ng from Fort Henry to Fort Donelson, immediately
began the tracing and construction of works for infantry defence. The
river protected the east face of the position, and the valley of Hickman
Creek, filled with back-water from the river, sufficiently guarded the
north. The line traced was two miles and a half long, following the
recessions and salients. The right of the line, occupying a ridge
extending from creek to creek, was nearly parallel with the river, and
distant from it fourteen hundred yards in an air-line. It was somewhat
convex, projecting to the front about its centre, at the point where
Porter's battery was afterward posted. The left, facing to the south and
southwest, beginning just above Dover, on the point of a ridge
extending nearly to the river between the two small brooks, continued
out from the river along this ridge to its western extremity, and thence
across the valley of the small curved stream described as encircling
Dover and emptying into Indian Creek, to a V-shaped eminence in the fork
between this small stream and Indian Creek. This salient termination
was on the continuation of the line of the right or the west face of the
infantry works. This point was assigned to Maney's battery and Heiman's
brigade. The line of infantry defence was what came to be called, during
the war, rifle-pit--a trench with the earth thrown up on the outer side.
Batteries were constructed at nine points in the line, and armed with
the guns of eight field batteries.

[Illustration: The Line from Columbus to Bowling Green.]

The valley of Indian Creek made a break in the line; there was an
interval at the creek between the portion occupied by Heiman's line and
the work on the opposite slope, afterward the extreme left of General
Buckner's command. The entire line on both faces, except the portion
crossing the small valley or ravine to Heiman's left, followed the face
of ridges from fifty to eighty feet high, faced by valleys or ravines
filled with forest and underbrush. The trees were cut about breast-high,
and the tops bent over outward, forming a rude abattis extremely
difficult to pass through. The back-water filling the valley of Hickman
Creek was an advantage to the defenders of Donelson, in so far as it
served as a protection to one face of the position, and diminished the
distance to be guarded and fortified. It was quite as great an advantage
to the besiegers as it was to the besieged. They were by it relieved