The Celina Democrat. (Celina, O. [Ohio]) 1895-1921, 1912-03-22

The question to be solved was how to
get at the enemy's scattered troops and
smash them in detail. This question
Halleck had made easy by rushing
Smiths column forward toward Cor.
inth while the supporting column un-
der General Don Carlos Buell. was toll.
ing forward in the same direction from
its camps in central Tennessee.
When Grant reached the front at Sa.
vannah. Tenn. thirty-two miles from
Corinth, on the Tennessee river. the
troops at hand consisted of the Army
Of the Tennessee. There were five di-
visions. led by Lew Wallace, w. II. l..
Wallace, w. Il. Sherman. W. II. Hurl
burt and J. A. McClernand. 1t was this
army that Johnston hoped to smash be.
fore the Army Of the Ohio, 10000
strong, could reach the battlefield.
Johnston's anxiety about the FEEDER
ais using gunboats on the rivers to sup
port the marching of land troops was
not without reason. About March
Beauregard had sent a battery to take
position on high ground overlooking
Pittsburg Landing, on the Tennessee
river nine miles above Savannah and
twenty-three miles from Corinth. Two
Federal gunboats, the Tyler and the
Lexington, which had been with Grant
at Fort Henry, steamed up one day
and drove the battery away. The
boats then patrolled the river, and
Grants first step on reaching Savan-
nah was to order the Army Of the Ten
nessee 20 Pittsburg Landing. He did
not move his own headquarters there,
but remained at Savannah, awaiting
the arrival of Buell..
A Balloon Scout.
The last week in March, 1862, wit
messed an occurrence ON the scene of
hostilities then unparalleled in war in
America. This was a balloon recon
naissance in the fighting zone at Is
land No, TO- in the Mississippi river
After the Confederate evacuation of
New Madrid on March IA, which Cen
eral John Pope had forced by blockad-
ing the river twelve miles below, the
Confederate forces occupied their fOrti-
fed positions on Island No 10 and
the eastern shore of the Mississippi,
where they were cut off by impossible
swamps on the land side The only
way open for them to obtain supplies
or to effect a retreat was by the river
south of Island No. 10. Pope, with an
army of 10000 men, was on the west
ern side of the river below the island
It was his intention to cross the river
and attack from below, but he could
not safely do this without the aid of
gunboat TO silence the enemy's bat
teries opposite and protect his army
In crossing.
Evidently things were at deadlock.
About this time the Federal govern
ment had secured the services of John |
Steiner, an aeronaut Of repute, to OPP
crate with the balloon Eagle in the
west. With his outfit he reached the
headquarters Of Colonel n. B. Buford,
commander of the Federal troops near
est the besieged island on March %. |
The weather was foggy for two days, |
but he ascended on the 25th, having |
In the basket with him Colonel Bu-
ford and Captain II. u. Maynadier,
the officer in charge of the mortar
boats. The scene which these balloon
scouts looked down upon was both pic
turesque and thrilling.
Within a radius Of eight miles from
the island the Mississippi crosses the
boundary line Of Kentucky and Ten
nessee three times, running on almost
every point of the compass. On the
bluffs a chain Of forts had been built
extending for four miles along the
crescent formed shore. Back Of. these
the tents Of the infantry formeda long
strip of white on the brown earth.
And there lay the island in the lower
corner Of the crescent, with the side
the Missouri shore lined with
ordnance, so trained that
with the artillery on the opposite shore
almost every point ON the river be-
tween the island and the Missouri
bank could be reached at once by all
the enemy's batteries.
Above the Firing Line.
While Captain Steiner plloted the
machine Colonel Buford studied as
best he could In the variable mists
the location Of the strong
EST Confederate land defenses. Cap
lain Maynadier riveted his attention
upon the 200 pound shells which the
mortar boats continued throwing,
while the balloon arose TO the height
of 800 feet and discovered that they
1sREly alwRyp paaDpd tar over tbe tar