Year: 1862

LIE


Tee bombardment of Fort Donelson By
Commodore Foot's flotilla on Friday was
terrific, and would doubtless have been
successful but for the rebels luck in disa-
bling three of the assailing gunooats. The
flo tilla consisting of the iron clad boats
St. Louis, Carondolet, Pittsburg and Lou,
isville, and the two wooden beats Conesto-
ga and Tyler. The line of battle was
formed of Friday when about two miles


from the fort, the flag ship taking the
extreme right. An account says:


We kept advancing slowly and steadily
for about half an hour, when the order
was given to slack the engines so as just to
prevent the boats from drifting down the
current. The firing then increased to a
terrific rate on both sids. The enemy
poured SO and "a Founders into our YES
sci with great effect, and our gunners re-
turned their eight inch shell and 81 pound
rifle balls with great skill. We had not
been long in the heat of the action when
sho: from the enemy's water battery car
ried away the flag staff of the St. Louis
almost the next shot took away the Chin
ney guys of the same boat. A well sent
ball from the st. Louis soon struck the
flag staff of the enemy, which was located
in the top of the fort-at good distance
from the battery. This terrible fire lasted
about half an hour, when 64 pound
ball from the midle battery of the fort
struck the tiller ropes of the gunboat Lou
isville, rendering the steering apparatus
of that boat unmanageable. About the
same time shot entered one of the win
dows of the pilot house of the Carondolet,
mortaly wounding the pilot, William Hin
ton. Thus the controle of our boats was
in manner lost. Shortly after this a
80 pound ball penetrated the pilot house
of the S.. Louis, mortalIy wounding one
of the pilots, F. A. Riley, injuring two
other pilots, and slightly wounding flag
officer Foote. There was five men in at the
time-the four l have mentioned and a
young man, the correspondent of the Gin
cinnati Gazette, Of the five the later on
ly escaped injury.


In addition to this damage the shot
struck the wheel of the St. Louis, so as
materially to effect its working. For short
time the vessel was unmanageble. The
Commodore, wounded though be was,
jumped up and attempted to right the ship
but found it impossible to manage her.
The relieving tackle was then tried, but
it could not be successfully worked.


Thus three of our vessels were disabled
by accidents that do not happen once in
a hundred times. The men on board of
all of them were unwilling 10 give up the
fight. The enemy had been driven from
the lower battery and their fire had slack
ened perceptibly. To fight in such cur
rent, with ruderless boats, would, the
Commodore knew, be worse than folly.
Reluctantly, therefore, he ordered slow
re,iracy.


Our vessels then stopped all their eugin
es and fioated slowly from their position.
They had been within two hundred yards
of the fort. The enemy soon saw the con-
dition of cur fleet and redoubled their fire.
They ran to the lower batteries and open
ed them on US with terrible force. l for
got to mention in the proper place that
one of the guns of the Carondolet burst in
the midle of the action, and that the Pitts
burg received two balls below water mark,
causing her to leake rapidly. We replied
well to tie reinvigorated foe and fred the
last shot.


Our feet retired in good order, and an
chored two miles below the fort. The in
juries to the gunboats was not very great.
We had silenced one of their batteries, and
driven the men from several of the other
guns.


The battle was pronounced by several
old men-of-war's men, who had participated
on our side, the hottest they had ever seen.
Commodore Foote said it was the most
terrific firing ever done at bombardment.