Forsyth, John-Continued.

Outrages perpetrated by Canadians against the United States, Correspondence of, concerning, III, 401.

Fort Berthold Reservation, N. Dak.: Agreement for cession of portion of, to United States, VIII, 533.

Allotment of lands in severalty to Indians on, referred to, VIII, 196.

Portion of, opened to settlement, proclaimed, IX, 144.

Fort Bliss, Tex.:

Title of United States to, referred to, VIII, 78, 149.

Troops ordered to, referred to, VIII, 406. Fort Bridger, Idaho, treaty of, X, 475. Fort Brown (Tex.), Attack on.-In consequence of the annexation of Texas the War Department, apprehending trouble with Mexico, sent all the available troops in the South and West to the frontier. The territory between the Nueces and Rio Grande rivers was claimed by both Texas and Mexico. Gen. Zachary Taylor collected an army of 4,000 men at Corpus Christi, near the mouth of the Nueces, in November, 1845. Jan. 13. 1846, he was ordered to advance to a position on the Rio Grande, and on Mar. 25 he occupied Point Isabel, on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico, just north of the mouth of the river. During April Gen. Taylor had advanced his army up the Rio Grande to a point opposite Matamoros, which was occupied by the Mexican army under Gen. Arista. Here the Americans built a fort under the direction of Maj. Brown and named it in his honor. Learning that bodies of Mexicans had crossed the river both above and below him with the intention of cutting him off from his supplies at Point Isabel, Taylor fell back toward the latter place May 1. Learning of his departure, the Mexicans on May 3 began a heavy bombardment of Fort Brown, which was continued at intervals until the 10th. It was gallantly defended by Maj. Brown and Captains Hawkins and Mansfield. The former was killed during the engagement. The only other fatality was that of Sergt. Weigert. Thirteen privates were wounded. Fort Cameron Reservation, Utah, disposal of, recommended, VIII, 153.

Fort Delaware, Del., title to island on which it stands referred to, II, 536, 562. Fort Dodge Military Reservation, Iowa, disposal of, referred to, VIII, 103. Fort Donelson (Tenn.), Capture of—After the taking of Fort Henry the next logical move against the Confederate line of defense in the West was the reduction of Fort Donelson. This was a large fieldwork of 100 acres, on a bluff 100 feet high, near the town of Dover, Tenn., on the Cumberland River, about 63 miles from Nashville. It mounted 65 guns and was garrisoned by 21.000 men under Gen. Floyd. Feb. 12, 1862, Brig. Gen. Grant with 15,000,men moved upon the works by way of the roads leading from Fort Henry. While Grant was placing his forces in position Commodore Foote arrived in the river opposite the fort with a fleet of 6 gunboats, 4 of them ironclad. On the 14th he opened fire. In a desperate attack 2 of the vessels were disabled and the others withdrew after a loss of 54 men. The guns on the bluff were too high to be silenced from the water level. On the day of the unsuccessful attack by the

gunboats Gen. Wallace arrived with reenforcements, swelling Grant's command to 27,000. On the 15th Floyd made an attempt to force his way through the surrounding Federal lines. Fighting continued all day during most intensely cold weather. When night fell upon Donelson the Confederates retired to their works. During the night Floyd surrendered the command to Pillow and he to Buckner. The two former escaped by way of the river during the night, and next morning Buckner surrendered the fort unconditionally to Grant. Sixty-five guns, 17,600 small arms, and 14,623 prisoners fell into the hands of the victors. Grant's losses were 2,832 in killed, wounded, and missing, The Confederates lost 2,500 in killed and wounded.

Fort Erie (Canada), Battles at.-June 1, 1814, Maj. Gen. Brown established headquarters at Buffalo with the intention of retaking the lower peninsula of Canada. His army con sisted of 2 brigades of infantry, commanded by Generals Scott and Ripley, respectively, and to each were added a train of artillery and a squad of cavalry. There was also a brigade of 1,100 New York and Pennsylvania volunteers and 500 Indians. July 3 the American army crossed the Niagara and demanded the surrender of Fort Erie, the first British post on the Canada side. Maj. Buck, with the garrison of 170 men, yielded without a struggle. Aug. 5 Gen. Gaines arrived at Fort Erie to take command of the American army of 2,500, which had retired to the southward after the battle of Lundys Lane. Here he was besieged by Lieut. Col. Drummond with 5,000 men. The latter subjected the fort to a heavy bombardment all day Aug. 14, and on the 15th, between midnight and dawn, made a series of desperate assaults, showing no quarter to Americans who fell into their power. The British were driven off, with a loss of 221 killed, 174 wounded, and 186 prisoners. The American loss was 17 killed, 56 wounded, and 11 missing. After this repulse the British kept up a constant bombardment of the fort for several weeks. Gen. Gaines was seriously injured, and Gen. Brown resumed command, though in ill health and suffering from wounds received at Lundys Lane. Sept. 17 a sortie was made by about 1,000 regulars and the same number of militia upon the British outposts, and all their batteries were captured or destroyed. This saved Buffalo and perhaps all of western New York and seriously crippled the enemy. The loss to the British during the sortie was 500 killed, wounded, and missing, and 385 prisoners. The American loss was 79 killed and 216 wounded. After this disaster Drummond retired precipitately and the Americans abandoned and destroyed Fort Erie.

