, 1862-02-14
LATER FROM. FORT HENRY.
SOME ACC0INT OF TDISGS THE2E1B0GTs.

t will probably permit the Federal 1lag to be
Exhibited to the people along the Ten
lessee, even into Alabama, it Is likely that it
n turn will prevent the same flag from waving
,yer the ramparts of Fort Donelson for ii
east several days longer than would he the
:ase wr1e the streams 1T q somewhat lower
stage
Il was was intended to move promptly
against the above named fertilization to-day, |
but so formidable have been the de1nonstra-
tons Of the rapidly rising stream, that let
alone moving, it las bccu with no little dill
Guilty that our army las been kept fairly aloat.
The moat around the fort has assumed tue di-
lncnsions Of an inland sea- The fortifcation ]
itself is as TcTitaAIe an island US one need look
upon, while TIC ground of the camps beyond
and in fact all Of the 'tnarrow neck'' Of Land |
between this point and Fort Donelson is |
nothing more nor less than an extended quag-
miro. The numerous little streams running /
into the Cumberland and Tennessee are all In |
i swollen condition, and with miles Of back
water, which with the roads (bad enough ut !
the tcst) present such formidable obstacles to |
the movements Of our heavy artillery neccs
sary for the reduction Of the place, as to rem |
der movement almost impossible; But let
not the country be impatient. The floods
hare reached their ma1iaau'n, and in the mean
time our engineers are hourly gaining III their
information in regaIl to the place. The blow
Will soon fall. The little delay will not make
it the less sure, nor none the less heavy.
yesterday it4lu u A1S3L LII 1lE NE5tcIif alNt
f-thc river, where the Paducah force h;s been
cncamped since the reduction Of Fort Henry.
The blu1is on this side OF the stream, arc high
aud commanding, rising, III MANY instances,
eco OF $50 feet above the level Of the river
The hills are to q great extent bare
arc perfectly dry, and ior1n much more com
nodious camping grounds than tue low
l.nds on this Side Of the river The forces
here, though, arc by no means entirely free
from the annoyances incident to the high
water; for although the bluffs are high and
land intervening between the landing and the
bottom Of the hills, and over these bottoms is
water varying from six inches to ten feet in
depth Over this little Lake all Of the stores,
camp equipa.c, &c., have to be transported 4
poatoon bridge is being built, but so slowly
docs it progress that it does not seem likely
that it will be completed bcforc its services
arc no longer required.
As the ferry-boat approached the landing
here, the scene that was presented, I
imagine is only to bc witnessed in city
of The sea. There are bargcs and fat
boats, lawls and skltfs, and RATS, good, bad
and indifferent, which, with their loads Of sol
! dicrs, com1niss;ry stores, tents, mess chests,
! and various odds and ends Of 4 soldier kit
arc being continuously transported Mtherand
1hitler, among the trees and brush, Which rear
| their heads above the swollen waters. Taking
!
| due time found myself safely landed on the
! gravel beach ut the foot Of the bluffs.
On The top Gf the most elevated OF the bluffs
is the inco1nplcttd rebel fortifration, Fort
Hciman, named after Colonel of one OF the
Tennessee regiments, who hails, I belieYe,
from Nashville. It is situated about mile
and a half from Fort Henry, and completely
! commands it. The approaches to it on all
sides are very able projections, aud if this fort
lad been allowed to have been completed and
received its guns, its capture must have cost
us several hundred lives. Even with the
works at their present stage, and with tie
mile or more Of rifle pits surrounding them, c
few regiments Of determined men could hole
triple their number at bay for many 4 Ion.
hour There were three rebel regiments OF
this side Of the Tennessee; but when ths
! ho.nhardlnent hue oc.,un in good earnest, il
common with their conlpetriots on the oshel
side, they broke and 1sln. One Of these rcgI
ments Qrish) had good reason for it, as sha1
presently state
Fort Hcinlan, and too, q great portion o
| Fort Henry, was. built by m Irish regiment
These men, with their accustomed industry
worked carly and late on these fortiicat1ons
and What credit is given the rebels for the cx
ct1lcnce Of the workmanship On these fortiti
cations is really due to the sons of Erin. Fo
months we're they thus employed here, AM
for months did they look in vain for the lon,
ago promised payn,aster to arrive; At last
!
great joy that distinguished parsonage actu
ally presented himself The pay roll
were all duly made ont, and the Iishmcn pa
ticntly waited for tue forthcoming payday Il
be hcralded in. But alas for human expecta
! tions. They soon learnt that although til
; paymaster had come, it did not necessarily in
volyc the arrival Of any cash. At all events
if he did have any, the Irish regiment go
none. Indeed, they we're coolly told that ou
very little was due them, and in explanatio
accounts were exhibited showing them tha
owing,to tle,ligh prices Of clothing in the Cor
fedcracy, They lad zcorn out their pay. Fo
boots they were charged eight dollars fl
J pants, ten dollars; for other garments propo,
, tionate|y high figures. So that many {
the men had no more than dollar and
half coming to them. None Of them wei
credited with more than fifteen dollars tt
lr1shmcn vowed vengeance on them, and it
, BY no means surprising that they FUTILE
their threats by running away upon the fir
, approach Of an enemy.
! Military movements to the cast are proccc,
ing apace, the pre1iminaries Of starting tic a
tillcry and portion Of the infantry takin
c place this morning. The 1nain body will prol
ab1ymovc tomorrow. The attack ought |
be made 1,y Wednesday. The commanders
divisions and h1igtdes have been sumulonc
!, to council Of war at 5 o'clock this Afternoon
: Troops arc constantly arriving, The Glad
laor arrived last night with the Seyenteent
! Illinois, and the Iatan and Empress have ju:
come in with the Twenty fifth Indiana an
one other regiment. It begins to look rs
!, the forward movement had begun in good ca
:. nest.
No less than nineteen dead bodies were G.
! hu1ned in tic fort today, which had bee
: hurriedly buried in ono heap after the fish
: aud Icfore we reached the fort. The appare1
. slight loss OF the rebels has been matter
= great surprise, but this recent discovery put
= rather new light on the matter, and it wo1]
! not be surprising if still more were found.
y will be remembered that only four dead me
!, were found in the fort when we took posse
= sion This will make ut least twenty-five
y who fell beneath the unerring shots Of 0,
sailors.
, But few negroes are found in the countr
most of them having been run off On our a
7 proach. Those who have remained mantle
great interest in regard to everything CO
= nectcd with the army and the North. II
first person NIT By the officers of tic DO
j. landing at the fort after it's flag had struc
It was one ct these contrabands. With minsl
: joy and CONSERVATION imprinted on his cou
tenance, and with uplifted hands he exclait
: cd, "Aforc God, sir, is Massa Lincoln conf,
n in that boat s"