Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1913-05-05

post and rc=oTed al the stores and
mu1it.c2s OF wer down the Mississippi
10 the new stronghold established by
General Beauregard at Island No. 10
and New Madrid. Beauregard had just
arrived from Virginia TO help stem the
tide OF conquest which the Federals
were making in the central west.
This move 4 gainst Colupbus bad been
Initiated by General W. 7. Sherman n.
Sherman had just returned TO the ie!d
after an alsence of some months. In
the fall OF 1861 he had held COM
mind in Kentucky on the so called
Big Sandy" line From this duty he
had been relieved b. his supeTlors in 4
manner which placed him under a
cloud. On his return from his leave
Sherman was assigned to the drilling
of recruits at camp OF instruction at
Benton barracks. st. Louis. Here
through the lowering days Of an un-
usually wet winter he went doggedly
on his work.
After the fall of Fort Henry General
Halleck ordered Sherman TO repair i'm
mediately to Paducah. Ky. and take
command of the post there. In this
service Sherman was TO come into con-
tact with Grant and emerge from the
cloud that had hung over him all WIN
ter. His soldiers occupied the aban-
doned Confederate works at Columbus
on March Q His activities were short
ly directed southwark by way of the
Tennessee river instead of the Missis-
sippi. Orders reached him March to
organize a division to proceed up the
Tennessee and to cooperate with forces
under General Grant and c. +. Smith.
who were to advance by the same
route.
Leadership in the Federal operations
against the new Confederate strong
hold at New Madrid and Island No. 10
We're intrusted to General John Pope.
whose forces for the campaign were
drawn from camps west of the MisSis-
sippi. Owing to the strength of the
Confederate position a siege was pre-.
pared for, the army to be supported by
the navy. The Confederates had re-
solved to defend Island No. 10 to the
last, because upon that depended the
success of their cause in Missouri. In
support of their 1000 troops on the
scene they mustered respectable flo
tilla Of wooden gunboats. converted to
the service from river passenger steam
ers, the same as the Federal boats Ty-
Ter and her consorts.
Lincoln and the Mortar Boats.
Additions had been made in Febru-
airy to the ironclads In Commodore
Foote'S fotilla and. what was equally
important. fleet of mortar boats.
These were especially adapted to siege
operations. 1t was said that their ar
rival in tine to play part in the siege
of island No. - was due to the impa-
thence and energy of President Lincoln
in person. The boats which would car
ry the mortars were built at st. Louis
under the eyes of Commodore Foote.
but the iron beds. upon which the NOR
tars would rest were cast at Pitts
burgh. The getting Of these mortar
beds to the boats was the problem
which troubled Lincoln. Foote finally
sent representative armed with due
to the Pittsburgh plant to
hurry the matter up. In spite of all.
the boats had not been ready for use
at Fort Henry and Fort Donelson, bit
twenty of them reached Mississippi in
time to strengthen the guns of Foote'S
feet at island No. 10.
The impending clash all along the
front from tidewater Virginia to the