Fort Erie, Canada, reduction of, by American arms, I, 539.

Fort Fisher (N. C.), Capture of.-In November, 1864, an expedition was planned against Fort Fisher, N. C. This fort occupies a peninsula on the south coast of North Carolina, between the mouth of the Cape Fear River and the Atlantic Ocean, about 18 miles from Wilmington. It formed the principal defense of that city, which was the most important seaport through which the Southern Confederacy received foreign supplies, and from which departed blockade runners laden

Fort Fisher (N. C.), Capture of-Continued.
with cotton and other products of the South.
It was also deemed a point of considerable
strategic importance. Fort Fisher and its
connected works mounted 75 guns. The
armament of the works guarding the ap-
proaches to Wilmington was about 150 guns,
including some 150-pounder Armstrong guns.
The garrison of the fort and outworks con-
sisted of 2,300 men. Dec. 13, 1864, the
expedition started. It was composed of a
fleet of 73 vessels, carrying 655 guns, some
of them of the largest caliber, and a land
force of 6,500 men under Gen. Butler. The
expedition was accompanied by a boat loaded
with 215 tons of gunpowder, which it was
designed to explode in the vicinity of the
fort, with the object of igniting and ex-
ploding the magazines. This proved a fail-
ure. Dec. 24 the fort was bombarded by the
fleet for an hour and a half. The next day,
after a reconnaissance by the land troops,
Butler ordered their reembarkation and re-
turn.

Butler was relieved of the command
and superseded by Gen. Terry, with the ad-
dition of 1,500 men and a small siege train.
Jan. 13, 1865, the fort was again attacked.
The troops were landed under protection
of Porter's guns. On the 14th a small ad-
vance work was taken by the Federals. The
ships reopened fire on the 15th. At 3p. m.
a general assault was made, and for 5 hours
a desperate hand-to-hand encounter was
maintained. Not until 10 p. m. was resist-
ance ended and the garrison forced to sur-
render. Two thousand and eighty-three
prisoners were taken, including Gen. Whiting
and Col. Lamb. The Federal loss was 110
killed and 530 wounded. The Confederate
loss in killed and wounded was about 500.
The next morning by the accidental explo-
sion of a magazine 200 men were killed and
100 wounded.

Fort Gaines (Ala.), Reduction of. (See
Mobile Bay (Ala.), Battle of.)

Fort Gaines, Ala., reduction of, and orders
regarding celebration of, VI, 238.
Fort George (Canada), Capture of.-After
the occupation of Toronto, Apr. 27, 1813, the
Americans turned their attention to the Brit-
ish forts along the Niagara River. On the
west side of the river and near its mouth
stood Fort George, which was held by about
1,800 regulars, 350 militia, and 50 Indians,
under Brig. Gen. Vincent and Colonels Har-
vey and Meyers. Nearly opposite Fort
George was the American Fort Niagara, in
and about which had been collected some
4,000 troops under command of Gen. Dear-
born. Acting under him were Maj. Gen.
Morgan Lewis, Generals Boyd, Winder,
and Chandler, and Col. Winfield Scott. May
27, 1813, an attack was made on Fort George.
The army was transported to the Canadian
soil by the fleet under Commodore Chauncey
and Capt. Perry. After a severe battle of
20 minutes the British filed in confusion to-
ward Beaver Dams, 18 miles distant, to
rendezvous. At the end of 3 hours Fort
George and its dependencies, with the vil-
lage of Newark, were in the hands of the
Americans. Their loss was about 40 killed
and 100 wounded. The loss of the British
regulars was 51 killed and 305 wounded,
missing, and prisoners. The number of Ca-
nadian militia made prisoners was 507, mak-

ing the total British loss 863, as well as large
quantities of ammunition and stores. July
8, 1813, a party of 40 Americans under Lieut.
Eldridge, in attempting to drive off a small
detachment of British and Indians who had
approached to within a couple of miles of
Fort George, were ambushed by Indians
under Blackbird, and only 10 of the party
escaped. The wounded and prisoners were
massacred.

