Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1862-02-19
THE WAR NEWS,
The Capture OF Fort Henry,
ADDITIONAL PARTICULARS.


the Tennessee river;
The hombardment is represonied,by all
who witnessed it, as most terrific. One OF
the officers who was in the Fort remarked
that he had often read Of terrible showers
of she'll and shot, but his Imagination had
Tut slightly pictured the terror OF such
scene, tho effects Of which are still to be
seen all over the fort, in the plowing
away of complete roads through the earth
work and sand.bags, dismounting one OF
two of the guns and crippling several 9th
ers in the setting fire to several OF their
cabins prepared for winter quarters, and
otherwise disabling the fort. Some o! the
balls cut off large trees the distance oi
three quarters of mile in the woods
There was about thirty or forty rounds fl
red by the rebels before they surrendered,
the last one being the fatal shot that SO
disabled the Essex.
The fort mounted sixteen guns in all
one a hundred and twenty EIGHT pound
Columbiad, the others thirty-two, twenty
tour and sixteen Founders. |, is built on
a low piece of land, and is composed oi
ear, h>works from four to SIX feet high, and
eight or ten feet wide on top, sup
ported on the inner side by hickory
lwigs woven together so as to prevent the
crumbling away of the earth, with ditch
about twelve feet wide around it on the
outside, which is now filed with water
the bottom of the magazine being also fiji
led with water.
The shot which disabled the Essex was
the last shot fired, and was discharged by
the onehundred and twenty EIGHT pound
er. The ball entered one Of the front
port holes of the Essex, exploded her
boiler and passed out at her stern. Sev-
eral other shots passed through her where
she was unprotected by iron. She was
towed down the river by the Alps. -Four
of the shots struck her in front, the bal,
Rnce in the side. She lay within five
hundred yards of the fort. She was
struck twenty-five times, with only the
injury above reported. The flag boat was
struck twenty-seven times.
Commander Porter, OF the sunboat tieet,
is not so badly scalded as at first reported,
and will perhaps, recover in few days.
From letter in the St. Louis Iemo-
crat we take the following:
Commodore Foot, il seems, pursued the
same tactics that rendered him so famous
in his attack upon the China forts few
years since, the English firing long dis
lance, and suffering severely, while he ran
Immediately under the guns ofthe China
men, and poured such hot and effective
fire into their wooden walls, that they in
hicted but little damage to his boats, and
were quickly and completely disabled and
beaten.
General Tilghman, the commander ot
Fort Henry, upon his capture promptly
testified to the splendid manner in which
the attack was conducted, saying that when
he discovered the purpose OF the Commo'
dore, his chief object was to disable the
flag ship, and by getting the flag officer
out of the way, to disconcert the Other
boats, and enable him to pursue his firing
with better effect. This accounts for the
hearty manner in which his compliments
were paid to the Cincinnati, she having
received hirty,One shots out OF about fifty
of which the whole fleet bear the marks
The Commodore complimented Genera
Tilghman upon his gallant defence OF the
fort ,at the same time assuring him that he
would have pursued the purpose of his at
tack even to the landing o his boat at the
very bank under the fort, and that the
CINCINNATI, had the fight continued
should have kept head on until she wa
sunk. Another reason given by the rebe
General for the concentration OF fire upoi
the flagship was the fact that she seemed
to have got better range than any o. tn
other boats, and that her fire, just betor
the surrender, was most terrific. Tn
Cincinnati bears many honorable scars
Several shots have left their marks upol
her iron plated sides, showing in eacl
case a shallow and raking dent. One @
! her largest guns was struck on the righ
side of its muzz!e, the shot chipping out
niece of the metal as large as a mans twt
hands, and actually splitting the muzzl
eighteen inches down from the mouth
This will disable the gun entirely. An
other gun-a thirty-two FOUNDER, be-
ilieve-bears deep dent on its side, abou
eighteen inches from the mouth. Jus
behind the forward port,gun, and wher
the sides of the boat are not covered will
iron, several shots have gone entirel
r., through the bulwSrks. One of thes
completely decapltated one ot the gun
ners. Another passed through the bul
warks, scattering the splin.crs right an
left, glancing along the tirnbers over tn
machinery, and passing into the whee
but not doing much damage. The mos
t, rrible effect of the enemy's fire apo
the Cincinnati is seen in her upper work
the deck seeming to have been sweT
with the destructive missiles, the smok
stacks pierced il several places, and tn
small boats riddled and almost destroyed
One large shot struck the iron-plated p
dollhouse, leaving an ugly mark, but de
ing no damage. The conclusion was viz
lent, and is described by the pilots as sul
, prising the Commodore and them into
very decided grmt But one man WI
killed outright or the Cincinnati. A fe
l were wounded with splinters, whoi
! names | have sent you. Capt. Pratt wi
-, badly hurt 10y spent ball striking his le
: The men describe the crash of the bal
J through the timbers of the vessel as te
: rible sound. but none Of them flinched, 81
{ their officers, but the party manning Il
y. gun at which one Of their number was /
, headed. At the ghastly sight they sea
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