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THE TENNESSEE RIVER.

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of our superiority in artillery, with | 336 missing-total, 1,317; and claims which the principal execution was to have taken to have taken 275 prisoners, 5 done. Hindman's official report flags, 23 wagons, and and over 500 makes it, 164 killed, 817 wounded, small arms.

III.

KENTUCKY-TENNESSEE-ALABAMA.

THE river Tennessee, taking rise is the largest tributary, draining an in the rugged valleys of south-west- area of over 40,000 square miles. ern Virginia, between the Alleghany Very rarely frozen, it is usually naviand the Cumberland ranges of moun- gable, save in dry summers, from its tains, but drawing tribute also from mouth to the Muscle Shoals, toward western North Carolina and northern the lower end of its course through Georgia, traverses East Tennessee in Alabama, and thence by smaller boats a generally W. S. W. direction, en- at high stages of water some 500 tering Alabama at its N. E. corner; miles, to Knoxville, the capital of and, after a detour of some 300 miles, East Tennessee. The Cumberland, through the northern part of that draining the opposite slope of the State, passes out at its N. W. corner; Cumberland Mountains, takes its rise rëentering Tennessee, and, passing in the heart of eastern Kentucky, and, again through that State in a course pursuing a similar but shorter course, due north, and forming the boundary runs W. S. W. into Middle Tennesbetween what are designated respec-see, which it traverses very much as tively West and Middle Tennessee, the Tennessee does northern Alabathence flowing N. N. W. till it falls ma, passing Nashville, its capital, into the Ohio scarcely 70 miles above bending N. W. into Kentucky some the mouth of that river, whereof it 20 miles eastward of the latter river,

verely wounded, were taken to Van Buren. Their loss in killed upon the ground will reach 1,000; the greater number of whom have been buried by my command."

Pollard, on the other hand, says of this battle: "Our whole line of infantry were in close conflict nearly the whole day with the enemy, who were attempting, with their force of 18,000 men, to drive us from our position. In every instance, they were repulsed, and finally driven back from the field; Gen. Hindman driving them to within 8 miles of Fayetteville; when our forces fell back to their supply dépôt, between Cane Hill and Van Buren. We captured 300 prisoners, and vast quantities of stores. The enemy's loss in killed and wounded was about 1,000; the Confederate loss, in killed, wounded, and missing, about 300."

Gen. Blunt further says of this Pollard victory:

"Their transportatlon had been left south of the mountains, and their retreat thereby made unincumbered and stealthy. I am assured by my own men who were prisoners with them, as well as by deserters from their ranks, that they tore up the blankets of their men to muffle the wheels of their artillery."

Gen. Herron, in a private letter, dated Dec. 15th, says:

"The loss of the enemy is terrific. After their burial-parties had been on the ground for three days, we had to turn in and bury 300 for them. The country for 25 miles around is full of their wounded. We have, as captures, 4 caissons full of ammunition, and about 300 stand of arms.

risked all on this fight. His movements were Hindman had prepared himself, and shrewdly managed; and nothing but desperately hard fighting ever carried us through."

loss.

and pursuing a generally parallel | rifles, destroying the camp equipage, course to that stream, to its own re- and returning to Pikeville without ception by the Ohio, and being navigable for 250 miles by large steamboats, save in seasons of summer drouth, and by boats of 500 tuns for some 300 miles further. These twothe only rivers, save the Mississippi, navigable southward from the border of the Free into the Slave Stateswere obviously regarded on both sides, in view of the notorious impracticability of Southern roads in Winter and Spring, as the natural routes of advance for our Western armies collected and drilled on and near the Ohio during the Autumn of 1861 and the Winter following.

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Gen. Zollicoffer, at the close of 1861, held a position on the Cumberland, near the head of steamboat navigation on that sinuous stream, which may be regarded as the right of the Rebel army covering Tennessee and holding a small part of southern Kentucky. His force did not exceed 5,000 men; but even this was with great difficulty meagerly subsisted by inexorable foraging on that thinly settled and poorly cultivated region. His principal camp was at MILL SPRING, in Wayne county, on the south side of the river; but, finding himself unmolested, he established himself on the opposite bank, in a substantial earthwork, which he named Camp Beach Grove. He had one small steamboat, which had run up with munitions from Nashville, and was employed in gathering supplies for his hungry men; but the advance of a Union detachment to Columbia, on his left, had rendered his navigation of the river below him precarious, if not entirely obstructed it. On his right front, Gen. Schoepf, with a force of 8,000 men, occupied Somerset ; but was content to occupy it, without attempting or desiring to make trouble. But Gen. George H. Thomas, having been ordered by

The close of 1861 left Gen. Humphrey Marshall, commanding the Confederate forces in south-eastern Kentucky, intrenched at Paintville, Johnson county, intent on gathering supplies and recruiting. Col. James A. Garfield, of Ohio, commanding a Union brigade consisting of the 42d Ohio, 14th Kentucky, and a squadron of Ohio cavalry, moved up the Big Sandy early in 1862, occupying Paintville without resistance, and pushing on to Prestonburg, Floyd county; near which town, at the forks of Middle creek, he encountered Marshall, whom he put to flight with little loss on either side. Garfield reported his full strength in this engagement at 1,800, and estimated that of Marshall at 2,500. Marshall | Gen. Buell to take command in this was obliged to retreat into Virginia. Cumberland Gap was abandoned without resistance to the Unionists next month; and Gen. Garfield, with 600 men, made a rapid excursion to Pound Gap, where he surprised a Rebel camp, capturing 300

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quarter, had scarcely reached Logan's Cross-Roads' when Maj.-Gen. George B. Crittenden, who had recently joined Zollicoffer and superseded him in command, finding himself nearly destitute of subsistence, and apprehending an attack in over

1 Jan. 7, 1862. 2 About Feb. 22. 3 March 16. * Dec. 29, 1861. * Jan. 17, 1862.

BATTLE OF LOGAN'S CROSS-ROADS.

