Bedford inquirer. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1857-1884, 1862-02-14
GLORIOUS VICTORY IN TEN
NESSBE.
CON. FOOTE'S OFFICIAL REPORT.
WAS HINeToN, Feb. T. Secretary Weiles
has resolved the following despatch:

4 ~ :. ~ ~ Ian GnlF OlNC1NNA1tr a
0FF FoRT HEERY, TENNESSEE RIVER,
February 6tb, 1862.
Tue gun-boats under my command, the Es.
sex, Commander Porter; the Garondelet, Com
mander Walker; the Cincinnati, Commander
Stembel; the St. Louis, Lieutenant Command
| ing Paulding; the CoDestoga, Lieutenant Cons
nlanding Gwiun, and the Lexington, LIeuten.
ant Commanding Shirk, after severe and
rapid frc of enc hour and quarter, hay,9
captured Fort Henry, and have taken Brlga-
! dier-Gen. Lloyd Tilghman and bis staff With
sixty men as prisoners.
The surrender to the gun-boats vas uncondi-
ticnal, as we kept an open FIRE upon them uu-
| til their flag was struck. In half an hour af-
ter the surrender | handed the fort and prison
ers over to Gen. Grant, commanding the army,
on his arrival at the fort in force.
The gun~boat Essex had sh OF in her boil
ers, and, after fighting most effectively for two
thirds Of the action, was obliged to draw down
the river, as hear several of her men were
scalaed to death, including the two pilots. She
With the othor gun boats, ofieers and men,
fought with the greatest gallantTy.
The Cincinnati received thirty-one shots,
and had ose man killed and eight wounded in
cluding two seriously.
The fort, with twenty guns and seventeen
mortars, was defended by Gen. Tilghman with
the most determined galIantry.
will write as soon as possible.
have sent Lieut. Commanding Phelps and
three guu-boats after the rebel gun boats.
(signed) A. Fl. FooTE, Flag Officer.
Fun and Interesting Particulars.
CINCINNATI, Feb. THE Cairo correspon-
pondence os the Gazette and Commercial Of
this city gives the following account Of the
bombardmens and capture of Fort Henry:
Yesterday, at IL. 80 T. M., the guDAboats Gln-
cinuati, st. Louis, Carondelet and Essex-the
Tyler, Couestago and Lexington bring up the
rear-advanced against the rebel works, going
to the right of the Painter Creek Islam, inme-
diately nhoye which, on the east shore Of the
river, stand the forti6eations. Keeping out of
range till at the bead of tie Island, and,
;yithn mile of the enemy, and passing she Is
land in full view of the rebel guns, We stead
;Io advanced. Every man was at his quarters
.1d a.. ~rz car was strained to Watchthe Flag
OG.er's S.igoa' gun for the commencement Of
the action.
Our line of ba. tie vas, on The left, the St.
Louis. next the Caro- 1deist, next the Cinein
natl flor the time being lie f,e-ship. and hav-
iug % board Flag-0ficer A. A. Foote), and
next the Essex.
We advanced in line, the GincinnStl boats
length ahead, when at IL. 80 the Cinc cinnaI
opened the ball, and Immediately the three &.cs
companyiug boats followed suit. The enemy
were not backward, but gave an admirable re-
sponse.
The fight ragged furiously for a half hour
We steadily advanced, receiving and returning
storms IL shot and shell, when, getting within
three hundred yards Of the enemy's works, we
came TO stand and poured into them right
and left.
In the mean time, tue Essex had bee1 disa-
bled and driftod away from the scene Of action
leaving the Cincinnati, Carandelet and ST.
LOUIS alone engaged
at precisely forty minutes past O'clock the
enemy struck his colors, and such cheering,
such wild excitement as seized the throsts, arms
and caps of the four or FIVE hundred sailors of
the gansboats, can be imagined.
After the surrender, which vas made to
Flag officer Foote by General Lloyd thighs
man, who defended his fort in the most deter.
mined manner, We found that the rebel lnfants
rY, who were encomped outs ide the fort and
numbered 1000 or 5000, had cut and run,
leaving the rebel Artillery Company in CONS
mand of the fort.
The fort mounted seventeen guns, mostly
thirty-two and thirty-fou Founders, including
q magnificent tenrinch columbiad. Our shots
dsmounted two of their guns, driving The ener
my into the embrasures. One Of their rifed
30 Founders burst during the engagement,
woundiug one of their gGuners
The rebels claim to have bad but eleven eff
fective guns, worked by fifty four men, being
the number, all told, of our prisoners. They
lost Eve killed and ten badly wounded
The Infantry then left everything in their
flight, and a vast deal of plumber has fallen
into our hands, including large and yalua- !
BILE quantity Of ordance stores.
Gen. Tilghman is disheartened. Ho thinks
the disaster is one Of the most damaging
blows of the war. In surrendcriug to Flag
Officer Foote, the rebel General, remarked:
81 am glad to surrender toso gallant an
officer"
Flag Officer Foote replied: "You DO per-
fectly right, sir, in surreuderiug; but you
should have blown my boats out of the water
beforeI would have surrendered to you.''
1 10 the engagement the Cincinnati was in the
lead, and the Flag Officers flying pennant was
the chief mark. Flag Officer Foote and Cap
taiB Stsmble crowded her defantly into the
teeth of she enemy's guns. She received 81
shots, some Of them going completely through
her.
The Essex was badly crippled. When
about half through the fight, and while crowds
rug steadily against the enemv n hall vent
into her port side, in the forward port, pass
log through the heavy bulkhead and squarcly
through one Of her boilers. The escaping
staam scalded and killed several OF the
crew.
Captain Porter, bis aid, s. z. Britain, Jr.,
and PsYmaster Lewis were standing in the di-