Fort George, Canada, reduction of, by Ameri-
can arms, I, 539.
Fort Griswold (Conn.), Capture of.- Sept.
6, 1781, after Arnold and the Tories had se-
cured New London, they carried by assault
Fort Griswold, on the opposite side of the
river. The Americans offered a stubborn
resistance. Out of the garrison of 150 men
73 were killed, including Col. Ledyard, the
commander, and 30 were wounded, many
Fort Hall Reservation, Idaho, agreement
after having surrendered.
with Indians for disposal of lands on, for
use of railroad, VIII, 68, 192, 602.
Opened to settlement, X, 475, 715, 717.
Fort Harrison (Ind.), Attack on.-Capt.
(afterwards General and President) Zachary
Taylor Sept. 4, 1812, held, until reenforce-
ments reached him, a blockhouse on the
Wabash River, Ind., with a garrison of 50
men, ill or convalescing from fever, against
a fierce assault of Indians. The savages set
fire to the blockhouse. Taylor's loss was 3
killed and 3 wounded.

Fort Henry (Tenn.), Capture of.-The main
line of Confederate defense in the West in
January, 1862, extended from Columbus, Ky.,
on the Mississippi River, to the Cumberland
Mountains, in eastern Tennessee. On this
line of defense were Forts Henry and Don-
elson, in the northern part of Tennessee, the
former on the eastern bank of the Tennessee
River and the latter on the western bank
of the Cumberland, about 12 miles apart,
Gen. Halleck, commander of the Depart-
ment of Missouri, determined to make an at-
tack on Fort Henry, which was near the cen-
ter of the line. Jan. 30 an expedition was
sent out from Cairo, consisting of 7 gunboats,
4 of them ironclad, under command of Com-
modore Foote, and a land force of 15,000 men
commanded by Brig. Gen. Grant. On the
night of Feb. 5 the infantry were landed
miles from the fort. The gunboats anchored
abreast till 10 o'clock next morning, when
they began to advance. Fort Henry mounted
17 guns and was garrisoned by 2,734 men,
under command of Brig. Gen. Tilghman.
The attack was to have been made by
the gunboats, seconded by the land forces.
Foote began the bombardment before the ar-
rival of Gen. Grant, whose march was delayed
by muddy roads and swollen streams. Tilgh-
man answered the fire of the gunboats for I
hour and 20 minutes and then surrendered
unconditionally, the greater part of his garri-
son having already escaped to Fort Donel-
son. Grant arrived half an hour after the
battle, and the fort was turned over to him.
The part of the garrison that surrendered
consisted of about 65 able-bodied men and
60 invalids. Tilghman's loss was 21 killed
and wounded. The Federal loss was 48.
Fort Henry, Tenn., thanks of President to
forces capturing, VI, 104.

Fort Jackson, Ala., treaty with Indians concluded at, II, 320.

Fort Leavenworth, Kans.:

Estimates for barracks at, referred to, VIII, 79.87.

Military prison at, use of, as Government penitentiary discussed, IX, 729. Recommended, IX, 537.

Fort Lewis, Colo. estimates for post at, VIII,

90.

Fort McAllister (Ga.), Capture of, and Fall of Savannah.-After the destruction of Atlanta and its railroad connections Gen. Sherman took up his march toward Savannah. His army was composed of the Fourteenth, Fifteenth, Seventeenth, and Twentieth corps. Gen. Howard commanded the right wing and Gen. Slocum the left. The cavalry was under the direction of Gen. Kilpatrick. Sherman passed down the peninsula between the Ogee chee and Savannah rivers and about the middle of December appeared before Savannah, held by the Confederate General Hardee with 15,000 men. To the south of Savannah, on the Ogeechee River, stands Fort McAllister, which had resisted many attacks from the sea and effectually prevented the ascent of the river by the Federal gunboats. The defenses of the fort were weak to the landward and a garrrison of less than 300 men held the works. Fort McAllister mounted 23 guns in barbette and I mortar. Dec. 13, 1864, Gen. Hazen's division of the Fifteenth Corps crossed the river and assaulted the fort from the rear. The garrison was overpowered and in 15 minutes after the bugle sounded "Forward" the fort was taken. Communication was now open to Dahlgren's fleet, lying in the harbor. Siege guns were brought from Hilton Head, and when the investment of Savannah was completed Sherman demanded its surrender. Hardee refused, but on the night of Dec. 20, when all the arrangements for the assault had been completed, he evacuated the city. It was occupied next day by Sherman's army. Two hundred guns and 35,000 bales of cotton fell into Federal hands. Thus ended Sherman's march from Atlanta to the sea, a distance of more than 300 miles. Out of the entire army of 66,000 men 63 were killed, 245 were wounded, and 260 were captured on the march, which consumed 27 days. Fort McHenry (Md.), Bombardment of.-In September, 1814, the British planned to take Baltimore by a combined land and sea attack. The night after the battle of North Point the British remained on the field. The following morning, Sept. 13, 1814, the British fleet, consisting of 16 heavy vessels, 5 of them bomb ships, began the attack on Fort McHenry, 3 miles southeast of the city. The fort was defended by Maj. Armistead with about 800 men. The bombardment continued 25 hours. The American loss was 4 killed and 24 wounded. It was during this bombardment that Francis Scott Key wrote The Star-Spangled Banner. The British withdrew after losing 2 vessels and a large number of men.

