New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1862-03-14


aud the Tennessee River be carried with four rou clad
and troops and bs pem,ueny occupied Have we
your authority to move for sha' purpose when ready,
To this dispatch no reply was vouchsafed, but an
order wa subsequently cent to Gen. Grant to pro
ceed up the Tennessee River with biz troops under
convoy Of the armed iotia, and attack Fort Henry,
directing Gen. Grant TO Shotg TO Com. Fcote bis or
ders TO this effect. Com. Foote was at once ready
for the expedition, and advised the Department to
that effect IN the following dispatch:
~. : GUsBoAr CoSssroGa. PADucAB Feb 1907
SIR have the honor to inform you tst zen Sa.S yes
terday with this vessel having ordered the sruored
Essex Carondeet Cincinnati and St Louis TO peoeie me 10
Padu IN sud arrived here last eveuing. ,,.. A..
ITO purpose dug the tennessee flvet h .uo
four arored and abe Old ginboets Taylor Coneo
60 and Lexington in of the troops uuder zen ot
for tue purpose Of cono,tly attacking snd Occupying f
Henry and the bridge connecting Bowling Greenwitb
Columbus The transports have not yet arrived although en
pected las, night from Cairo which causes dceaon whe ~
the meantime unfortunately the river IL falling am ready
with seven gDnboats to act oensvey whenever The army -
God that shall bs able silence the guns For Henry
and l.. surroundings Notwithstanding h>ye been Obliged or
want oil men 10 tlAe from the 1--WE boats rIniDirg q, Caro-
ell the men except number gunboots for
the protection Of that important post
have lett Cot nander senior officer in charge Of
the guns and mosbost at Cairo ordering him. with tho
assistance Of fieetCaPsi Pennoek to every effort in
1t Is peculiarly that wa rave not
bsen able 70 obi sn men for the os a. bv "n,y
ing TO enable have this eleven
instead Of TALLY manned gunbots ready Tor eici
cen operations at any point, The volunteers from the army
the arrangement OF companies and regiments in permitting
them leave ia the reason assigned for not more Of
the number having been thus rrted 70 the hota
" ncloss copy omy orders TO the comm, Of che
gnn-bost 10 anticipation Of tse a'ses on folt Henry also
more especial Of the old and operate In less
exposed positions than the ermored boats.
"Ihsye the honor 20 be, very respectfully
our obedient servant,
"a II FOOlE Flag Officer.
Hon. Grpxos WELLEs Secretary Of the navy. Washing
"P Ssegersl transport. with troops h,y, just arrived
proceed the Tennessee early 10 the morning. and w men
make the Cincinnati my flagship a. H. r.
On the preceding day he bad issued the following
orders TO Lieut. Phelps:
~ s Gusnoir TAYLOR. P.DucAB, Feb 1907.
ESPECIAL ORDERS No. J-Lieuienant Commanding Phelps
VIII az soon az for, haH hare suyrendref and upon zig
FROM Tag chip proceed with The Cone'toga Taylor and
Lexington 10 where the Railroad bridge crosses
and the army shall not already have go, posesion be viii
destroy OF the track a. will entirely prevent its use ~
ii. viii then proceed fuup the river as the stage Of
will sdmi aud capture the enems sunooss AID other
vessels WINCH '''sA' II. FooFf Flag ofcer
Commanding Naval Forces in the Western Waters"
The fleet, consisting Of tue lron-clad boats Essex,
Carondelet Cincinnati and st. Louis, and the three
wooden boats Taylor, Lexington and Conestoga,
proceeded to Fort Henry aud reiuced 1t in one hour
and twenty minutes, Com. F0ote being, rs is his
wont. IN the fore front Of the battle. Ii appears
from the order 10 Lieut. Phelps (which that gallant
officer promptly execuied), that Commodore Foote
knew before leaving Paducah that he should take
or the resistance he should meet there. He was
thoroughly inspired by tina, great idea. The coDtin-
psucy of failure did not euter into his calculaons.
lie therefore addressed himself TO plans for reap
ing TIE fruits of victory rather than to plans for re-
pairing the consequences OF defeat. Ii Will be OBJ
served from the foregoing letter to the Secretary of
the Navy written before the battle OF Fort Henry,
that the efficiency of the flotilla much impaired
by the want Of sesmen, or by a neglect 10 have
those transferred from the military service who
had been selected for that purpose.
