New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1862-02-21
LIEUT.. PHELPSS OFFICIAL REPORT OF
TIE TENNESSEE RIVER EXPEDITION.
THE UNION SLNTIMENI y TIE H"V TIT
us. GrNso.T COSEsTOsA. TRSSR>sEE ItfyE
February 10, 1867

TIE linn ESSEE NV i+<Ni i@p'''C'''
THE UNION SENTIMENT AT TIE SOUTH.
us Grxso.r CoSRsTosA. TpSNg,sEE RIVER
February 10, l66l.
FIsg.OGc,r 4. VI. FooTE, o. S. Nary Commahd"' Nafa'
Force, Ws,trn H0'os' -
SIN. Soon after the surrender Of Fort Henry Oh
the 9th instant, proceeded, III obediehse 10 you
order. up the Tennessee River with no iayio',
lient. Commanding Gwini Lexington, heu,:
handing Sinrk and this vessel forming DIVISION
of the no'ls and arved after dark al the railroad
crossing % miles above tie fort baying on the WAY
destroyed small amount OF camp oqupagc acah-
doned by the hying Rebels. TIE draw o The Dridse
yyae found closed and the machinery for turning IL
disabled. About half mile above were several
Rebel TRANSPORT steamers escaping up stream.
/. 4 party WAS landed, and in one hour had The :.
i.faciion TO see the draw open. The Taylor beng
the slowes, of the gunbosts, .-COmnandingi
Gwin Landed force TO destroy portion oil th' rHl'-
road track aud 10 secure such military stores as
mich, be found willie directed Lieut.. Commauaing
Slirk TO follow me with all speed 10 chase OF ne
fleeing boats. IN 1--WE hours tins boat succeeded N
forcing the rebel 10 abandon aud burn those oi men
boats 1oaGed with military stores Tie FIRST one hied
Samuel ORR lad on board quantity Of fu5mailne
batteries, which very soon EXPLODED. Tie second
os. was freigited with powder, cannon shot gfaiei
balls. &c Fearing an eSposiou from the Urea boats
there were two toy. ther-I had stopped "a. a dig
iap,e of one thousand yaIds hut there our shy
,eb,s were broken by the conclusion, the GIT up
rer deck wa raised bodily doors were forced oien
and locks oud iasteniugs everywhere broken
TIE whole liver, for half mile round about, was
completely "beaten up" by the falling fragments,
aud the shower o. suot grape, balls, &c. The house
of "A reuOued MON man v "a blown 10 pieces and
add II is suspected there de,ign ia landing TIE
boats in front of the doomed home. TIE Lexington
having fallen behind. aud being without "A plot Oh
board concluded 20 wit Tor both Of tie boats to
cone az. Joined by them, We proceeded up tbe
ri.er. LicutonAui-C omuaudiug e win Lad deitToyed
come Of the tre-lework % the end OF tie bridsei
burning with IL lots Of camp cquipafe. ). ~
Brown, formerly Lieutenant VA tie navy, now
-iluiug Liiusci {. y y bai led WITH such Ireciif
iilou 80 20 lave bic Talcfs behind. Iltso Lieut.
C0tnsuding Gwin brogflt away, ard send Them
20 you ~ thew give Oficirl history OF the heoci
1oaing preparations on the Mississippi, Cumberland
and Tennessee Lieut.. Brown had charge OF tAe
contribution Of guL-1oats.
At ni1lt on The 1th We arrived ~ LANDING ~
Han in county Tenn. known a. tcrro Gosdo, where
we found the steamer Elsiport being conferred inio
A quuboat Armed boat crews wee Immediately
eni On bosrd and search made for means ~ desirne-
ton that mi-ht have been dcyiscd. So had been
scu'lej, ard tie suctiou ires broken. 1hee leAss
were coon stopped. a number 81 rife shots were
tired at our ve-s, H. hut a couple Of shs- 80 Pcrstd
tie Resela. On examination found thai thele were
large quau,ltitH oi tiItcr and lumitI prepared I0l
ftiug up the Iatff Of mat De " ''l u -li some
20 feet lonl-was boo excellent condition. and alfcuaN
hali.hni-hed: considerable oil the plating oesieued
FOR her WINS lying on tie bank, and cveiytng 81
hand to complete lcr. thc.e.Dt directed ilsufen-
cr,' Comm. llIr. tniY f0 .lu HlfH tc lai luf
toruard ife rr.ze 10 l0at 'ho lum'cr ~, while
il. l.cNiultOn AID tonesi"ga should lioe'ed sihi
higher W.