Fort Mackinaw (Mich.), Capture of.-The War of 1812 was proclaimed June 19 (1,512). The British in Canada learned of it sooner than their adversaries across the lakes. July 17 a force of 600 British and Indians under Capt. Roberts surprised and captured the

Fort Maginnis, Mont., estimates for post at, VIII, 100.

Fort Malden, Canada, reduction of, by American arms, I, 539.

Fort Marcy, Military Reservation, disposed of, X, 726, 738.

Fort Meigs (Ohio), Bombardment of.-In April, 1813, Col. Proctor, with a force of 1,000 British regulars and Canada militia and 1,500 Indians, set out on an expedition against Fort Meigs, on the Maumee River, about 12 miles from its mouth. Gen. Harrison was there with about 1,100 effective men. May I the British, having erected batteries at Maumee City, opposite the fort, opened fire, which they kept up for 5 days with slight injury to fort or garrison. Meantime Harrison was reenforced by Gen. Clay and 1,100 Kentuckians. Eight hundred of these, under Col. Dudley, were detached with orders to attack the British rear. They were successful at first, but instead of obeying the order to return they pursued the flying foe into the woods and fell into an Indian ambush. Of the 800 in Dudley's command only 170 escaped. After the fruitless bombardment, the Indians deserting Proctor, he abandoned the expedition.

Fort Meigs, Ohio, British attack on, repulsed, I, 539.

Fort Mercer (N. J.), Attack on.-Though the British forces under Gen. Howe had occupied Philadelphia in September, 1777, Washington's army in the immediate vicin ity controlled the navigation of the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. Just below the mouth of the latter stream, and on the opposite side of the Delaware, at Red Bank, N. J., was Fort Mercer, in command of Col. Greene, with a force of about 400 men. Admiral Lord Howe having arrived at Newcastle with his fleet early in October, the necessity of opening the river to British navigation became urgent. Oct. 22, an attack was made on Fort Mercer by the British ships and some 1,200 Hessian troops. The assailants were repulsed with a loss of 400. One of the ships grounded and 2 others were burned. The American casualties were 35. Fort Mifflin (Pa.), Attack on.-One of the principal defenses of the Delaware River after the occupation of Philadelphia in September, 1777, was Fort Mifflin, just below the mouth of the Schuylkill. On the arrival of Admiral Howe with his fleet off Newcastle, Del., early in October, it became necessary to open the river to British navigation. Fort Mifflin was in command of Lieut. Col. Smith, of Baltimore, with a garrison of about 400 men. Failing disastrously at Fort Mercer,

Fort Mimin (Pa.), Attack on—Continued. the British turned to Fort Mifflin. A combined attack by the land and water batteries, begun on the 10th, resulted in the retreat of the American garrison to Fort Mercer on the night of Nov. 15, 1777, with the loss of 250 men. The next day the Royal Guards occupied the works. The British loss was 37. Fort Mims (Ala.) Massacre.-In the summer of 1813 the inhabitants of Alabama, frightened by the hostile actions of the Creek Indians, took refuge at Fort Mims, near Montgomery, Ala., 10 miles above the junction of the Tombigbee and Alabama rivers. The place was garrisoned by 16 regulars and about 240 volunteers. At noon Aug. 30, 1813, about 1,000 Indians under Weathersford and the prophet Francis surprised the fort. Of the 550 persons (more than 300 of whom were women and children) who at the time were at Fort Mims, 400 were massacred, including all the women and children. The whites resisted desperately. The negroes made slaves to the Indians. Twelve men of the garrison escaped into the swamp. Fort Morgan (Ala.), Reduction of. (See Mobile Bay (Ala.), Battle of.)

