Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1862-02-13
THE LATEST WAR NEWS.


-. THE LATEST WAR NEWS.
Fort Henry, Confederate fertilization on the
Tennessee river, in Tennessee, a few miles below
The Kentucky line, was assaulted and captured
On Thursday by hotilla Of seven Federal gun
boats, under the command of Com A. II. Foote
On Tuesday of last week eight thousand Federal
troops, under Gen. McClcrnand, encampcd about
four miles below the fort-the river at this point
running directly north-and is supposed was
afterwards joined by seven thousand more I'M
der Gen. Smith the combined forces to act in
c ncert with hotilla movement on the fort, if
needed. On the same day reconnaissance was
made by three Federal gunboats, and quite
brisk fire was exchanged between them and the
fort According to the official report, the seven
[gunboats moved on the fort for general action
Eon Thursday. and after fight of one hour and
fifteen minutes. captured the works and took
Gen. Lloyd Tilghman and his staff and sixty
men prisoners. One Of the gunboats, the Essex,
was disabled, and compelled to retire from the
action. Another boat, the Cincinnati, was struck
number Of times and had one man killed and
eight wounded. Several men were reported
Lscalded on the Essex.
Com -Foote reports that the fort was defend
red by the Confederatcs with the most determined
bravery. The work, as above noticed, is in
Tennessee, just below the northern boundary
line, AMI hlta few miles from the point where
the: railro tom Bowling Green to Memphis
crosses tho Tennessee river. The fort is situated
on the east bank of the river and stands in a
bottom, just below bend, and at the head of a
Iuhf IF I,ny, kf,,,1
ment consisted of seventeen guns, mostly 80 and
s4-pounders, and Mas manned, by sixty men
besides their officers
Unofficial reports Of the engagement state
that the battle commenced at IL 80, and con-
gtinued until the Confederate flag was struck,
at 40 p. NJ. 1t is also stated that the Con-
federate forces in the rear of the fort retreated,
and that the Federals had taken possession of
the railroad bridge fifteen miles below. The
Federal loss. by these accounts, is placed at
seven killed, twenty-five wounded and five mis-
ing, supposed to be drowned. The Confederate
loss was FIVE killed and ten wounded.
Gen. Lloyd Tlghman, the commander of the
fort, is a native of Maryland, and graduate of
West Point. He served short time in the
United States army, and then resigned his COM
mission and devoted himself to civil engineering,
in which capacity he was formerly engaged on
the Susquehanna (now the Northern Central)
railroad. For several years he has resided in
Tennessee and Kentucky and on the breaking
out of the war was made an officer of the Con-
federate army.
The loss of Fort Henry appears to have been
anticipated by the Confederates. The situation
of the Fort, it is said, was not one which rem
dered it capable of being long defended against
superior force. 1t was built on low ground
near the bank of the river, which, at this season
Of the year, is very high, and was moreover
easily commanded by a high hill on the oppo-
site bank Fort Donelson is however declared
to be much stronger work, and as it commands
the Cumberland river and the approaches to
Nashville, its capture will doubtless be holly
contested. We have no news from Grants
column which was reported to have marched
across the peninsula formed by the two rivers,
Tor ti,v purpose Of cooperating in combined
attack on Fort Donelson. ii II w sss expected
i lar axe The Fort By surprise, thus fat the feat
+ fsse9ssanltp a9tuRM n1,ar ir, -s155lllA
possible that more accurate knowledge Of th
lmnana IF defence concentrated hv tho Con Eo1o