New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1862-02-21
B.avory Ct Com. FOote and His Officers
MALES Cg TIE KILLED IND WOUNDED
Correspondence Of The circiuaah Gazette.
OV gotaD FlAoSHr 81 LOWS
Thnfsdsy Evening o'clock
Tur FIRST OF THE FIGHT.

afternoon the Coresoga towing barge iosoed
with 20, f,r The ufc of TIE stearhoats The greater
NJ the trans or. referred to in my last letter
,,a,ted with No, carrying 6G9O troors-infaptry,
cs,.l~y .la aui'lsry-5e.igned for tie reeniore-
men, Of en-. Giant. The weather was line, az 1t
bad be,n since orr depqr'ure fiom Cairo.
Noilirg occurred worthy Of note until o'clock
tr:s afternoon, Wien We net the steamboat Alps on
h way down rom For, Doneson. We were tnen
neer Canton, on t'e Cumberland River, atoat 80
nlsa from ihs Rebel fort. The Alps was sent by
Cen. q a.i 20 tow tle transports. A she passed
Us we I'D hsr, end an officer told IA, in reference
to Ouy questions, that the fight had commenced ana
VS. in progress when he ihe oiicerl LETT.
Conn io.e Fo0le exhibited great anxiety Oh
hearinr tiis news. Bis undertaking with Ger.
Grant WAS inst 20 otiack would re made unll the
arrival 81 or fleet. The Com uodOre's command has
made NOR. tran caloulatod time since It's departure
L. on -r 20 e1ite our arrival al the sceoe OF &C
ton tte Ai,- ga sign. led o. tow The ~ L'us ana
Louisville. she came alongside, and from one ga her
officer we leaned iha' 1t II colo Yesterday The
g,n,8st Csro1delei. which arrived in the vicinity Of
Fort ia. 81 on ca Is in tie morning, 10y oiier OF
Gen. Grant approached The fort and fired eieut
shot. hpt met no response She then dropfef about
four mics Gown tie river, aud anchored unul tnis
pstri.g. - Gve 20. u,.s Icst ., me ADVANCED
wiu:u q mile Of The fort, AID t.el fh,ea shols
TIE flrt o.eued tiisk oahuofGoing and rep II
Us llr .lOre dian TWO hours. lie t"rondeiet kel
her low hatd the 1'rt, not pIese1iinS In-.e
broa aside 70 the ealiny. Size fred Us slo's Ia
piro'y-fyo inmates. 81 iao end Of TIM tlme e Is
pound all from The fort cutered her port bow end
sru.s po. ion ii Ter machinery. SIX men we
81 i.iy wounded by ae splutcrs WAicI hew from
the Il 'rs Gwhe'r. To % eI.ain a.. amount oatI-
ape .nsjsiaei. she u. .elet retired be. onf tie
eue.ay's cnpe. fhe a. erooon she renewed The
ntta,., win wat e.eci I Cr4ot now ssy, at my
iuio- 4 on tic III. lt,t N5 no A9INt, CON-
nirrcc..
Nc,fe,,r viii in tlrrfeeu niles ofthe foI' Tie
oeelr.. OF cannon has been rctri at intervals Tor
s o't $50 h0.rs. Tine ,.raI.trl- very bad--a cold
si,et l ing h.avily seuoe iu- p CATION unsafe 10
any tut the most experienced plots: hut 20 Vo have
seveiai e fac-e 10 our iotill, We uow steaoy on,
W, q prospect OF reaching orr destination before
IL o dock.
II. FIGHT.
Fri}eg Wit lar ilst.--A, n o'clocs ios' night
We arrycI vi hin two miles a. The fort. Here 20
found tie CSr3tdole, ~ anchor. She Lad been
engaeiuC the eneuy during tie afternoon, 80 q
dst4uoe OF nile. had tired about two buadr.
shots. and retired without receiving any damage.
by O'Clock tnis moinirg, sIX ten Transports had
arrived from 81. Louis, Cairo, aad Cirlunati carry
Tvir. iu sll a0rpt iOGu0 iIoore cavalry art iefy,
aEG i'ts'''y. TIE dcAarka'ivA o,0ul.e. aJOG. lou
hours. I've siqht Of sncL strong re-en'crceI eutr
encouraced al our meg greatly. Kn0wiul alread y
tia- iGc loyt Was surrounded ty Gea. Grant com
UaG9-.sjiu8.ed "a =. i9J-Ne iclt that sucn i4r.e
addition 20 ris numbers wc1ld make assurance
dcubiv sure
kc5oolock this morning Gen. Grant came on
board oar Fts4ei, ggo lad conference with Com
not--e Flo e. Between he two Commander il
we rfec that The guuhoats &nQ land forces Should
make 2 -imni,s necus attacf-the hall 20 be opened
from she rlver. Gen. Grant app. AIRED 10 be con
hd,.t OF al e&sy victory. lie had been here 10
two dave, nul bad abundance o. time Tor con
tack. aE1 ..u Ne ioC ua tro'. aided ~ tie Gun
boat, G could cap,l'e every man in the fort, w
certainly ,eit thai nis proposition wss but reasor
able.
