PREPARING TO STORM FORT HENRY. 69 1 Smith, who it will be remembered took one column from Smithland, in obedience to Grant's orders, struck the Tennessee River about twenty miles below Fort Henry. "There he met Commander Phelps, of the Navy, with a gun-boat, patrolling the river. After a brief conference with that energetic officer, General Smith decided to get upon the gun-boat and run up for a look at Fort Henry. The boat steamed up sufficiently near to draw the enemy's fire and obtain a just idea of the armament of the work. Smith returned at once, and reported to General Grant his conviction that, with three or four of 'the turtle ironclads,' and a strong coöperating land force, Fort Henry might be easily captured, if the attack should be made within a short time." Time was here of the utmost importance, for the enemy had planned, and were rapidly constructing, an imposing fortress. Grant immediately forwarded the report to Halleck; but Halleck was a slow officer. Four or five days elapsed without a reply, when, on the 28th of January, Grant and Foote both sent dispatches to Halleck, asking permission to storm Fort Henry, and hold it for ulterior operations. On the 29th Grant wrote an urgent letter, and on the 30th, in the afternoon, a dispatch was received from Halleck, directing him to make preparations to take and hold Fort Henry. To do General Halleck justice, we should remember that he had been making a great concentration of troops, and undoubtedly intended an important expedition. 'Coppée's "Grant and His Campaigns” is the authority for this statement. Let us now see what Fort Henry was, and how taken. The best account of the fort, and the attack, is given by the correspondent of the "Cincinnati Gazette," in a letter, dated February 7, 1862. His account of the fort is thus minutely given: The fort is of the class known as a full bastioned earthwork, standing directly upon the bank of the river, and incloses about two acres. It mounts seventeen heavy guns, including one ten-inch Columbiad, throwing a round shot of one hundred and twenty-eight pounds weight; one breech-loading rifled gun, carrying a sixty-pound elongated shot; twelve thirty-two-pounders; one twenty-four-pounder rifled, and two twelve-pounder siege-guns. Nearly all the guns are pivoted, and capable of being turned in any desired direction. The fort is surrounded by a deep moat, and, when fully garrisoned, would be almost impregnable against any force which could be brought against it from the land side. Evidently its designers did not anticipate so formidable an attack from the river, and, certainly, nothing less well defended than our iron-clad gun-boats could have attacked it with any hope of success.” The forces brought against it consisted of twenty regiments of infantry, one regiment of cavalry,' four The division under General McClernand was composed of the Eighth, Eighteenth, Twenty-Seventh, Twenty-Ninth, Thirtieth, and Thirty-First Illinois Regiments of Infantry, making one brigade; the Eleventh, Twentieth, Forty-Fifth, and Forty-Eighth, making the Second Brigade, with the Fourth Cavalry. The Second Division, General C. F. Smith, was composed of the Seventh, Ninth, Twelfth, Twenty-Eighth, and Forty-First Illinois Regiments; the Eleventh Indiana; the Seventh and Twelfth Iowa; and the Eighth and Thirteenth Missouri, with artillery and cavalry, LAND AND NAVAL FORCES. 71 independent companies of cavalry, and four batteries of artillery, and others not named, attached to Smith's Division; the whole formed into two divisions, under the command of Generals McClernand and C. F. Smith. The naval force consisted of six gun-boats, which had recently been built, and were now to try the force of their batteries. They were the Essex, Commander Porter; the Carondelet, Commander Walke; the Cincinnati, Commander Stembel; the St. Louis, Lieutenant-Commanding Paulding; the Conestoga, Lieutenant-Commanding Phelps; the Tylor, Lieutenant-Commanding Gwyn; and the Lexington, Lieutenant-Commanding Shirk. The land forces were under the command of Grant, and the naval, of Foote. On the 5th of February, the whole expedition had arrived below Fort Henry, and Grant issued his order to commence the attack next morning, and make the investment at II, A. M.' It was agreed that the army should land, cut off the communication, and the navy attack the batteries in front. In fact, the army did land, and encamped for the night on the ridges near the fort; but the navy got to work early in the morning, and actually captured the fort alone. The intermediate proceedings are thus described by the correspondent of the "Cincinnati Gazette: "That night our troops, with the exception of General Smith's Brigade, which had crossed to the west side of the river, encamped on a ridge of hills. parallel with the river, and about half a mile from it. 1 Grant's Report to Halleck, of February 6. Their camp-fires, scattered all along the sides of the ridge among the trees, for more than a mile, presented that night one of the most beautiful sights I have ever witnessed, and, no doubt, being observed by the enemy, gave the impression that our force was much larger than was really the case. Probably this might have had something to do in causing their precipitate flight afterward. "During the night, a tremendous storm arose, accompanied with thunder and lightning, thoroughly soaking the soft clay soil, and rendering locomotion, especially in the low grounds, almost impossible. "The writer moved with the troops, who started at 11, A. M., according to the order, and were struggling along through mud, caused by the rain of the night before. In the mean time the gun-boats commenced shelling. For some three hours we thus struggled along, when suddenly the roar of a heavy gun came booming over the hills, and another, and another, told us that the gun-boats had commenced the attack. For an instant the entire column seemed to halt to listen, then springing forward, we pushed on with redoubled vigor. But mile after mile of slippery hills and muddy swamps were passed over, and still the fort seemed no nearer. We could plainly hear the roar of the guns, and the whistle of the huge shells through the air, but the high hills and dense woods completely obstructed the view. "Suddenly the firing ceased. We listened for it to recommence, but all was still. We looked in each other's faces, and wonderingly asked: 'What does it mean? Is it possible that our gun-boats have been FORT HENRY SURRENDERED. 73 beaten back?' for that the rebels should abandon this immense fortification, on which the labor of thousands had been expended for months, after barely an hour's defense, and before our land troops had even come in sight of them, seemed too improbable to believe. Cautiously we pressed forward, but erelong one of our advance scouts came galloping back, announcing that the rebels had abandoned the fort, and seemed to be forming in line of battle on the hills adjoining. With a cheer our boys pressed forward. Soon came another messenger, shouting that the enemy had abandoned their intrenchments completely, and were now in full retreat through the woods." The battle of the gun-boats against the fort lasted but an hour and a quarter, in which time all the cannon in the fort were knocked to pieces; its garrison had literally run away, escaping early in the morning on the road to Dover, leaving Tilghman, the commander, with one company of artillerists, and the sick. It was not till the fort was made utterly untenable that Tilghman hoisted the white flag and surrendered. The surrender was made to Commodore Foote and the Navy. Foote immediately turned the fort and prisoners over to General Grant. The official dispatch to Halleck gives this brief account of the matter: "The gun-boats started up at the same hour to commence the attack, and engaged the enemy at not over six hundred yards. In little over one hour all the batteries were silenced, and the fort surrendered at discretion to Flag-officer Foote, giving us all their guns, camp and garrison equipage, etc. The prisoners taken are General Tilghman and staff, Captain Taylor and company, and the sick. The garrison, |