New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-05-21

convinced that the conditions were dpA
fcr the capture n Fort Henry The Ten
nessee River was high and had flooded an
advance esTthTork The location 81 the
fertilization Itself had been badly selected
Surrounded BY low land. r. was IN danger
n teing flooded with several feet of water
2, the period Of freshsts T. seemed % -
the psychOlogic moment 10 make the Ct
tack At first Halleck, 70 whose orders
Grant and Foote were subject. would not
listen TO the proposition Grant, however
was not 10 he put aside by this. being firm
lg convinced ~ IT'S wisdom. and he soon
sent another request in conjunction with
Foote. The message Of the latter was
Commanding General Grant and myself
are ~ opinion that Fort Henry. on the
Tennessee River. can Re carried with four
!ron-clad gunboats and troops 70 perna-
nently occupy. Have we your authority %
move for that purpose when ready2'
Grants supplementary message on the
same day was: with permission. VII
take Fort Henry. on the Tennessee and
establish and hold a large camp there ="
II IS believed that he received no reply
u this for on the following day he re-
peated his proposition. This time he re-
ceiyed fsyors BE response.
u is thought that the success in obtain
ing permission was due 70 the success az
Mil Springs, the report that Beauregard
was 70 bring fifteen regiments from Viz
gnia around into Kentucky, and perhaps,
70 Lincolns general war order No I. which
had just been published and which directed
that all Of the armies OF the Union move
on February %, the anniversary Of
Washington's birth. Lincoln. weariei with
the inaction, had put his foot down.
Whatever the moving cause. the reply 70
Grant on January % was Make your
preparations N take and hold Fort Henry.
will send you written instructions by
mail" The following day the instructions
came and on February 2 i5,fH1 men under
Grant boarded transports. and two DAYS
later. accompanied by four Of Foote'S
arrnor plated gunboats and three IN
armored vessels, started up the river from
Psducah.
The plan was 70 land the troops shor,
distance below the fort and start them
around 70 make an assault, from the land
side while the gUnbosjs bOnnbarded II
from the river Genera McClernand with
a division. was landed on February 4 four
miles below the fort 10 make reconnois-
sance. and on February 3 another division.
under General Smith. was ordered forward
10 invest the fort the following day.
The heavy rains had raised the river ~
an almost unprecedented height. and the
floods brought down with them quantities.
q: driftwood lumber. fence rails ami other
debris which made II very difficult for
AZ least one ~ the gunbosts N maintain
its head against the stream. notWi,hstsnd-
ing the fact that two anchors were down
and the engines going AZ full pressure BY
working day and night the vessel was held
in position. but the crew became weary
and disheartened through their arduous
work The next morning they saw large
number u white objects. which looked Ike
polar bears among the debris floating down
the stream. These we're discovered 70 be
torpedoes. which the enemy had put down
and the strong current had torn up The
men no longer thought the freshet foe.
and felt better
February was more enhesrtening day.
for It daWned mild with only Hight breeze.
A. 1870 O'Clock the signal was made 10 pre-
pare for battle and the four ironoIade-ths
Essex. Cincinnati. CarOndelet and 81 Louis.
the last two fastened together owing 10
the lack u room In the river made their
way abreast up the stream toward the fort,
Dense woods Overhung the dark ana suiien
water as the curious War vessels moved