40 about noon tie fer-ship sicnaleI the ca;tar
o. The Off rent 'essee 20 come on board for c0uru
.atou. il va. lona on ins. eclon that he Pho
burgu md St. l.oais were short o. coai.lis w4D
was suppl ty ri bare "a tow Of ihe COnestoQl
no tlorl ~ possible protection 10 the boilers G
or ee, Capt. Padding ordered large nuInbe
~ nrCai-ha-s 20 NC Tiled with c0ai aud placed owe
then. Al tDo BAN. o. - belonging o. the creq
vtr. lied cn On tie outside Of TIE front wing Of u
Iiio'-oo.e, as 10 loria sort Of trea.'work. rh
good .aas acroupi bed, however, Was, | think
nOf- 4an c,unterDalaucrd by tue cost OF yfeseutu,
ti.lA 10 ile enemy. B t&ryaulln Was tnIONn owe
a. tr1no' e. but WIS soon flown away leaving
large whit 90 standing out an visible contrast Will
tie color Of tle sllpo well. lhis ionHcG The bnh
eye DI the TARGET. 40 long distance tie pilot
hOlse is not Vi-lOl front lie shore; boo lie whit,
carrs 'itd r" ac'l 20 a. oHce revealed IL shape
eiz, $500 c'..ie. aua challenged the marx man6iil
~ 60. gum .a- 20 tue 4Ort.
Ata4,.l.,f 10 Two clock "A signal was hoisted
from fit 20 Louis Tor tie leel o. start and in q few
uo...' .s re wcie under way. We formed The lint
Of t.uie aitr W. had got about quarter Of d mile
inrlner ~ tie liver Ihe hagsbip took the EXTERN,
right, Wits ,le Louisville, Pitlsburgh and CarOnde
let "a The LETT four abreast; the Conestoea snc
Tyler, not telng irOn-clad remained in the real
about quarter Of a mile. The fleet proceeded at q
good rate oil speed, sbout three Inie., All hour up
tue nyer, until al . minutes to O'Clock we reached
che TERMINATION Of long range Of woods TO the
rlgut ana came in sight OF the tort
FORT DONELsON.
This fort takes tic name from the Andrew Jackson
DOnels0n family Of Tennessee. It's construction
was commenced in May lat. No better position for
defense conld have been selected at any point on the
Cumberland 80 yet passed by us. Il IS on fine
sope hundred and fifty feet high, IN a very slight
bend, on the night hand side Of the Cumberland l07
Iniies from the mouth OF the Tiver and nearly 200
from Cairo. L mounts 10 guns. There are three
bstteries-the first about 20 feet above the wafer
consisting OF Elk guns, 81 and 64-pounders; the sec
ono, about equal IN strength, located about 60 feet
above tLs, and the third on the summit OF the hill
mourning four I.e-pOunders. The trenches in the
vicinity of each battery ere unusually deep. The
esTtlworks not less than six feet thick brsced
by heavy LOGS. The Reb-l camp is behind the hill
ana cannot be reached from the gunboats by shot or
sell.
Altogether, Fort DoneIsoD is perhaps the best
military work on the Southern rivers Ia It's con-
truolion, the Rebels acted upon their knowledge o
tie importance to their cause, knowiog that ts cap
tnre must be followed by that Of Clasksville, Nash
VILE, and other points.
AT noon TO-DAY We heard that Gems. Buckner, Pill
iow, fioyd, AID Beauregard were in tho ori. with
q iorce OF 1900 men. There was abundant eyi-
"ge az 70 lhe number Of men, Gen. Grants spies
80 - seeh the Rebd camp; but as 10 the presence
sure, l think. ' " A-'' VI ''''1'
THE FIRING
x.1 Nen' Two minutea to three the frs. shot wa
nrea Dy 'ne heoelS from the water.battery. We
Me'o ,uen hlie shd half dlstant from lie font