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whelming strength from all our forces | with Kinney's battery-were seriousin that part of Kentucky, resolved to | ly engaged; but the 12th Kentucky, anticipate it; and, at midnight after and two or three Tennessee regiments, the next day,' advanced with his en- reached the field just as the day was tire available force, consisting of six won by a charge of the 9th Ohio on Tennessee, one Alabama, and one our left flank with fixed bayonets, Mississippi regiments of infantry, six supported by a galling fire from the cannon, and two battalions of cav- 2d Minnesota in front, under which alry, to strike and surprise the three the Rebels gave way and fled, or four Union regiments which he scarcely halting until they reached was assured were alone posted be- their intrenched camp by the river; tween him and Somerset. He struck leaving one gun on the battle-field them as he had expected, but did not and another by the way. surprise them; Gen. Thomas having taken the precaution to send out strong pickets of infantry on the roads leading toward the enemy, with a picket of cavalry still farther in advance. These were encountered by Crittenden's vanguard before daylight; but, after firing, retired slowly and in good order, and reported to Col. M. D. Manson, commanding the advance brigade, who in ten minutes had his two regiments-10th Indiana and 4th Kentucky, Col. S. S. Fry-by them, and 89 taken unhurt. Our in readiness; and the Rebels, in that hour of darkness, necessarily proceeded with caution, doubling themselves as they advanced. Thomas was of course at the front, having ordered up his remaining regiments, within ten minutes afterward.

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In the heat of the battle, when the combatants were scarcely separated by an open space, Gen. Zollicoffer was shot by Col. Fry, and fell dead on the field, where his body was left by his followers. Col. Fry's horse was shot dead directly afterward. Col. Robert L. McCook, 9th Ohio, was wounded in the leg, and also had his horse shot. The Rebels lost 192 killed, 62 wounded and captured, besides those carried off

loss was 39 killed, and 207 wounded.

It rained, as usual, and the roads were horrible; but the victors, considerably rëenforced, were, before 4 P. M., in front of the intrenchments at Camp Beech Grove, within which the flying Rebels had taken refuge an hour or two before. Shelling was immediately commenced on our side, feebly responded to on the other; and this continued until 7 at night, when our soldiers desisted and lay down to rest. Gen. Schoepf's brigade came up that night, and were so disposed by Gen. Thomas as to make sure of the capture of

that Fishing creek could not be crossed; and so the Somerset force of several thousand could not join the force from Columbia before the 20th."

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' A Rebel letter to the Memphis Avalanche, says 11 guns were spiked and thrown into the river.

GRANT AND FOOTE AT FORT HENRY.

structed-mainly by slave laborat a point some 80 or 90 miles up the Tennessee and Cumberland, where those rivers first approach within 10 or 12 miles of each other, a few miles south of the Kentucky line, and north of the Louisville and Memphis Railroad, two strong and spacious works; FORT HENRY, commanding the Tennessee from its eastern bank, and FORT DONELSON, controlling the passage of the Cumberland from the west, a little below the Tennessee village of Dover. A dirt road connected the two forts, whereof the garrisons were expected to support each other if assailed. Fort Henry, situated on a point or bend of the river, and scarcely above its surface when in flood, menaced the approach by water for a mile on either hand, but was overlooked by three points 10 within cannon-shot on either bank of the river. It covered two or three acres of ground, mounted 17 large guns, 11 of them bearing upon any vessels approaching from below, with a spacious intrenched camp in its rear, and a wide abatis encircling all. It was defended by Gen. Lloyd Tilghman, of Kentucky, with 2,600

men.

To Brig.-Gen. U. S. Grant, of Illinois, was assigned the task of its reduction, with the powerful aid of Commodore A. H. Foote and his fleet of seven gunboats, four of them partially iron-clad. Leaving Cairo" with some 15,000 men on steam transports, he moved up the Ohio to the mouth of the Tennessee, then ascended that stream to within ten miles of Fort Henry, where his transports halted," while Com. Foote, So says Gen. Tilghman's official report.

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with his gunboats, proceeded cautiously up the river, shelling the woods on either side to discover any masked batteries that might there be planted. Having pushed this reconnoissance far enough to receive a 32pound ball through the unprotected side of one of his boats, Gen. Grant decided that the proper landing-place for the troops was about four miles below the fort, where he and they were debarked " accordingly. The next day was spent in preparations, and the next appointed for the attack: Gen. Grant directing the main body of his forces, under Gen. John A. McClernand, to move diagonally across the country and seize the road leading from the fort to Donelson and Dover, while Gen. C. F. Smith, with his brigade, advanced along the west bank of the river, and Com. Foote, with his gunboats, moved slowly up and attacked the fort from the water.

Com. Foote formed his vessels in two lines: the iron-clads Cincinnati (flag-ship), Essex, Carondelet, and St. Louis, in front, while the old wooden Conestoga, Tyler, and Lexington, formed a second line some distance astern, and out of the range of the enemy's fire, throwing shell over the iron-clads into and about the fort. Thus advancing slowly and firing deliberately, the iron-clads steadily neared the fort, using only their bowguns, because unwilling to expose their weak, unsheltered sides to the heavy guns of the fort, one of them having a caliber of 128 and another of 60 pounds, and but 12 of ours in all of our front line being available. For a moment only was there hesitation in the attack; when, after an

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