The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1884-02-21
SAVING THE NATION.
Continued from LIST page. ]

OF the trees were sawn by hand, the men stand
ing up to their necks in the water.
For nineteen days the work went on, Gen
eral Mackall having no suspicion of what was
being DONE Every day the mortar boats
tossed shells upon the island, to make the Con-
federates think that the bombardment had not
been given up.
sILENCING BATTERY.
~ think that we can capture the upper bat
tery,' said Commodore Foote.
1t was on the Tennessee shore. Night came,
April LIST. Black clouds are rising in the west
The wind blows a gale, swaying the tall trees.
I b re are vivid lightning flashes. While the
storm is widest five boats filed with men,
silently push out from the shore and drift with
the current The oars have been mufied. No
word is spoken. In the boats are one hundred
resolute men. Each knows just what he is
to do.
Onward they sweep, the rowers bending to
their oars, gliding now as swiftly as a race
horse Colonel Roberts is commander. Two
Confederate sentinels are standing in the bat
terry, keeping watch amid the storm. Sud
denly they behold, by the lightning fash, a
feet of boats sweeping up to the shore. Their
guns flash. few rods away regiment is
sleeping.
LAY in, qucl1!" shouts Colonel Roberts.
A stroke, and the prowS of the boats run
running to the cannon with rat-tail files of
hardened steel, which they drive into the
vents. A moments work and every cannon in
the battery is spiked. There is connection
in the Confederate camp-oflicers shouting,
soldiers, waking in fright, leaping to their feet.
Colonel Roberts examines each gun.
"All aboard! Push OFF, he shouts. He is
the last to leap in. A few strokes, and they
are beyond musket shot Six guns have been
rendered useless
THE cARoNDELET.
All is ready-the canal complete, the water
flowing through, and four gunboats making
their way towards New Madrid.
1t is midnight, April Sd, a dark and stormy
night. The Carondelet is ready to run past
Island No. TO- She has a barge, loaded with
bales of hay, alongside. The engineer has
screwed down the valves of the boilers, and
the pent-up steam is struggling to escape.
Cast off" Captain Wake, commanding the
Carondefet, issues the order, and the gunboat
floats out into the stream.
Although the night is stormy, the Confeder-
ate sentinels are on the watch, ard give the
alarm. The scot in the chimney OF the Caron-
deiet takes fire, and a lurid flame spouts high
in air, leaving long trail of sparks behind.
There are sudden flashes from the batteries on
the island, but swiftly the Carondeiet sweeps
past them. If she passes in safety Captain
Wake is TO fire three signal guns
stand upon the bank in the darkness, wait
ing to hear them. The uproar at the island
dies away. A minute seems an hour. At last
they come-three peals of thunder rolling up
the valley. The soldiers spring to their feet,
and swing their caps.
Three cheers for Commodore Foote"
Three more for Captain Walkew
Three for the crew /"
They shout themselves hoarse. The Caron-
delet has not been struck
Night comes again, and the Pittsburg runs
the gauntlet. The four steamboats, went
through the canal.
GETTING IN REAR OF THE CoNFEDERATEs.
Down the river steamed the two gunboats,
pouring their broadsides upon Confederate
battery, and putting the soldiers to fight. In
the darkness of the night, General Pope moves
his troops across the river to the Tennessee
shore. They are in rear of Island No. 10.
The Confederate troops fee from the tents
throwing away their guns, knapsacks, cloth
ing-plunging into the swamp.
In the early morning the troops under Gen.
eral Pope push on, coming suddenly upon the
fugitiyes, capturing General Mackall, nearly
seven thousand prisoners and one hundred
and twenty three cannon, seven thousand mus
kets, an immense amount OF ammunition and
camp equipage
The victory was almost bloedless. During
the bombardment of the island and of the forts
at New Madrid, few had been Killed or wounded.
The place which was to have been Their
mopylae had been taken solely by strategy. By
this victory, and by the victory gained in the
battle of Pea Ridge, near Southwestern Missouri,
the last of the Confederate troops were swept
from that State. The love for the old flag, the
determination to stand by the Union became,
as in Kentucky, deep and abiding force max
ing it one OF the truly loyal States of the
Union.
Opening your map once more, and starting
from Mill Springs, in Kentucky, and going west
to Donelson, Fort Henry, and Island No. TO- you
see that By those victories the Confederate
armies were swept back to the Southern bound
airy of Tennessee. The people of the great West
were doing just what one OF them said they
would do. hew their way to the Gulf Of
Mexico