Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1862-04-09
The Battle OF Fort Henry.

1 We never have had any official repOrtoi the
/ defense and surrender of Fort Henry. aud but
meager accounts of If from our Tennessee ex-
changes. The subject is now under isvestiga-
ton by Congress, in connection with the Fort
DonGlsOn affair, and the account which we have
obtained Of the fight and surrender from the de-
| scriptions and statements which were made to
US by an officer who participated in the battle,
and is now in this city, viii be found not only
interesting in respect Of graphic narration, but
as an explanation of the first of our late series
of disasters:
On the morning Of the 9Th February Port Hen
~ was attacked by fotiIla Of gunboats and
ten or twelve thousand men under General IT, S.
Grant. To defend the position at the time, Gen
IilEham, commanding division, had Colonel
Hemaus Tenth Tennessee, Irish regiment vOlun-
5eers, eight hundred strong; Col DTake's Mis-
sissIppi volunteers, four hundred strong; Colonel
Hughes Alabama volunteers, tiv- hundred strong
and Lieutenant Colonel Gantt's Tennessee volun-
teers, cavalry, three hundred strong; one com
pauy OF light artillery commanded by Lieuten-
ant Cul5eTtsou, Confederate States Artillery, and
Captain jesse IayiOrs company OF artillery, six
~ strong, forming the garrison Of Fort Henry
and manned It's batteries of nine or ten guns.
A sudden rise in the river found Fort Henry
that morning completely surrounded by water,
containing only Capt IaylOT's company Of artil-
leTy. numbering sixty men. The water was on
the point Of submeTging the fort The 1000 men
Of all arms, who formed Gen. TilghmRn's com
mand, were half a mile off, beyond a sheet OF
backweter. Gen Grants army was on the direct
read, between them and Fort D0ueison, on the
Cumberland, and within two miles OF the fort
and already III motion to inVes. it. Il was an
embarrassing question 10 determine what was TO
be done Gen. Tlghmau's little army was in the
jaws Of the lion, and the question was, how could
it be extricated2
Cen T. at once solved Eae problem, by order
ing II 10 retreat by the upper route lie re-
majued with bis sixty men in the fort because
surrounded with water and unable to get away.
A few minutes before the surrender the scene
in and around the fort exhibited a spectacle Of
fierce grandeur Many of the cabins and tents
in and around the fort were in 1iames added to
the scene were the smoke from the burning tim
beT, and the curling but dense wreaths of smoke
from the guns; the constantly occurring spat-
terng aud whizziug of fragments of crashing
and bursting shellsi the deafening roar of ar
dliery; the black sides of five or six gunboats,
Jelching fire at every port holes the volumes of
smoke settled IN dense masses along the sur
rounding backwatersi and up and over that iOg,
on the nights, the army of Gen. Grant (lU,OUJ)
deplOying around cUr small army attempting to
cut off its retreat. In the midst of the storm of
shot and shell the small force outside Of the fort
had succeeded in gaining the upper read, the
gunbOat5 having failed to notice their move
ments until they were out OF reach
And still, to give them further time, the gallant
Tlghman, exhausted and begrmed with powder
and smoke, stood erect at the middle battery and
pointed gun after gun; Major Gilmer, Of the
engineers, with glass in hand quietly watching
the effects of each shot gave an occasional drec-
lt.l AT.ff 4l-
everywhere giving aid AMI encouragement;
Capt. jesse Taylor flying from gun 70 gun, with
~apidity, giving brief words OF iustrucuOus; and
Col. Haynes, at the rancOUpe battery, acting as
gunner lthe men being disabled) pointing and
firing the last gun.
About this time some one gave the command,
Cease firing" which order Colonel HAYNES in
stantly cOunteTmanded and continued the firing;
but soon afterwards a soldier said to Colonel
Haynes, "LOOk, look, some one has raised a
white flag g" Col Haynes instantly thuudered
out Damn the man who would raise a white
flag. Eow Go quick, and tear it down, and
shoot the man wh0 raised it The man rln to
the spot ana returned, reporting that it had been
raised by Gen. Tilghmans order Col Haynes
then ordered his men to stand by their guns,
aud went to Gen. Tlghman and asked him if he
intended 70 surrender the fort Gen Iilghmans
reply was, Eyes, it is vain to fight longer our
gunuers ore disabled, our Guns ILsnouut5di we
can't hold Cat i've minutes longer" To this
Col Haynes replied, CAS- 1 do not belong to this
garrison, / shall leave the tort-I viii not sur
reudern and shaking hands with Gen. Tiigh-
man, be quickly left the fort, making his escape
ON a horse, swimming the back water 2rO,sud the
tort
In few minutes afterwards the gunb0als
came along side the fort and took possession of
it, raising the flag Of the United States the FIVE
thousand sailors on board giving three cheers
for the Union.
The officers taken We're: Gen. Lloyd Tigh
man; Assistant AdjUtant General Lafayette
Mccormick; Capt Hayden, Engineer; Capt.
Jesse Taylor, Cate of the United States Nayy,l
corps of artillery; Lieut.. John W. Watts
Lieut. Benz. Weller; Surgeon NoOrhie5 and his
assistants Capt. Samuel Mclaughlin, Quarter
master, about forty priTates and uon-commis-
stoned officers, besides ten OF Twelve wounded
EgraslEgg F'ryygEgg,