ARMY OPERATIONS. 



31 



another brigade, -with one regiment (the 4th Il- 

 linois), and four independent companies of cav- 

 alry, and four batteries of artillery, under Gen. 

 McClernand. This division was ordered to 

 move across the country to a point on the road 

 leading from the fort to the town of Dover, on 

 the Cumberland river, for the purpose of pre- 

 venting reinforcements to the enemy and cut- 

 ting of his retreat. The second division con- 

 sisted of the Tth, 9th. 12th. 2Sth, and 41st Il- 

 linois regiments, the llth Indiana, Tth and 12th 

 Iowa, 8th and 13th Missouri, with artillery and 

 cavalry, under Gen. Smith. About ten o'clock 

 the land force commenced the march over the 

 hilltops, and the gunboats began to move un- 

 der steam toward the fort. Passing up the 

 narrow passage to the westward of the islaud 

 below the fort, they were protected from its 

 guns until within a mile, and emerged in line 

 of battle, the St. Louis, Lieut. Paulding, on the 

 left, nest the Carondolet, Commander Walke, 

 next the flag ship Cincinnati, Commander 

 Stembel, and next upon the right the Essex, 

 Commander Porter. The other boats acted as 

 a reserve. Firing upon both sides soon com- 

 menced, but the gunboats continued to approach 

 until within six hundred yards of the Confed- 

 erate batteries. The action lasted for one hour 

 and a quarter, when the flag on the fort was 

 hauled down. Meantime the high water and 

 muddy roads prevented the arrival of the land 

 forces under Gen. Grant, and the Confederate 

 troops in the fort retired, and escaped. Com- 

 modore Foote, commandinz the naval portion 

 of the expedition, says : " The garrison, I think, 

 must have commenced their retreat last night, 

 or at an early hour this morning. Had I not 

 felt it an imperative necessity to attack Fort 

 Henry to-day. I should have made the invest- 

 ment complete and delayed until to-morrow, so 

 as to secure the garrison. I do not now believe, 

 however, the result would have been any more 

 satisfactory." 



This Confederate force was supposed to num- 

 ber between four and five thousand. The fort 

 was armed with twenty guns, 32 and 34-pound- 

 ers, including one 10-inch Columbiad. Before 

 the close of the action a shot entered the boiler 

 of the Essex, which resulted in wounding and 

 scalding twenty-nine officers and men. Eighty- 

 three prisoners were taken, among whom was 

 Brig. Gen. Tilghman, and a large amount of 

 stores, and everything belonging to the re- 

 tiring force. On the gunboats two were killed 

 and nine wounded in the action, and on the 

 part of the Confederates five killed and ten 

 wounded. 



The result of this action occasioned great 

 joy in the Northern States. The Secretary of 

 the Navy, Gideon Welles, sent the following 

 despatch to Com. Foote : 



NAVY DEPAETMZNT, FAruary 9, 1S62. 



Tour despatch announcing the capture of Fort Hen- 

 ry, by the squadron which you command, has given 

 the h'ighest gratification to the President, to Congress, 

 and the country. It was received and read in both 



Houses of Congress in open session. The country 

 appreciates your gallant deeds, and this depart 

 ment desires to convey to you and your brave asso- 

 ciates its profound thanks for the service you have 

 rendered. 



GIDEON WELLES. 



Secretary of the Navy. 



Flag Officer A. H. FOOTE, U. S. N., commanding 

 the United States naval forces, Cairo, 111. 



By the possession of Fort Henry the Federal 

 forces were in the rear of Columbus on the 

 Mississippi, and within ten miles of the bridge 

 by which the railroad connection was made 

 between Columbus and Bowling Green. There 

 was now no obstacle to the passage of the gun- 

 boats to the sources of the Tennessee river in 

 northern Alabama. 



Immediately after the surrender, Commander 

 Phelps was ordered to proceed with the gun- 

 boats Conestoga, Tyler, and Lexington, up the 

 river to the railroad bridge, and to destroy so 

 much as would prevent its use by the enemy, 

 and thence proceed as far up the river as the 

 stage of water would permit, and capture the 

 gunboats and other vessels which might be use- 

 ful to the enemy. 



After dark, on the same day, the expedition 

 arrived at the bridge for the railroad crossing 

 about twenty-five miles above Fort Henry, 

 where considerable camp equipage was destroy- 

 ed. Thence the expedition proceeded as far 

 up the river as Florence in Alabama, at the 

 foot of the Muscle shoals. Here the enemy 

 burnt six of their steamers and two were cap- 

 tured, beside a half complete gunboat and con- 

 siderable lumber. Two hundred stands of 

 arms, a quantity of stores and clothing were 

 also seized, and the encampment of a regiment 

 destroyed. This sudden appearance of the Fed- 

 eral gunboats was like an unexpected appa- 

 rition to the inhabitants, and loyal and friendly 

 feelings were manifested on every side. 



The next step of Com. Foote was to return 

 to Cairo to prepare the mortar boats for opera- 

 tions against Fort Donelson. He desired a de- 

 lay of a few days to complete them, believing 

 that thereby the garrison, however extensive, 

 could be shelled out without much loss of life 

 to the Federal force. But Gen. Halleck re- 

 garded an immediate attack as a military ne- 

 cessity, and it was made although the fleet 

 was reduced to a crippled state, and the loss of 

 life was considerable. There is no question 

 of the correctness of Gen. Halleck's views rela- 

 tive to the attack ; the deficiency resulted from 

 a degree of precipitation in the entire move- 

 ment after the issue of the President's procla- 

 mation. 



At this time Gen. Crittenden, in command 

 of the right wing of Gen. Buell's army, having 

 advanced to the left bank of Green river near 

 South Carrollton and manoeuvred in front of 

 the Confederate (Gen. Bnckner's) force, sud- 

 denly retreated to Calhoun on Green river. 

 Steamers were there awaiting him, on which 

 his force was embarked and taken down the 

 Green river to the Ohio, down the Ohio, and 



