Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1862-05-15
RUTLAND VT THURSDAY MORNING. MAY U.s. 1862

matter what might be the force or the resis-
tance he should m, ct there. He was thor.
oushly inspired with the great idea Of VIC
Tory. The contingency OF failure did not
enter into his calculations. He, tn erefore,
addressed himself to plans for reaping the
fruits OF victory, rather than to plans for re-
pairing the consequences Of defeat. 1t will
be observed from the foregoing letter to the
Secretary Of the Navy, written before the
battle of Fort Henry, that the efficiency of
the flotilla vas much impaired by the want
OF seamen, or by a neglect in some quarter
TO have those transferred from the military
service who had been selected for that pur-
pose.
After reducing Fort Henry and sweeping
the Tennessee river as far up as Florence,
Alabama, Commodore Foote returned to
Cairo to prerare the mortar boats for oper-
ations against Fort Donelson. He was aware
OF the formidable character of the rebel
works at Donelson, and he desired delay
OF few days to complete the mortar boats,
by which he believed the garrison, however
extensive, could be shelled out without much
loss OF life on our side. General Halleck
believed an immediate attack to be a military
necessity. In this, doubt not, he was right,
and | only refer to it to show that the Grip
pied condition of the fleet and the heavy loss
of life on our side are not to be attributed to
rashness or bad management on the part of
the flag officer OF the gallant attack on
Fort DoEelson no one need be reminded.
Subjected, as our vessels we're, to a long
continued and hot fire from thre rebel bat
teries at four hundred yards distance, they
continued the fight for one hour and thirty
minutes, and not until the wheel of one and
the tiller ropes of another OF his boats were
shot away did the we'll managed guns of the
Commodore cease to scatter death and con-
Although wounded himself, and his gmnboats
crippled, yet with the glory of the gallant
combat on bis brow, he INDUCED in no repin-
ings for his personal mistortunes or laudation
of his successes; but, like a true Christian
hero, he thought only of his men. In letter
written the morning after the battle to a
friend, he said:
while hope ever to rely on Him who
controls all things, and to say from the heart,
"Not unto US, but unto Thee, o Lord, belongs
the glory yet feel sadly at the result of our
attack on Fort Donelson. To see the brave
officers and the men who say they will go
wherever lead them fall by my side, makes
me feel sad to lead them to almost certain
DEATH"
But he obeyed what was believed to be the
mssys ss Senator ro Ct ths
me (Mr WILSON, has, this morning, kindly
furnished me a letter from a trustworthy
friend of his who has from the beginning been
with the army of the West, from which am
permitted to read the following extracts:
"When Fort Henry surrendered, the gate
was opened by which the rebellion will be
finally and utterly crushed. In few days
Commodore Foote will open the Mississippi
provided he is not hampered, and also pro-
vided he is properly supported by Govern.
ment. He has done great work tor his
country-a work which, l am sorry to say
has not been properly appreciated. He has
improvsed navy with almost insurmount
able obstacles against him. see it stated in
the papers that the gun boats did but little
service at Donelson, which is monsterou'
mistake. They silenced nearly all the enc
my's guns and had not the wheel OF one
boat and the tiller ropes of another been sho
away, in fifteen minutes more the batteries
would have been fianked and the entire rebe
army exposed to the broadsides OF the fleet
He would have moved them down Ike
grass"
"As it was, he made the work of the arm,
in the fight of Saturnay much easier than
otherwise would have been. Several of tn
Mississippi officers (prisoners) informed M
that the shells of the gunboats had demon
alizing effect upon their men. The MemphI
Appeal says it dispirited them" =
/ have had fair opportunity to observe tn
operations of both army and navy, and ca
say with emphasis that there are no NOR
selfdenying, patriotic, hard-working, faithfl
men than the flag officer and his captain
Stembel, Pennock, Phelps, and others"
81 make these statements from my ow
sense of justice and honor, and not from an
mans prompting or request"
The next movement of Commodore Foot
with his fotilla, was to take possession
Clarksville, where he arrived on the 19t
day of February, and issued his proclamatio
to the inhabi ants three days before the a
rival of the land forces, though that fact ft
some unexplained cause, nowhere appears
in the official reports of the military con
, mander of the department.
On the 2lst of February, 1862, Comm
dore Foote telegraphed to General Cullur
the chief of General Halleck's staff, then
Cairo as follows:
PADUCAH, February 21, 1856
) General CULLUM, Caro-.
General Grant and myself consider this
, good time to move on Nashville: six morti
, boats and two iron.clad steamers can precet
the troops and shell the forts. We we1
t about moving for this purpose when Gcner
, Grant, TO my astonishment, received tel
gram from General Halleck, "not to let Il
eunboats go higher than Clarksville; 1
) telegram sent to me.
: The Cumberland is in good stage Of VI
, ter, and General Grant and l believe tn
we can take Nashville. Please ask Gener
Halleck if we shall do it. We will talk p'
telegraph-Captain Phelps representing n
in the office, as am still on crutches.
A. HFOOTE, Flag Office
Il 1t may be hat there was some great militia
reason why General Grant was directed n
10 let the eunboats 60 higher than Clarksville
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