The risk of the boat is trifling compared with that of Pope's army. Can you have it ordered by the Secretary of the Navy to-day, and thus relieve the flag officer from a responsibility he is not willing to assume?" It has not been made public what orders, if any, were sent from Washington; but the next morning the "Pittsburg" was also at the upper landing, having made the passage without harm, and the two gun-boats started without delay to silence the batteries along the shore. It was in accordance with Pope's plan that the gun-boats should precede the transports, and pay especial attention to the enemy's guns at Watson's Landing, where he wished to cross his troops. Commander Walke entered with zeal upon his part in the day's work, and soon had silenced and spiked the three sixty-four-pounder guns stationed at intervals of half a mile along the river. At Watson's, where he found a battery of three sixty-fourpounders, he had a sharp engagement, which continued until the last piece had been either dismounted or disabled. The four transports, which in the mean time had been moved out of the bayou and loaded with General Paine's division of four regiments and Houghtaling's battery, now moved rapidly down and across the river, and the troops landed without molestation. At this time the Confederate forces were under the command of General W. W. Mackall, selected by General Beauregard to relieve McCown, whose evacuation of New Madrid had caused him to be disgraced. These forces numbered, on the island and mainland together, less than four thousand, sufficient, it was thought, to hold their position. They did not believe that the gun-boats would have the boldness to attempt to pass their batteries, or that they could succeed in any such attempts; and they doubted if the canal (of which they had heard from time to time) could be put to much use. When, therefore, on the morning of April 7th, they found that another boat had passed below, that the two boats under Walke had made quick work of the heavy siege-guns along the shore, and that the transports were large and numerous enough to cross thirty-five hundred men at a trip, they abandoned the contest and sought safety in flight. General Mackall left a force of a few hundred men on the island, but without specific instruction, and with the bulk of his troops moved toward Tiptonville, in the hope of escaping by the road and ferry which led to Union City. The landing of Paine's division was effected a little after noon, and the troops immediately began moving toward Tiptonville, Colonel J. D. Morgan's brigade in advance, closely followed by the brigade of Colonel G. W. Cummings. The march was pushed as rapidly as possible, advance-guards being thrown out, and the flanks well protected. It was expected that at any moment the enemy would be found ready to dispute the way. After advancing a few miles, Mackall's force was discovered well posted and drawn up in line; but before Colonel Morgan could form his line of attack and reach them, they had fled. Twice this was repeated, causing delays; so that darkness came on just before Paine's division reached Tiptonville. General Pope had directed Commander Walke to proceed to Tiptonville, to prevent the escape of the enemy by the only route left open to them, as soon as Stanley's division, which was to follow Paine's, should make a successful landing at Watson's. General Mackall endeavored to have his retreat an orderly one, but many of his men scattered and escaped through the swamps and in dug-outs or on rafts across. the lake. On his arrival below Tiptonville, he found the gun-boats confronting him. After dark, Paine's division closed in on his north and west; the swamp and lake were on his east and south; and, hemmed in, with no chance for escape, as both Stanley's and Hamilton's - divisions were following Paine's, General Mackall, at two o'clock on the morning of the 8th, sent his adjutantgeneral to General Paine, with an offer of unconditional surrender. The commanding officer on the island (who seems to have been abandoned by Mackall), on learning what had taken place, sent two officers to Commodore Foote, offering to surrender. There have been conflicting reports as to the number of prisoners taken on this occasion, but the lowest estimate based on the reports of the Confederate officers — shows the surrender of over three thousand men. The most valuable part of the spoils, and that of which the enemy felt the loss most keenly, was the one hundred and twenty-three pieces of heavy artillery, the thirty-five field-guns, and the large quantities of small arms, ammunition, and stores of every description. The loss to the South was a severe one. A Southern writer likened the fall of the island to that of a thunder-bolt in Richmond, and said, "We have saved none of our cannon or munitions; we have lost our boats; our sick have been abandoned; there can be no excuse for the wretched mismanagement and infamous scenes that attended the evacuation; our transports have been scattered; the floating battery, formerly the Pelican dock at New Orleans, with sixteen heavy guns, has been set adrift. No single battlefield has yet afforded to the North such visible fruits of victory as have been gathered at Island No. 10." Jefferson Davis' sentiments were expressed briefly but significantly by his indorsement on General Mackall's official report: - "Read. Unsatisfactory. — J. D.” At the scene of the victory, the excitement during the 7th was intense, and was felt not only by the division in close pursuit of the enemy, but also by the divisions of Stanley and Hamilton, which followed. The next day the joy over the surrender was unbounded. A great result had been achieved, and all shared in the general enthusiasm. When the operations of this brief campaign are fully understood, it will be difficult to find an enterprise "of equal importance carried forward to successful completion with greater despatch and as little loss in men and material." The thanks of the War Department were tendered to Major-General Pope and his officers and soldiers, for their bravery, skill, and diligent prosecution of movements; and in "General Orders" it was directed that "the regiments and battalions of this command will inscribe on their flags, New Madrid and Island 10." SHILOH. BY GEORGE MASON. [Read May 5, 1880.] QUICKLY following the events of Donelson, in the memorable spring of 1862, came the occupation of Clarksville. But a few days here, and the energy of a great commander pushed us on to Nashville. Here no resistance was encountered. The thoroughly demoralized enemy was straining every nerve to get away, and to save as much as possible of his stores and ammunition. His rear-guard saw our advance enter Nashville. It was on a bright Sunday morning that the command to which I belonged landed here, and were permitted to wander for a time through the streets of one of the most beautiful capital cities of America, and only two days before, one of the strongholds of secession. Everywhere our hearts were gladdened by seeing our old flag waving over some prominent building. But hardly a day were our feet allowed to tread the streets ere we were again pushed forward to our unknown destination. On the 6th of March we embarked on steamers, and the early morning of the 7th saw full seventy transports ascending what to most of us was an unknown river. Up and down as far as the eye could see were steamers crowded with blue coats; and still farther, hidden by the bends of the river, we could hear the puffing and snorting and see the smoke curling upward from still other steam It was a glorious sight, made the more so by the knowledge that we were thirty thousand strong, and, in our own not very humble opinion, invincible. On the 12th we were at Savannah, Tennessee, where we remained three days. It was here we got the news of the fight be |