The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1898-08-18
CHAPTER XVI.

SECESSION'S STRONGEST BULWARK-CON-
FEDERATES LOSE A GREAT OPPOR-
TUNITY-SUCCESSFUL ADVANCE
Fortunately the army did not comprehend
the extent of the defeat suffered by the gun
boats.
| Those who had been at Fort Henry were
astonished that two hours of heavy firing had
not produced more startling results. But
they doubted not that the boats would re-
sumo the attack in the morning, and that
complete success would follow it.
In the meantime there was much else to
encourage those who lay in the semi-circle
around the beleaguered fortress. All day a
steady stream Of regiments had been march
ing up from the Transports four miles below,
and going into line wherever it seemed to
need strengthening. Instead of the Is, 600
men who had on Wednesday boldly marched
across the peninsula and besieged %, 600 men
| behind strong Notifications, there were now
on Friday evening nearly q 900 Union sol
diers in the line of investmcnt-stiil an
absurdly disproportionate force to hold inside
the works Ito say nothing of capturing) the
%, 600 rebels who formed the garrison OF
what was then the strongest bulwark of
| secession.
| Ignorance, which is always powerful factor
in war, now was a strong ally of the Union
troops Neither side appeared to have any
conception of the strength of the other. The
audacity Of the movement of the Union
| troops across the'peninsula gave both sides
the false impression that they were greatly
| superior in strength and prevented the
| rebels from coming out OF their stronghold
and falling crushngly upon them while on
their way. On the rebel side the error was
so prepoSterous that none Of the higher COM
manderS there ever recovered the prestige
lost by permitting the unmolested advance
OF three men on five men, and the coping
up OF the latter BEHIND their works
Walter and Karl were much interested in
watching the expressions upon the faces of
the men as the new regiments came march
ing up. They were all new troops to whom
this was the first introduction TO the realities
of war There was enough gathering OF
musketry and banging of light artillery
along the lines to make them imagine that
they were about to be ushered into all the
terrors of actual battle. The faces of officers
and men were pale and constrained. The
majority marched ahead in logged silence,
clutchlng their arms nervOusly, with their
eyes fixed in the direction whence the sound
of firing came. Many, in spite OF their very
evident efforts at seli-cOntrol, would iumpOr
shudder al every discharge OF a field piece, or
when a rebel shell crushed through the
trees.
Mounted officers, riding in their places at
the head or rear of their regiments, assumed
calmness they were obviously very far from
feeling, and Ostentatiously lit and pulled
cigars The weak hearted among the men
We're disorderino the ranks by hanging back,
as If they would avoid some of the danger
by being a yard or so back of their proper
places. Others were slipping out OF the coli
umns, with or without pretext and sneak
ing back to where it seemed safer. Occa-
sionally the officers would notice these and
order them back to their places, but usually
the attention of those in command was so
firmly fixed on the front that the weakIings
had little tronble in evading them.
The stern lines in their races relaxed sud-
denly, however, as the regiment came up on
the crown OF the hill and found, instead of
fierce battle, that the most OF those already
there We're engaged in cooking rations, fixing
up shelters against the weather, gathering
wood for fires, or some similar non-cOmbat-
i've vocation. The firing was being done
by skirmishers stationed some distance in
front of the main line. and wherever they
were visible they couid be seem be popping
away leisurely at the enemy as if shooting al
= mark. The shot and snell coming over