, 1862-03-17

hot fire OF three rebel batteries at faur hun
dree yards distance, they continued the fight |
the wheel Of one and the ti1ler-ropes Of an-
other Of his boats were shot away, did the we'll
guns Of the Commodore cease to
scatter death and CONSERVATION among the
foes Of bis country. Although wounded him
SELF, and Ills gunboats crippled, with the glory
Of the gallant combat on his brow, he indulg-
cd in nc. repinings for his personal misfor-
tunes Or laudations for Lis successes, but still
a true Christian hero, thought only Of his
men. In letter written the morning after
the battle to friend, he said:
"Wli1e hope ever to rely On Him who
controls all things and to say from the heart,
not unto US, but unto Thee, Q Lord, belongs
the glory, get feel sadly at the results Of our
attack on Fort Donels0n. To see the brave
officers and men, who say they will go where
lead them, fall by my side, makes me sad to
lead them to almost certain death; but I !
obeyed what was believed to be the military |
necessity Of the situation-'
The next movement Of Commodore Foote
with his 1otilll was to take possession OF
Clarksvile, where he arrived on the 18th day Of |
February, and issued his proclamation to the |
Inhabitants three days before the arrival OF the
land forces, though that fact, fur some unex-
planned cause, nowhere appears in the otiicid |
reports OF the military commander Of the De- |
paitment.
On the 2lst Of February, 1862, Com. Foote |
telegraphcd to Gen. Cullom, the chief Of Gen.
Halleck's staff, then at Cairo, as follows:
PADrcAu, Feb. a1, 1862.
Gencral Grant and myself consider this a good
time to n7oee on Nashville Six mortar boats and
two iron clad steamers can preccde the troops and
Tns inc tn we ysn about p5 4s
ss g. xe3 'i%@ aa ca sass 81 & s
The Cumberland IL in good stage Of water, and
Gen. Grant and believe that ne can take Nash
vile. Please ask Gen Hal1eck if We shall do it.
eeaine nc ; Il IL lie oes an sti On elntees
{signed} A. L. FoorE, Flag Oaicer
It may be that there was some great militia
~ reason why Gen. Grant was directed mot
to let the gunboats 90 higher than Clarksril'e,
but up to this time it Is wholly unapprcciahlc
By the public. Had they been permitted to
20, as was proposed by Com. Foote, Nashville
would undoubtedly hase capitalated some
days earlier than it did, and an Immense
amount Of rebel stores been captured, which
were destroyed orfemoTed before the army
reached there, the value Of which has been es-
tin,ated at ten millions Of dollars.
l ought not 10 omit to mention the gallant
attack, by a part Of the Western hotilla, under
Lieut.. Gwin, upon the Enemy at Pittsburgh,
On the Tennessee river, where l 500 rebel in
| fantry and cavalry were completely routed
| with 1oEs Of thirty Killed and one hundred
t wounded.
The next fact Of importance in the cam
| Iaign at the West and indeed the most im-
| portant Of all, was The evacuation OF Colun1-
bus. Why was this rebel stronghold, which
| cost SO much labor aud expense, abandoned
without firing shot? It is not for the to
underrate the advantages Of position secured
| By the yalor Of our troops at Fort Donelson,
| hare been allie to obtain of tie defenses of
| Columbus, that there was nothing in the
| mere fact of the capture Of Donelson, and
fTousire of our command Of the river, which
after a long and bloody siege. From the let
ter Of correspondent wiring on tic spot, I
obtain the information that the forts ut Co.
lunbus s'were 60 located and constructed as
| to be almost impregnable to m assault by
storm. The capture Of one by no means
4 fresh assault must be made in
each instance. At the main fort and many Of
tie earth-works, stockades. crossed the
trenches exposing the assaulting party to q
storm of bullets from >ri1enen firing through
loopholes- Every zasine and ditch was thor
oughly protected, and the various approaches
Of the river commanded for long distance
in every direction. It is sufficient to say that
IN unusually strong position was seized upon
and 60 improved by rare engineering skill THAT
tent and perfection Of detail combined can
hardly be found in the United States"
Another correspondent describing the place
1fter the evacuation, says: eThe furrifeations
WY sstsopgwRefntps ~ t selongea Lnaa nnA w.
a4tS .nI - .t! "Sae oas-3s
have stood an hours bo;nbardment by the
:unboats and mortar fleet The water battery
Etood out in such relief from the bluff that q
Wen aitec{eo mortar sheu would nave buried
Tnra aro ~ 'ons VI tas'n t[o'u ap4se
lie sfe artillery ns no oe ses tne ga1nng II ire
@E " ~ a. Eal1oass' .' anu ~" aen2 couu Ieg !'
