After the fall of Fort Henry, the gunboats Lexington, Tyler and Conestoga, under the command of Lieutenant Samuel L. Phelps, captain of the Conestoga, continued up the Tennessee River in pursuit of the Confederates with specific orders to capture Rebel boats. The Confederate forces burned six steamers, including the Samuel Orr, Appleton Belle and Lynn Boyd. The three gunboats rounded the bend from the north, seemingly catching the rebels working on the Eastport by surprise. Shots were fired from the hill top nearby, but a shell or two from one of the gunboats dispatched the people who were shooting.
Local tales say a tree-top was shot away in the exchange.
A large Oak still stands which has definitely had trauma to it's top. The Confederates attempted to scuttle the Eastport by breaking the suction pipes, but Union forces boarded the boat and stopped the leaks. Lieutenant Phelps examined the boat and discovered large quantities of material on board in preparation of fitting the vessel into a gunboat. The Eastport was in excellent condition and almost half finished with most materials on hand to complete the conversion. These supplies were secured before the Confederates forces could destroy them.