The Lansing state Republican. [volume] (Lansing, Mich.) 1855-1874, 1862-02-26


Correspondence 81 the ChisAge Tribune.
~ Fers Donsiss. vlesery.-A Connected
Account Of the Who'll AFFAIR.
By --- Fort Done hon. Feb. Il.
The Stars and Stripes wave over Donelson. l
AN ouly give Won an outline Of what hes taken !
,lae. TO accomplish ia reduction. Tbs teiesrph
,as siven you lev facts, but . few only. Let
ue give q general r. 'ew, leaving Out a thousand
Incidents which would be of great interest, had
the time 10 give them. First let me try 70 .
rive a description of the defenses, for without
lone such attempt an the features OF the battle
field would not be understood.
The current Of the Cumberland river at Do
YER runs nearly North, bat Immediately at the
town - you ascend the stream, il leads towards
The East, not IN abrupt bend but gentle eurve.
The banks on the West side are quite elevstsd.
but the bills are cut by numerous rasines. Inc
hills are about 100 feet high, jus, such elevations
- are to be seen in Egypt along the Ohio
About one half mile below the north OF the town
there 10 . round knob cleared, and planted With
corn the present season. Il 10 fully one huadred
feet high, and the ascent on the north aide %
very eteep-too steep to be powed. Is vas
covered with forest, which Was cleared when
the work Of intrenehing began. There the reb'
els set up their batteries for the defence OF the
river.
After tho capture Of Fort Henry, Gen. Grant
As soon az possible moved across the twelve mile
strip Of land between the rivers, and invested
the place by throwing McClernand's division up
on the right, at the creek-extending his pickets
down to the river beyond. General Wallace
occupied the centre, while General Smith closed
I'd all communicated: with the outside world ON
the north Our forces occupied range OF hills
almost one mile distant from the enemy's outer
l. La1 Ia
tween Smiths and Wallace's commands. The
rebels still had communication with Clarksville
bv the river, and daily received reinforcemente
and supplies by steamers.
Passing over oil the diminishing on Tuesday
and W ednesday, We briefly notice the gunboAt
fight.
rHE GUNBOAr FIGHT.
The gunboats St. Louis, Louisville aad Pitts
burgh, LETT Cairo on the night of the lth inst,
for the Cumberland river. The St. Louis was
the flag ship-the vessel on board OF which
Commodore Foot remained. On the way the
Canes,oga was met coming down the Ohio ~ q
convoy to the Lexington, which had been the
most damaged in the Tennessee river affair She
Was hailed and added to tine fleet. From Padu-
cab the gunboats acted as a convoy to the six
| teen transport vessels laden with troops for the
reinforcement of General Grant.
Thirty FIVE miles from Fort D0neson the fleet
| was met by an express steamer coming down
| to hurry up the transports. General Grant q
dispatch stating that the Sighting had commenced
| and achievements were needed. The feet ar
rived within two miles of the Fort at IL o'clock
on Thursday night. The Carondolet had been
ordered to open the ball at o'clock on Thurs.
day morning. She advanced within mile OF
the Fort and opened fire. She was quickly re-
spouded tO,and after firing 1873 shots was obliged
to retire, having received AZ pound ball thrO
her port side, striking the main steam pipe
Che retired down stream n couple of miles In
the afternoon. after repairing the damage sus
tanned in the first sally, she ordered to at
tack. She fired number Of shots, but with0u,
| effect.
| During Thursday night, Gen. Grant had con.
ference with Com. FoOte, and it was decided to
make more general hombardrlent the the ne xt
day, Friday The gallant Commodore did not
hesitate to declare to his fellow officers that a
far more difficult task was before him than had
been presented in the taking Of Fort Henry
Our readers will understand from the descrip.
lions Of localities, elsewhere given what these
difficulties we're. Instead Of the low battery on
the banks of the Tennessee, scareely higher
above the water than the decks OF the gunboats
the upper batteries Of Fort Donelson frowned
down from the 5luff spe hundred feet from the
river. e#ss
Nevertheless, there was NO hanging back, and
Com. Foote and bis officers were called upon T.
restrain by stringent orders the srdor of their
men, who burned to open the conflict On
steamed the boats and while at long range the
enemy opened fire from their middle batteries
| their first shots falling shOrt-hrst thirty two,
then a sixty four. Still all was silence on board
the gunbOats the dip of whose paddles alone
broke the stiffness OF their approach. Thus fit.
teen minutes passed, which seemed tardy hour
to the impatient gunners. At last the point was
reached, and precisely at 10 minutes to O'Clock
r. ~, puff Of white smoke and the boom OF
her sixty four came from the bow port of the
ST. Louis. The other boats quickly followed
suit. Such was the difficulty OF getting accurate
range, that our first shots fell wide of the mark
but this was remedied speedily, and the engage
ment became terrific. The enemy poured their
30 and Ga FOUNDERS into our vessels with great
effect, and our gunners returned with inch
shell and 81 pound rife balls, with admirable
precision, cheering a. they fought their guns,
and doing great execution on the enemy's works,
dismoSnting their guns the lower batteries,
and driving the rebels like frightened sheep from
| their pens. But the diagram will tell our readers
what the frst glance of the battery itself decar,
ed to the experienced eye of Com. Foote. The
gunboats were fighting against fearful odds. the
long Oblique middle range Of heavy guns raked
| the fleet terribly As they came On, the angle
| giving them the least advantage from the plant
| ing and defenses. At Fort Henry the boats
| came up, exposing only their bows az the small
lest mark to the enemy; here their brosdsides
| were exposed. Soon after the fight commenced
shot from the enemy's water battery carried
away the flag staff of the st. Louis almost the
next shot took away the chimney guys of the
| same boat. But it was flag staff tor flag staff ;
| few minutes later away went the rebel bunting
from the fort, its staff cut by ball from the st.
Louis, who thus avenged the indigrity offered to
herself
A little later and the Louisiana was struck by
a 6i-pound shot from the right Of the middle
| tier of batteriers, which broke her rudder poet
| rendering her manageable. At this time the
boats were all under easy steam, just s'emmng
the current to prevent drifting. Another sho;
killed William Hinton, the pilot, in the pilot
house OF the Carondelet, and 81, nearly the
same instant, came crashing into the pilot house
of the st. Louis, MORALLY vounding one of the
pots, +. A. Riley, injuring two other pilots, and
also wounding the brave Commodore himself,
across whose left foot a large fragment Of spin
tered oaken beam Tell, crushing and bruising it,
Of the four in the pilot house at the time only
one escaped injury. ! will add here that Com
modore Foote's injury is of such nature that
care for the wounded member requires him to
uss crutch, when the brave officer regrets.
saying that but for this needed exposure no one