{rn3, 4,.n,tr ,x,. 4h-on;acr NJ.
ehnIIe r. ;s yoi1 rgG5ars+ond t,a4 cem,,t,d ~
Ennte n,,-nsaa - srsno ,n". +fa ra1.a1s a1
XXX ah;i;r 1it h;s n,m anu nn,f.r hoate
to shc1, M,r,,,, ";va ;.1c ~ s,aa5u enrrandar n,
~. nonuz to - spssuI ~ .. ~ "
n,ilifarV co1nnaauds1 ~ s nay ~ 'De eouAs'A7
j. ~ ~o
Mhsn Te couple the st7atsgie position &C
; t CURED ~ our occupation OF the Tennessee
? and Cumberland rivers, with the completion
/ OF the mortar boats and the absolute com
T mana OF the r1ter gwen us " the armores
gurooafs, there remains no mystery abou
I nf the public service are equally entitled t
E the credit ofiIightening the rebels from the1
d strongest position on the Mississippi river
r i not the strongest in their whole militar,
t jurisdiction.
the Western flotilla composed Of ten gQ
d boats and Ten mortar boats had started iol
/ wsrd to new scenes Of conflict and to achieve
+ / doubt not. new and vet greater triun1ph<
e The COUNTRY is assurea that Whatever can b
8 ACCOMPLISHED bv gs3lautry and nautical e,
# pe1icpce will be performed bv Commodor
e Footc, and the brave OFFICERS and men unde
= his command. We confidently await th
e announcement Of new victories.
hare thought it proper Mr., President, 9
sWe5teru Senator, in some degree charge
At with the examination Of naval affairs by th
d f,o6y. to bear this testimony to the worth {
1e that branch nf uuhfic service in the vester
" cainrsaipu- and to the noble deeds of the Ia
cficer IN that .commaud. No one csn oyt
estimate their services TO the ,conotrv and
q. the NnHhvrst in naytionlar and n 4he 1,o,,
q. of that rreat section. and cf the 1hole con,
Ia fry tltanf thcm oDe and all nfficrrs an, r,e
q Rnt + wnn}d avail mrse1f nfthis oocas;nn
at accnmn1is11 another nyrnose an an4;o,
t. that RE neonl. this enF;ra conrtr1 mav e.
u that tI1a eTnloits nf ti,e nspF whasev.ar na
at f1rmed ~ tfc;r err1o;tn 5+;hat "a T1orTr
tha;r giorr an1 +bs+ ~h;1s t5as. ~ aS
themseIyes 10 snnnnrt X thar: x ~ snnnorf;,
tse Tioht ann ~ The ra,sa..31 5afansa 4
+ s;re fIS c;t;z-n ~ tbe t-.ost ,a,nt' fson+;ar
ID faaI NAT h. "a oona1ic -eottns ~ ..,a1
n honorrd hr the hrora daaas - 1 -orc1 ~
lo c"rs V;th tha n;t;1a,. ~ ~. aaae+
" T1sh The men 81 1o~s and N;onasnt. ~ Eur
Id thaf thpv ore as efaetna1,1- 5aS,n5ad IN fhe
In lh,.rt;cs ot row. as ,-55,t as 49, - hnn ~
or ahroad hr no a,i,;eI7,+,o.t- - n-,Hont -,
9e1 EnJ1shor1ntoN st,tns,t,ern a.a Eo1+a ~ = =
y star C t1sr' ~, hs ~ - -ator.:te IN
n o.,r syTm;os ~ ~ - W' 'AetoAAe7 ""A
ch NJ P!as1Sant - 49, a.A1. ~ ~,.t .,,,-;+i,
er- nation. Heavrn has has or5a;ned fhsf K shnn