ono hundred feot, high, aod the ascent on the north sido is 7ary steen - too Rteep to be plovved. It was covt-rod with a forest, whicii was clonred when the work of intrenching bögaa. There the rebels set up their batteriea for the defense of the river, Befóre desenbing these, I may say that there are tbree separate werkt - the water hatteries, the fort, and thu rear line oí intreiichnients. Coramencing with the water batterios, low down, close unon the bank, you vee, as yon stand in front of them, what appears to be a hole in the side ot thé hill. Upon examination you tind it to contain one 128 pound rifled gun from Tredegar works at Richmond, and two 32-pound howitzers. The ritted Lun is a fair piece of workmtuiship, und a you run yo;ir eye along tho eighta, yu can easily imagine that it will send a hall straight down the stream a mile aad a half to the distant levol, plump Oto ;.r:y boat. It is in admirable position. Rififht above it oommences a (rench vhu'.h is dug to the side oí the hill, or ather which runs up it in a diagonal, is if iin attempt was being made to sonetruot a road, The hill is so stee)) hat in ton i'pd'a d'mtance there is room jr eight 32-pounders. At the upper nd of the trench is a, second 120ounder. Standing at any gan, yon can seo lint all can be brougbt to liear upon iny object down the livor; tlia' a giin:oat approaching can be raked (rom item to stern, and tbat shot can be poured straight into lu r bows, pnint blank froin tho lower gane, and npon h.t decks a planging fire from the big Lnm at the top of tho trench. The jmbankment is wel] constructed, aiïd From the nature of the grotind it ia ;:1most a ensénate. A shot striktng bouw or above would do no dtunage. Now, transferring youreelf to agunboat, you would soe that it would be next to an impossibility tó reacb the big jrun at the upper end oí this trench, for, turn yoar bow's head on to avoid tlie shot, you would still be raked by some of the rebel runs. This was the river defonse, and a most adinirable defense it was - airoost impregnable, Hé we found, in the attempt lo bombard it. Ascending the crest of the ridije, you see Fort. Donelson - enclosing about 5 or G acres - an embankment wilh a ditch ontside The ditoh ia Barrow atrd tho embaakmant thin, It has a vast mmiber of aogles - neai'ly fitty, I should judge - the most irregular thinü; iinaginabfe. lts like nevei was betore eonstructed. A litlle öreek runs in rear of tbe hiil, and on its southern side, a spring bubbles from tho ground, whioh eupplied the surrounding camp with water. At the nnrthwest anule, a curtain extended to the sou th west, ruuninir along a ridye of land, eonforniing to the undulütions and vaiiations of the ground, to a creek which empties into the river above the town of Dover. It s simply a breaBtvvork with a shallow ditch insido. It runs through a forest all the way. Still farther to the rear, is a second ridge upon which the rebels erented rifle pits near the creek, in rear of the town, and protecting tho road which comes in from the southwest on a river line - simply a breastwork. Tt will be seen that the lino was very eiteneive, and it needed but a glunce to wee that there had boen defective engineering. With the forcé they had thore was too much ground to look alter. A more skillful en gin eer wnuld have selecled commanding points on the ridge and thns eoncentrated strength. The ereek defended the eouth side, nHbougli when thcy found t cotjvenient to leave they found it was in the way. With tliis view, we are readv to look at the opemtions. After the capturo of Fort Henry, Gen. Grt'ant as soon as posible moved ncross the tuelve niile strip of land between the r;vers and invested the place by throwing SfcClernafd's división lipori tlie riht, at the creefe - extendin 'nis pickel down to the rivi'i beyond. General WsUaoa oncupied the centre, wliile Gen. Srnith cloaed tip ill comnmnie:ition with the outside world on the north. Oiir iorces ooctipied a range of billa almost one niile dist ui l fi-oiu the enernyV oiiiei1 - Gen. Granl's liead(]ii:irters beiug butween Smith'sand Wallace'scomraands The rebels still had communication with Cbuksville by the river, and dailj r oei ved reinforcements and BUppiies by stearners.