After reducing Fort Henry, and sweeping the
Tenne ssee River far up as Florence IN Alabama,
Commodore Foote returned TO Cairo to prepare the
mortar boats for operations against Fort Donelson
lie was aware Of the formidable character OF the
Rebel works n, Fort Doneson, and he desired r
DELAY Of few days to complete the mortar boats,
nv which he believed the garrison, however exten.
,iye could be eholied out without much loss OF life
on our eide Gen. Halleck deemed an immediate
attack to DC a military necessity In this, 1 doubt
not he was night, and ly refer To 1t 10 show that
he crpoied condtorfSf the fleet aud toe heavy loss
of life ON our side are not to be attributed to rash
nos or bad mana gement on the part OF the flag
officer OF ihe gallant attack ON Fort DOnelson no
one need he reminded Subjected rs our vessels
were 10 a org-continued and hot lire OF three Rebel
batteries 1T 400 yards distance. they continued the
ght for one hour and thirty minutes. and not until
the wheel of one and the tier rores OF another o:
his Doais shot away, did the well-managed
puus Of the Commodore cease TO scatter death and
".
Although wounded himself. and his gunboats Grip
pled. but with the glory OF the gallant combat on
ble brow he INDUCED IN no repinngs for bis per-
soual misformes audaions fer his successes, but
ike true Christian hero thought only Of bis men.
In letter ritten the morning after the battle
friend he raid:
Vile hope rely Hin who controls ell things.
aud to ay 'fom The heart Not unto rs bot unto Thee
Lord b.ousa gory Yet feel sadly at the result q
,t,rk on Fort Douelfo. the brave ocers aod men,
Who ,ay ,hey viii where ieed them, AL oy my side
A o. N..I than 70 alma. MA o. le4Et han
,eved wha, believed 20 be The military necessity OF tie
si,usiion'
Tie next movement of Commodore Foote with his
hotla was 70 take pOsses,iOn OF Clarksyllle where
he arrived on the ig.h day Of February and a.ued
hs proclaim alton the inhabitants three days before
the arrival Of the land forces, though that iact fer
some unexplained cause, nowhere appears IN the
Official reports OF the Military Commander OF the
Department
On the alst day Of February, 1862, Commodore
Foote telegraphed to Gen Cullam, the Chief Of Gen.
"PaDrc,p FEB. o. lofs.
"Gzy CrLrra Cairo Gen Grsnt and ny,eli consider this
good lime 20 MRS On Aa"rHc DIX mortsfeoss and Two
STEAMERS preccds tho troops aud she the forts
We wer- moving o his puTpose when Cen GraA TO
MY sstoIishnei, received ate!egal ron Gen h1uec1 t
10 ef ae gnADlIt - hhT ma" clarS'Hle' no telegram
The Cumberland & ia good stage of water, and Gen
Grant and believe mt We cen iahs Ns'hsle Please ak
crutche, a. II. FOOTE. Flag Officer"
II may be that there was some great military rea-
sou why Gen. Grant was directed ;" not to let the
9unbo.is 20 higher than GAINESVILLE" but up to
ihs time It is wholly unappreciabo by the public.
Had they been permitted to 30, as was proposed By
Com. Foot,, Nashville would undoubtedly have
cnptuaied sOmc days earlier than II did, and an I'M
meuse amount Il Rebel stores wonld have been cap
ured, which were destroyed or recovered before the
army reached there the valce OF winch has been
estimated 1t two millions OF dollars.
ought not TO omit 10 mention the gallant attack
by part of The Western ilotilla under Lieut.. Gwin
upon the enemy at Pittsburgh, on the Tenue sec
diver where 4 500 Rebel infantry and cayalry were