Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1862-02-28
OFFICIAL REPORT OF THE EXPEDITION
UP THE TENNESSEE RIVER.

.
| Lieut.. Commanding GwfN Lexington, Lieut.
| Commanding SHIRK, and this vessel forming a
I uNi9on of the hotilla, and arrived after dark At
thc railroad crossing, 20 miles above che fort hav-
ing on the way destroyed small amount Of camp
| cqulpagc, abandoned by the fleeing rebels The
draw Of the bridge was found closed and the
machinery for turning it disabled About mile
| aud half above we're several rebel TRANSPORT
1 steamers escaping up stream. A party was land
ed, and in an hour had the satisfaction 10 see the
draw open The Taylor being the slowest of the
gunboats, Lieut.. Commanding GwIN landed a
/ force TO destroy portion of the railroad track
/ and TO secure such military stores rs might be
/ found, while directed Lieut.. Commanding SUNK
| 10 follow me with all speed in chase of the fleeing
/ boats.
/ In FIVE hours this boat succeeded in forcine the
/ rebels 70 abandon and burn those of their boats
! loaded with military stores. The first one fred
/ (odmHd Orrl had on a quantity Of submarine
/ batteries, which very soon exploded the second
/ one was ireghcd with powder, cannon shot grape
| balls, &c. Fearing an explosion from the fired
/ boats-there were two together had stopped at
/ distance OF thousand yards but, even there
ourskyhghts were broken by the conclusion the
right upper doors were forced OPEN and locks
and ias,enings everywhere broken The whole
uNer, for half mile roundabout was completely
beaten up by the falling fragments and H.,
showeroi shot, grape, balls, dc. The house of
reported Union man was blown to pieces and it is
suspected that there design in lsnding the
boats m front of the doomed home. The LeriHg-
ton having fallen and without a pilot on board [
/ concluded to wait for both of the boats to come
up. Joined los them. we preceded mo the river
Lieut.. commanding Gwin had DESTROYED some of
the tressel-work at the end Of the bridge burning
with them alot OF c'np cqupagc. J y Brown
formerly % lieutenant in the navy, and signing
himself {. S. n, had fled with such precipitation
as To leave ms papers behind. These Lieutenant
commanding Gwn brought away, and | send
D. AS fffN tftfl Al IL
reHcl Heating preparations on the Mississippi
Cumberland and Tennessee. Lieut. Brown had
charge OF the construction Of gunboats
~ night on the fth We arrived at a landing in
Hardin County, Tennessee, known as Corro Cor
do where found the steamer Eastporf. being
converted TO a gunboat. Armed boat-crews were
Immediately sent on board, and search made for
means OF destruction that might have been de-
Viscd She had been scuttled and the section
pipe broken. These leaks were soon stopped. -
number OF rifle shots fired at our vessels,
but a couple of shells dispersed the rebels On
examination, found that there were large quanti-
ties OF timber and lumber prepared for fitting up
the EdSip0H; that the vessel itseli-some two
hundred and eighty feet long--was in excellent
condition, and already half finished, considerable
OF the plating designed for her was lying on the
bank, and everything at hand TO comulcte her
therefore directed Lieut.. C Commander Gw1N to
remain with the Taylor to guard the prize and to
load the lumber, &c. while the Lerington and
Conestogd should proceed still higher up.
Soon after daylight on the Sth we passed East
port Miss, and at Chickasaw, further up near the
State line. seized two steamers the Sailfe IVood
and Muscie--the former laid up, and the latter
ireighted with iron, destined for Richmond and
for rebel use. We then proceeded up the river
entering the State of Alabama and ascending to
Florence, at the foot of the Muscle Shoals On
coming In sight of the town, three steamers were
discovered, which were Immediately set on fire by
no ul.sls IL 1 Al.
posite side Of the river below. force was land
ed and considerable quantities. of supplies mark
ed Fort Henry, were secured from the burning
wrecks Some had been landed and stored
these seized, putting such we could bring
away on board our vessels and destroying the re-
mainder. No flats other craft could be found
found also more of the iron and plating intend
ed for the Passport.
A dcputation of citizens of Florence waited
upon me, first desiring that they might he made
able 20 quiet the fears of their wives and daughters
with assurances from me that they would not de-
stroy their railroad bridge. As for the first
told them we were neither rufians savages, and
that we were there to protect from violence and
TO enforce the law and with reference to the
second that if the bridge were away, we could
ascend no higher, and that it could possess no
military importance, so far | saw, as it simply
connected Florence itself with the railroad ON the
south bank OF the river.
We had seized three of their steamers one half
finished guuhoat, and had forced the rebels to burn
/ six others loaded with supplies, and their loss,
with that Of the freight, is heavy blow to the en-
envy. Two boats still known to be on the
| Tennessee, and are, doubtless, hidden in some oil
the creeks, where we shall be able to find then
when there is time for the search We returned
on the night of the Sth, to where the EaStp0r lay
The crew of the Taylor had already got on boarl
the prize an immense amount of lumber, &c. The
crews of the three boats set to work to finish fla,
tl.,,t al A
100000 feet of the best quality OF ship and build
ing lumber, all the iron, machinery, spikes, plat
ing, nails, &c., belonging to the rebel gunboat
and caused the mill to be destroyed where tn
lumber had been sawed
Lieut. Commanding GwIS had in our absence
: enlisted some twenty-five Iennesseans, who CAV
information of the encampment of Col Drew
rebel regiment, at Savanna, Tenn. A portion q
- the six hundred or seven hundred were known I
be pressed mon, and all were badly armed
n After consultation with Lieuts.- Commanding GwI
= and SHIRK, determined to make land attack uI
n on the encampment Lieut. Commanding SHIRi
l. with thirty rifemen, came board the ConeStogc
leaving his vessel to guard the Edstport, and a,
companied by the Taylor. we proceeded up
that place prepared to land one hundred and THU
r ty rlilemen aud l2-pound rifle howitzer. Lieut.
! Commanding GwIN took command of this fore
!, when landed, but had the modification to find III
- camp deserted.
d The rebels had fled at / o'clock in the nigh
rs leaving considerable quantities of arms clothing
shoes, camp utensils, provisions implements &c
all of which were secured or destroyed, and the
i Winter quarters Of log huts were burned. | sell
10 ed, also, large mailbag, and send you the lie
Is tiers, giving military information, The gunboa
1t were then dropped down to point where arm
(, gathered under the rebel press law" had bee
stored, and an armed party, under Second Mast,
n GoUDY, of the taylor, succeeecd in seizing abol
" seventy rifles and fowling-pieees. Returning
CerrO Gordo, we took the Edstport lSaliie WOO
and Muscle in tow, and came down the river to Ii
j. railroad crossing The Muscle sprang aleak an
q all efforts failed to prevent her sinking, and "
A were forced to abandon her, and with her a col
y siderable quantity Of fine lumber. We are hayin
10 trouble in getting through the draw of the bridl
here.
is now come to the to me, most interesting pc
e ton Of this report, which has already been long
% but | trust you will find some excuse for this
, the fact that 1t embraces history of labors an
movements day and nigh tfrom the 9th to the 10
OF the month, all Of which details deem it prop,
e TO give you. We have met with the most graft
.; ing proofs ofoyalty everywhere across Tennessee
"a and in the portions of Mississippi and Alabama
Of visited Most affecting instances greeted us
Il. most hourly. Men, women, and children, sever
he times gathered in crowds of hundreds, shout
&c their welcome, and hailed their National flag wi