, 1862-02-12
Tic Late Victory on the Tennessee.
TEE BoaBlRDaEsT or F0RT HENRY.
LETTER FROM 4 CHICAGO OFFICER.
A Sacesh Letter-Cotton and RELIGION
In Dixie.

Tie following letter from m officer in Tay- |
lor's Chicago Battery, will be read with inter
est, Us giving in detal the features Of the land |
movement Of the column which moved up the |
bank Of the Tennessee river On the day OF Its
bombardment. The letter accompanying is |
gem. 1t was found by Mr. Roberts in the &C.
ccsh plnndcr captured in the fort. 1t gives 4
painful picture Of the dull market in Dixie for
cotton, religion and other staples.
[orderly Robcrts's letter-1
FORT HENRY, Tennessee, Feb. s, 1863.
We are in the enemy's country now surf,
back Of Fort Henry, but within breast
works, without tent or change of clothing,
or scarcely nything to eat. This has been 60
ing on for about two days now, and hope
matters will be regulated 6oon.
Iwrote you the other day from the A1eck
Scott, about ten miles below here. We1and-
cd that afternoon about five miles below this
Fort and remained there until day before yes
tcrday, when we marched for this place. 4
very heavy rain had fallen the night previous
and the roads Were soon rendered almost i'm
paesable.
The column consisted of. some dozen regi-
| ments Of Infantry, twenty-five pieces OF AT
| tlllery, seven Of which were siege guns, and
mile when We heard the gun boats and the
Fort "going ut it like smoke.' I counted
thirty-fi guns IN five minutes. The firing
| continued very rapidly for about half an hour,
when it ceased, and we didn't know what the
devil to make Of it, as re didn't suppose that
either side was going to give up SO easily.
In about half an hour, q surgeon rode along
the column, giving MS the news that the Fort
had surrendered. The bands struck up Yam
kee Doodle and Dixie, and such cheering 1
never heard. The Lead Mine regiment vas
lust in our rear, and can bear witness that
their lnngs are good We pressed on in MI
haste, to bag the land forces if possible, but
they gave Us the slip. We found, however,
three brass field pieces, which they had ss9t
stuck with after proceeding three miles. we
around little, lay down on the ground to
sleep, and did sleep sound1y too: Fort Henry
mountsi twelve guns, all thirty y-twos, but
two-one Of which is a 128pounder, and the
other 60-pounder rlf1cd gun, which burst
during the action. There we're also tour long
24-ponndcrs mounted on field carriages IN tn
fort. The fort is only an open earthwork, bu1
splendfdly built, and is, think, about lou
times us large as the Cairo fort. There art
three tiers Of breastworks thrown up, th'
outer one being mile and hall froul TN
fort, and think as vide, though Of sst couaS Il,
closure, and for half a mile around, all th
: timber has been fclled. Where they got tn
} men to do all this work, I don't know; Ger
: | tain}y there Las not been half the work don
at Cairo, Fort Holt and BirIs Point that ther
:. | has been here.
t We naturally feel disguised that VIC didn'
I. get chance to rub out the garrison. unl
the attillerymen were taken. I suppose fhl
nc shall pitch into Fort Donelson, on the Gun
= berland, soon. l am willing to sleep on IL
5 ground with nothing but blanket Tor coy
q cripg, and liyc on tobacco, or endure any othe
y sudsrings and priyations, if things can onl
T. be hurried up thereby; and such is the u1'
S yersa1 feeling among all the troops here.