The Celina Democrat. (Celina, O. [Ohio]) 1895-1921, 1912-02-23


leisure all the southern seaports, TO
occupy all the avenues Of communica-
ton. to use the great outlet of the Mis-
sissippi, to re-establlsh our government
and army in Arkansas, Louisiana and
Texas; to force the slaves to labor for
our subsistence instead Of that Of the
rebels, to bid defiance to all foreign In
terference"
The significant thing about McClel-
lan's plans is that they contained the
germ of the plans which eventually
won success. McClelan's friends gave
him credit for the plans. His critics
said that the ideas behind the plans
were on file at headquarters when he
succeeded General Scott in November
1861. Whoever conceived them, the
fact that early in 1862 the forces Of
the north were moving according to
we'll devised and practical scheme Of
concentration and cooperation is of
historical interest All was not left to
blind chance. as some critics OF the war
administration have often declared.
BY Glptuin GEOt@1B L. hAhAAANs Aatg
U. ".
TAHIs period fifty years ago, the
last week in February and the
early days of March, was one
of great activity in the oppos-
ing navies In the east the Confed'
crates were completing the famous
ram Merrimac at Norfolk, Va. Feb. 70
the United States government accept
ed from John Ericsson the little iron
clad Monitor. although the pigmy was
unfinished, For two weeks she re-
mained in New York In the hands OF
mechanics, who worked night and day
to have her ready to do battle against
the Merrimac. The fame of this ram
had spread In the north, and timid ones
in Washington feared that that city
would be attacked, perhaps New York.
Philadelphia and Boston in turn, un-
less some mysterious agent should
come to the front and defeat her.
In the west the ships of both sides
were getting ready to dispute the con-
troll of the Mississippi river. On the
lower Mississippi the south, notably
the state Of Louisiana, was preparing
to head off the western gulf squadron,
which Commodore Farragut was as
sembling to attack the Confederate de-
fenses at New Orleans. On the up
per Mississippi and on the Tennessee
river the Federal naval commanders
were especially active. The navy had
captured Fort Henry on Feb. 6 and
fought well but vainly at Fort Donel-
son, on the Cumberland, ten days later
Immediately after the fall of Fort Don /
elson the warships of the feet engaged /
there began to advance up the Ten
nessee toward Alabama.
Warfare on the Upper Mississippi
On March the wooden gunboats /
Tyler and Lexington fought with the |
Confederate shore batteries at Pitts
burg, Tenn, the landing nearest to |
the future battle ground of Shiloh.
Both vessels were to play an impor-
tant part in that battle five weeks later.
On the upper Mississippi the Fort Hen
ry and Donelson feet, called the west
ern or Mississippi flotilla, went hero
ically to work to open the great wa
terway downward and meet the Farra-
gut ships from New Orleans in case
they got past the big forts which the
Confederates had built at the rivers
mouth. Flag officer Foote, command
er of this flotilla, had been wounded
at Fort Donelson, and at Fort Henry
and Donelson together, three Of the
new ironclads had been put out Of ac-
ton temporarily by Confederate shots.
These were the Essex. st. Louis and
Carondelet.
The first action of Foote upon his re-
covery was to look after the COnfed-
crate post at Columbus, KY, the point
where the Confederates who were
forced out Of central Tennessee by the
Federal victories on the Tennessee and
rivers had assembled. The
stronghold at Columbus
had been maintained from the OPEN
.ng OF the war It was called the 'Gi
oraltar Of the west" The Federal
ships felt the power Of the Confed-
crate ordnance at Columbus during the
battle of Belmont, Mo-, just across the
river, on Nov. Z. 1861. In order to pre-
vent the Confederate guns there from
firing across the river against the Fed
erals engaged at Belmont, also to pre-
vent ships from carrying across Con-
federate troops to re-enforce those al
ready fighting there, the little wooden
gunboats Tyler and Lexington steam
ed close up and opened fire upon the
batteries on the bluff 1t was hope
less undertaking. The commander or
The Tyler at Belmont was Captain
Henry Wake. a pioneer river fighter
If the first class. Wake won honors
IN the Tyler and was placed on the
leck of one of the very first of the
amous Eads ironclads launched at St
louis in the fall of 1861, the Caron-
lelet.
Three Pioneer Gunboats.
The Tyler, with her consorts, the
lexington and the Conestoga, began
he warfare on the upper Mississippi
n the summer Of 1851 and became the
lucleus of a powerful feet of wooden
,oats and ironclads which early in
he war gained control Of the great