The Weekly Perrysburg journal. [volume] (Perrysburg, O. [Ohio]) 1861-1???, 1862-03-13
OCCUPATION OF CoLUMDus, KY.
Correspondence Of the Cincinnati Gazette
Cntvypvs ky March Ith.

N"l'OMhOS' lNh', N"''. fth'
AT ! o'clock ms morning, an order was
sent oy CommploLe toote TO the captains OF
the Subo4ta st. hoa.9, CaroAaoIet, Pitts
burg, and Louisville, desiring them to get
under way as soon ~ possible. IN less than
half an hour these vessels hIt their anchors
UP, and were headed down stream. The
Nmcrnrh preceded them as the hat-sh'p
The stetn-whcet steamers Ike Hommet aud
i l. Nilsson t9ilnwed. each towing two
m,ftA' boats brhLa tAe5c were the WOOD
en- &UnDoal LeNnS ,ol' ana three transports
-hn III nos Inc AlecN scott, anu the !. a.
Ma%''t hH'H'5 on oo'ri i.c io.o"InS
troops OK companies oi ulr ""h l.iHo'S
lout coap"uc' - me ilSt phtu, ana one
company ol the 'fJn Uuo-.ti Tor FadUcah,
un1er command OF MAYOR sanger ol the
ootn lIiIh"'S' an" accompanied oy General
HhcrWah, now III command al IidUGah the
z6th l'lho'S, nnucI command % Oo!. Beau-
tort ana the IZd Limos, under command
OF COL Roberts
we came down The river at a good rate
OF speed, PROBABLY ten miles an hour. The
SnllboatS did not preserve any regular po-
S'u"h WIN respect 10 tAcn other, nut kept
Il sale distance apart, the only object being
u have sharp look ont lor signals from
the flagship. Alter Il little less than two
hours sailing, we came III sight Of Lucas
Bond, three miles above Columbus. 1t was
then nearly seven o'clock. The morning
was clear, bright, and cold
About an hour alter daybrcak all hands
on the gunboat5 were set to work III various
ways to prepare the vessels for participation
III the contest that most of us had by THIS time
made mp om minds was imminent. The
guns were all manned and loaded. Maga-
yin IN 81 ' lt,t,
boys, were stationed at their different posts,
ready 10 pass the ammunition from the
ships bold to the cdnnous' mouth. All ii es
and lights, except those connected with the
engine room, etc, were eXtinguished. The
ward room and cabin furniture was removed
to facilitate the working Of the stern guns.
All hawsers aud Ines were cooled upon the
deck to afford additional protection to the
boilers and machinery. These many pre-
paratory acts were the work Of not more
than half AN hour.
Meantime, the four mortar boats, under
command Of Captain George Johnson, of
Cincinnati, had been towod TO the right
bank (thc Missouri side of the river. and
made fast to some trees, near tho Belmont
Point The transports had come as near to
the bluffs as was consistent with their safety
and were standing of in the center of the
stream, about mile above us.
Commodore Foote ordered ont dctach-
ment of the 27th Illinois lCol. Beaufort to
disembark in the vicinity Of the other bat
tories Two tugs accompanying our feet
were brought into re4uiS,ton to aid in this
work. About fifty men We're transferred to
these Junior gunboa,s," and with great
putting and stramiug - infinitely moro than
comes from the Great Elstern-thcv started
down the stream with thcir martial cargo.
Tho officers in charge Of this detail were
not quite clear in the belief that there was
no enemy ashore TO meet or repulse them.
The tugs approached within mile ot the
fort, then retired, and stood out like two