IN ttter day lpht on the sth We pnssel Passport,
Mir. and 70 Chioksnw. further up rear the State
line SEIZED Two sieamers, she Snihe " God ana Niue
Gle the former i'd up ana the latter ireehied VIII
irou ce.ttlc' Tor Richmond and Tor heDel use. We
ther proceeded on u tho river, eneiilg tie state OF
Alabama aud ascending 70 Florence 20 The zoo, OF
tie Muscle Shoals On coming IN SIGHT Of the town
three steamers were discovered, which were imme
Glaiely ttt ou fire by tie Rebels. some shots were
fred ron the opposite eide OF the river below a
ill,o waa landed, ard considerable quantities OF sup
/ r'ies marked " Fort Henry were occurred from
lie burning wrecks. Some bad been landed and
stored. These sen-d, putting such rs could
bing away Oh onr ye,sels and destroying the It.
n4iader. No 10 Of otler craft could Ne found.
found also more Of the iron snd plating intended for
me Passport.
4 4 deruta'i,n Of citizeus Of Florence waited upon
me- frt d..iIrg that tlcy . GIT he made a0lr 10
Quiet o. fears uf their wives aud daughters with
garir ces from me tat they would not be molc.ted:
ana secondly, pry rg thsr would no, destroy their
Ir.i.aad~ bridge. At for tie first, tod them We
were neither ruff ans nor SAVAGE eud that ve r,ye
ff-s a. B,oirf t0n rioi1sse qRd 10 frf,cf fs Tine.
and with reference 20 the second thet if the bridve
were awty, We could ascend no higher and that IL
could possess military Importance, iar ~ saw,
A. IL simuly connected Florence Itscf with the rail
road Oh The souf' bank OF tic river.
] We fad f'lffN 'hffc OF tnrlr steamers. tie
half-dnisled guu!Olt and had forced the Rebels TO
burn Elk oibefr loaded with supplies, and their loss
! with TINT Of the freight, j. heavy Glow TO The
enemy. Two loas are still known 10 be on the
Tennessee and arc dou'tlcrs hidden IN some OF tie
creeks where We shall be able to lind them when
there u time for the search. We returned on the
night Of tie Sth TO where the ksstporl ay. The
crew Of the Taylor had already gotten on board of
/ the prize an immense amount Of lumber. &c. The
of the three boats SET to work 20 finish tie
dertaknp, and we have brought away probably
80 600 feet Of tie beet quality Of ship aud building
lumber, all the iron, machinery, spikes, plating,
nails, &c., belonging TO tie Rebel gunboa's, nud
caused the mill 10 BE- destroyed, where the lumber
had been sawed.
Lieut.. Commanding Gwn had, in our absence,
enlisted some - Iennesseeins, who gave iniorma.
ton of the encanpmcnt of Col. Drew Rebel Iegi-
nent at Savannah, Tennessee. A portion OF the six
or feven hundred men were known To he oppressed"
men, aud all were badly armed. After consultation
with Ideutenanls-COmmanding Gwin and Shirk,
determined 10 make la d attack upon the enCamp-
ment. Lieut.. Commanding SlFk. with so nilen.en
came Oh board the Conehto.a, leaving bis yesst 10
guard the Eastp0ri, and, accompanied by the 1ayo
We proceeded up TO that place prepared TO land 100
riiiemen and l2-pounder ried howitzer LIEUT..
Commanding Gwin took command of this force
when landed, but had the modification 10 find The
camp deserted.
The Rebels bad fed d, o'clock in the nisb,, leav-
ing considerable quantities OF arms, clothing shoes
camp utensils, PROVISIONS implements, sc, all OF
which were secured or destroyed, and their Winter
quarters Of log huts were burned seized ALSO Il
large mailbag, and send you the letters giving mil.
iary information. The gunboets were then dropped
down TO point where arms, gathered under the |
Rebel press law" had been sttred, and an armed
party under Second Matter Cloudy Of the Tay Tor
suoceeded in soILing about seventy rifles ind fowl
nR.pieces. Returning 10 Cerro Gordo We took the
Eastport, Sallie Wood aud Musole In tow and came
down The river 90 the rain 0ad crossing The Muscle /
sprang leak, and all corls failing TO prevent her
sluklnN we Ncre flrced In abandon L. md ,.iil-