The national Republican., 1862-02-10
Details of tho Bsmbardmsnt and Capture
Of Fort Henry.
INCIDENTS, &c.

| ANSADHNAot oS'
The Cincinnati Gdxe.te and Commercials Cairo
correspondence give the following aocount Of
the bombardmsnt and capture Of Fort henry:
Yesterday, lFsbrusry 61 At l2A p. m, the
gunboxts Cincinnati, st. Louis, CarOndelet, and
Essex, the Tyler, Conestoga, and Iexugton
bringing up the rear, advanced boldly against
Creek Island, Immediately above where, on the
east shore Of the river, stands the fortihcations
and keeping out Of range till at the head Of tho
island, and within mile Of the enemy, passing
the island In full view Of the rebel guns. We
steadily advanced, every man at quarters,
every ear strained TO catch the fag.oflcsr's
signsl.gun for the commencement Of the action.
Our line Of battle was on the left, the st. Louis
the time being the flag ship, having on board
Flag officer FoOte,) and the next the Essex. We
advanced in line, the Cincinnati boats length
ahead, when, at ll:30, the Cincinnati opened
the ball, and Immediately the three .ooompa q,
backward and gave an admirable response. and
the fight ragged furiously for half an hour. We
steadily advanced, receiving and returning the
storm Of shot and shell, when getting within
three hundred yards of tho enemy's works we
came to u stand, and poured into him right and
loft. In the meantime the Essex had been dis.
abled, and drifted away from the scene OF ac.
tion, leaving the Cincinnati, Carondelet and st.
| Louis alone engaged.
A. precisely forty minutes past one. the enc.
my struck his colors--and such cheering, such
wild excitement, Ms seized the throats, arms, or
i caps, Of the four or i've hundred sailors Of the
gunboats can be imagined. After the surren.
Gen. Lloyd Tilghman, who defended the fort In
a most determined manner, we found that the
rebol infantry encamped outside the fort, mum.
6ering four or Ave thousand, had cut and ruu,
leaving the rebel artillery company In COM
mand of the fort.
The fort mounted seventeen guns, most of
them 32-pounders, one being y magnificent 10
inch columbiad. Our shots dismounted two of
their guns, driving tho enemy into the embra-
sures. One of their riasd 32.pounders burst
during the engagement, wounding some Of
their gunners. The rebels claimed to have
but eleven effective guns worked by fifty -four
They lost Ave killed and ten badly wounded
The infantry left everything In their fight. A
vast deal of plunder has fallen into Our hands,
including largo and valuable quantity OF ord.
nance stores.
Gen. Tlghman is disheartened. He thinks It
one of tho most damaging blows Of tho war. In
surrendering to Flag officer Foote, the rebel
General remarked, l am glad to surrender to
so gallant an officer" Fag.offlcer Foote replied,
You do perfectly right, sir, in surrendering;
but you should have blown my boat out of the
! water before I would have surrendered to
, you."
In the engagement the Cincinnati was in the
lead, and flying the flag officers pennant, WAS
the chief mark. Flag-otiicer Foote and Capt.
Stembel crowded her defantly into the teeth
OF the enemy's guns. She got thirty.on shots,
| some Of them going completely through her.
, The Essex was badly crippled when about
half through the fight, and crowding steadily
against the enemy. ball went into her side.
forward port, through tho heavy bulkhead
and squarely through one Of her boilers, the
escaping steam sealdipg and killing several OF
, the crew.
Captain Porter, his aid, L. P. Britton, Jr and
Paymaster Lewis, were standing In u direct
limo OF the balls passing, Mr.. Brltton being in
the centre Of the group. A shot struck Mr..
brains in every direction. The escaping steam
went into the pilothouse, instantly killing Mr..
Ford and Mr.. Bride, pilots. Many of the sol.
dters, at the rush of steam, jumped overheard
The Cincinnati had one killed and six wound
I ed. The Essex had six seamen and two officers
Killed, seventeen men wounded and five mis-
, sing. There were no Casualties on the 81. Louis
or CarOndelet, though the shot and shell fell
{ upon them like rain.
1 The st. Louis was commanded by Leonard
Paulding, who stood upon the gunboat and
wrought the guns to the last. Not man
1inched, and with cheer upon cheer sent the
shot and shell among the enemy.
: THE REBELS NOT TRuE.-It IL reported, and
believed at Paducah, that the rebel troops ut
: | Fort Henry were not true to the rebel cause,
and took advantage If the opportunity offc red
by an attack to run away fun II fight that was
| distastetul ~ them.
IT WAS A NAVAL VICTonY.--It appears that
this uictory gds entirely a nloal One--the troops
Of the expedition not having come up to the
scene ofaction until the rebels had surrendered.
The gunboats engaged are Il part Of those
strong iron.c clad river boats, or turtles, which
were built, within the last few months, at St.
/, | Louis, CarOndelet, and other points, and which
, wero originally destined for Gen. FremOnt's
expedition down the Mississippi. Commodore
| Fuute mentions nine Of these vessels aS having
been in the engagement.
| ARMAMENT OF THE GuNBoATs.--The Essex, q
guns, Commander II. d. Porter. U. 8. N; Ca.
rondelet, Ii guas, Commander II. Wake, u. s.
, N; Cincinnati, IL guns, Commander r. N.
! Stembel, L. S. N; ST. Louis. Is guns, Iieuten-
ant Commanding Leonard Paulding, U. s. N. :.
Conestoga, . guns, Lieutenant Commanding
Phelps. U. S. \ Taylor, 0 guns, Lieutenant
Commanding W. Gwin, U. S. N; Lexington,
S.N.
The boats are built very wide, in proportion
k to their length, giving them almost the same
g steadiness f. action that stationary land bat
If terry would possess. They are constructed
4 upon the same principle as the famous iror
!. battery at Charleston, the sides sopng bOtt
, | upward and downward from the water line, al
an angle of Is degrees. The bow battery or
o each boat consists ofsolid oak timber 26 inchei
in thickness, plated on the exterior surface
with iron p inches thick. The side and sterr
batteries are somewhat thinner, but have the
r same thickness of iron over that portion GOV
ering the machinery. The beats are not platec
on the roof, which consists of ~ inch plank.
+ The most dreadfuy savage conirvance upor
| these boats is that to prevent boarding. Eact
boat IL supplied With II number OF large hose
l. pipes for throwing hot ,cater from the boilers
!. with Il force of 200 pounds pressure to The
@ square inch. Any human being who shall en-
. counter this terrible stream of hot water will
: be boiled in AN instant.
The Conestoga, Taylor aud Lexington are no
! of the same model or character as the others
e being simply Mississippi River steamboats, re
e built with perpendicular bulwarks and pierced
? for guns.
VALUE or TUE NICToRY.-There il another ant
. stronger rebel fort on the Cumberland, a few
miles eastward of the scene Of our present vic
e tory; but considering the fact that our troop
n are now in the rear Of that fort, and learning
= | AZ we do, from the West, the movement that Il
\ on the tdpts to bring it down as suddenly II
. Fort Henry has been brought down, wc ionl
: upon the victory we have gained rs being full
u and complete, HI regards the object in view
Look At the map at that part of Tennessee,