The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1862-03-22
KEOKUK IOWA: SATURDAY, MARCH 22, 1862

=. o's'upei iast, ana mere mas Deen
no conflict during the war where this sup
port. when finally called into requisiiion.
was more effectively and opportuncly
rendered. Nothing but the we'll directed
tre Of grape and canister from the guns
Of the Taylor and Lexington saved our
land forces from being utterly cut to pie
ees while rtiring on board their trans
ports. Ever effort of the enemy to
bring his artillery to bear on our columns
was defeated by the strom Of iron that as
sailed him from the boats. His pieces
were dismouated and his horses and men
swept down as fast as they were placed in
position
A great deal has been said abou. the
origin of the proposition to take posses.
SION Of the Tennessee river. The credit
OF originating the idea OF a military cam
paign in that direction has been claimed,
first for one and then for another military
commander. ] desire that impartial JUS
tice should be done to every man aud
acting upon the intention to do justice,
must be permitted to say, that SO far as |
can learn, the project OF turning the enc
mys tanks by penetrating the Tennessee
and Cumberland rivers, originated with
Commodore Foote. The great rise OF wa
ter in those rivers was providential, and
with the quick eye Of military genius he
saw At once the advantage that It might
secure TO our arms.
Here, MIR. Grimes quotes correspond
ence and dispatches in regard to the ex-
pedition.
Y The feet consisted Of the iron clad
boats Essex, Carondeiet, Cincinnati and
st. Louis, and the three wooden boats
Taylor, Lexington, and Cohestoga, pro-
ceeded to Fort Henry and reduced it
in one hour and twenty minutes, Com
modore Foote being, as is his wont, in
the fore front Of the battle. 1t appears
from the order to Lieutenant Phelps,
(which that gallant officer promptly ex-
ecuted, that Commodore Foote knew
before leaving Paducah that he should
take Fort Henry, no matter what might
be the force or the resistance he should
meet there. He was thoroughly in
spired by the-great idea of victory. The
contingency OF failure did not enter IN
TO his calculations He, therefore, ad-
dressed himself to plans for reapin- the
fruits of victory, rather than to plans
for repairing the consequences Of de-
feat 1t viii be observed from the
foregoing letter to the Secretary of the
Navy written before the battle of Fort
Henry, that the efficiency Of the fotilla
was much impaired by the want of sea
men, or by neglect in some quarter TO
have those transferred from the mill
tary service who had been selected for
that purpose.
After reducing Fort Henry and
sweeping the Tennessee river as far up
az Florence; in Alabama, Commodore
Fcote returned to Cairo to prepare the
mortar boats Tor operation against Fort
Donelson. He was aware OF the form
idable character of the rebel works at
DOnelson, and he desired delay of a
few days to complete the mortar boats,
by which he believed the garrison, how
ever extensive, could be shelIed out
without much loss OF life on our side.
General HaReck believed an immediate
attack 10 be military necessity. In
this, doubt not, he was right, and /
only refer 70 it to show that the Grip
pied condition OF the feet and the heavy
loss of life On our side are not to be at,
tributed 70 rashness or bad management
on the part of the flag officer. or the
gallant attack on Fort Donelson no one
need be reminded. Subjected, as our
forces were, to the long continued and
hot FIRE of ther rebel batteries at four
hundred yards distance, they continu-
ed the fight for one hour and thirty
minutes, and not until the tiller ropes
of one and the wheel of another of'his
boats were shot away, did the well-man
aged guns Of the Com cease to seat
ter death and consternation among the
foes of his country. Although woun-
ded himself, and his gunboats crippled,
but with the glory OF the combat on his
brow, he indulged in no repinings for
his personal misfurtunes or iaudHtions
of his success. But like a true Chris
tian hero, he thought only Of his men.
In letter written the iAorning after
the battle to a friend, he said j
"While / hope ever to rely on Him
who controls all things, and to say from
the heart, "Not unto US, but unto Thee,
O Lord, belongs tho glory" yet ! feel
sadly Mt the result Of our attack on TT.
Donelson. TO see the brave officers
and men who say they will go wAerev-s
er l will lead them, fall by my side,
makes me feel sad to lead them to al-
most certain DEATH" . sFh8 s
But he obeyed what was believed
to be the military necessity of the sit
uation. a
The e6enator from Massachusetts, near
est me has this morning kindly furnish
ed me with letter from Trustworthy
frinnd af hia who has from fha hptyiu.