were

Fort Morgan, Ala., reduction of, and orders regarding celebration of, VI, 238. Fort Moultrie, Charleston (S. C.), Defense of.-In 1776 Clinton was charged with holding the Southern Colonies, and Cornwallis was sent to his aid with troops under convoy of Sir Peter Parker's fleet. Charles Lee commanded the Americans in the vicinity of Charleston. William Moultrie was in charge of a little fort of palmetto logs on Sullivans Island, S. C. June 4 the hostile fleet appeared and on the 28th bombarded Fort Moultrie. Clinton's troops had already landed on Long Island. The Americans fired with precision and effect, and I ship was abandoned. Clinton's forces failed to attack, and in a few days the British withdrew. The American loss was 12 killed and 24 wounded. The British loss was 205, and only 1 of their 10 vessels remained seaworthy. An incident of this battle was the replacing by Sergt. Jasper of a flag which had been shot from the bastion. This fort was abandoned by the Federals under Maj. Robert Anderson Dec. 26, 1860, and was seized by the Confederates, who served a battery from it during the bombardment of Fort Sumter, Apr. 12-14, 1861.

Fort Myer, Va., meteorological observatory at, establishment of, recommended, VIII, 205.

Fort Niagara (N. Y.), Bombardment of.Nov. 21, 1812, Fort Niagara sustained a severe bombardment at the hands of the British artillery at Forts George and Newark, on the Canadian side of the Niagara River. The Americans returned the fire and silenced the batteries of the enemy. The loss to the Americans was 9; British loss not known. Fort Omaha Military Reservation, Nebr., act to provide for lease of, to Nebraska, vetoed, IX, 687.

Fort Pillow (Tenn.), Capture of.-This fort was located on the Chickasaw Bluff, in the Mississippi River, 40 miles above Memphis. It was built by the Confederates during the Civil War. It was occupied by the Federal troops June 5, 1862, its evacuation having

been compelled by the destruction of the Confederate flotilla on the previous day. The Federal forces not long afterwards abandoned it in consequence of operations on the Tennessee River. Apr. 12, 1864, the fort was garrisoned by 19 officers and 538 men of the Union Army, about one-half of whom were negro troops. On that day Gen. Forrest with Confederate cavalry assaulted and captured it.

Fort Polk, Tex., removal of, referred to, V, 67. Fort Powell, (Ala.), Reduction of. (See Mobile Bay (Ala.), Battle of.)

Fort Powell, Ala., reduction of, and orders regarding celebration of, VI, 238.

Fort Preble Military Reservation, Me., additional land for, recommended, VIII, 190. Fort Riley, Kans., bridge over Republican River at, reconstruction of, recommended, VIII, 190.

Fort Ripley Military Reservation, Minn., Indian school at, establishment of, referred to, VIII, 96.

Fort St. Philip (La.), Bombardment of.Jan. 9, 1815, while the British were burying their dead before New Orleans, a portion of the fleet attacked without success Fort St. Philip, at a bend in the Mississippi 65 miles below the city. It contained a garrison of 366 men under Maj. Overton. The bombardment was continued for 5 days. Two Americans were killed and 7 wounded. Fort Selden, N. Mex., estimates for post at, Fort Sherman Military Reservation, disreferred to, VIII, 83. position of, X, 845, 884.

Fort Sill Indian Sub-Agency, referred to, X, 514.

Fort Smith, Paris and Dardanelle Railway, act granting right of way to, etc., vetoed, Fort Stedman (Va.), Assault on.-When, VIII, 693. in March, 1865, it became apparent to Lee that he must evacuate Richmond, he planned an assault on Fort Stedman, on Grant's right. During the assault Longstreet and Hill were to retire to the south, followed by the assaulting column, and join Johnston. The assault took place Mar. 25. The batteries were carried and 500 prisoners captured. The Confederates were gathered in the works they had taken. Mar. 27 the surrounding artillery of the Union army was brought to bear on the position, and 1,900 of the Confederates surrendered. The Federal loss was 919.

Fort Stephenson (Ohio), Attack on.-In July, 1813, Maj. Croghan was sent with 160 men to garrison Fort Stephenson, or Lower Sandusky, now Fremont, Ohio, about 20 miles from Sandusky Bay. Here he was attacked Aug. 1, 1813, by Gen. Proctor, with 400 British regulars and several hundred Indians, while Tecumseh, with 2,000 Indians, held the roads leading to the fort, so as to cut off reenforcements. The firing was maintained all night from Proctor's gunboats and from howitzers landed by the British. Aug. 2 a general assault was made, which the garrison repulsed with the loss of I man killed and 7 slightly wounded. The British loss was 120. The Indians kept out of harm's