, 1862-02-19

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Gown TO hurry up the transports. Gen.Grants
dlspatch stat1ng That the lighting mad COM
mcnced and relntorcements we're needed Ihe
HeeI arrived Within Two miles OF the FOIL aI
- eloeh vi 1nulsoaS lnssn'' 1ae calonus,
s' nau oeen ofoefeo ~ oPen t1e p'n IT.
eaoeA oh Ihussaa5 morning. s'ne advanced
"A''ni - ni'ie VI LIZ Wv t'lu openeo nle' ene
"as 4aicAls 1esponueu w. auu a1sr nrlus LOO
eao1s no opneu ~ .eIAo' nnsns ieeeiseu i
. pouuu o'hn 1alousn ncr port sloe' STRIKING
l'1' 'l'aau ste<1n ptpe: oue fe!lfeo W" s1rts1"
Il eoupio VI 4n'les' III lne a1te1noon' al'eF t.
p1I'n5 wv u'e sussuneu IL sAe aas1 e1ns'
sne "'7 'sam otoet.o ~ lt.aeh. one u'cu
o's 1nu.sohs n'sl'' ueu- 1tan' u'u
eou1el.uee "1.n oom oote' ano l. "as w.
..aeo ~ n'aAc Il n1ofe genetlt oonloatuNlcaI
ine nsAs oas' 1liuhS' LUZ sAnant eo11lno-
ooic o1o nos AeslI'se to ueciarc 10 HIS Aeuo"
o1ncerS lnaI lar more dlhcult TASK was pe-
tore nin lia'i1 ln'o "een prescnseo IL the tak-
1nS " f"il nehrS' ouf feaoe1s VII anaer-
s',l'u a'e'h Liz ocse1'p''ons ol iocasles, else-
"neec gaSen' "ltsa uesc ineleaseo ollncutuc7
"efe' tasaez1a Oh lne 10" oa1tery on inc oahss
VI LIZ Aennessee' sealcelS Alsnef aooEe Inc
"a1er than Inc decks OF Inc gunboats, Tue up
per oa1.ef1es ol fore Donelson 1ro"ned down
isoil 1le p1'n oAe n"nofeo 1ecs ABOVE inc
'1Ecf- - ~saz-~~
Nevertheless, there was no hanging back, and
Commodore Foete aud his officers were called
upon to restrain By stringent orders the ardor
ofthcir men, who burned to open the conflict.
On steamed the boats, and while at long range
the enemy opened fire from their middle bat
teries-their first shots falling shert-4irst a
1hirty-two, then sixty -four. Sill an was
silence on board Of the gunhoats, the dip
Of WhoEe paddles alone broke the stiffness
Of their approach Thus fifteen min
utes passed, which seemed q tard7
hour to the impatient gunners. At
last the point WAS reached, and precisely at 10
minutes to 5 O'Clock P. NJ, a puff of white
smoke and the boom Of her sixtY-four came
from the bow port Of the st. Louis, The
other boats quickly followed suit. Such WAS
the difficulty of getting accurate range that
our first shots fell wide of the mark; hut this
was remedied speedily, and tho engagement
became terrific. The enemy poured their 80
and g. 644pounders into our vessels with great Ct
feet and our sunners returned with 6-ineh shell
! and 64-pound rifle balls, with admirable pre-
cisiop, cheering as they fought their guns, and
doing great execution on the enemy's works,
| t1ismounting their guns on the lower batteries,
and driving the rebels like frightened sheep
from their pens. But the diagram will tell
cur readers what the first glance Of at tile 10.
cality itself declared to the experienced eye
| Of Commodore Footc. The gunboats were
fighting aga inst fearful odds, the long oblique
middle range Of heavy guns raked the fleet
terribly as they came on, the angle giving
them the least advantage from the plating aud
dcfenses. At Fort Henry the boats came up,
exposing only their bows as the smallest mark
to the enemy, here their broadsidcs were ex
posed Soon after the fight commenced, =
shot from tie enenly's water battery carried
away tue flag staff Of the st. Louis. almost
the next shot took away the chimney-eu OF
tho same boat Bnt it Was flag staff for
Tag staff; q few minutes later away went the
rebel bunting from the fort, its staff cut by q
ball from the st. Louis, who thus avenged
the indiGnity Offered to herself.
L little later and the Louisiana was struck
by G+ponnd shot from the right Of the
middle tier Of batteries, which brokk her rud
der post, rendering her unmanag geable. Al
this time the boats were all held under easy
sten,,., just stemming the current to prevent
drifting Another shot killed William Hinton
the pSlnt, in the pilot house Of the Caronde1et
and 81, nearly the same instant, came crash
ing into the pilot house Of the st. Louis, NOR
tally wounding one Of the pilots, f. A. Riley