CAIRO, March 17, on board the Benton, Island No. 10, March
16. – Got under way at daylight this a.m. and dropped down to within range of
the upper battery and commenced to arouse them with the rifles of the Benton,
while the mortar boats were trying to wade into position. Only a couple of shots were fired, when a
white flag was seen to wave from the works and to continue waving until
answered by a white flag from the flagship.
Of course firing ceased, as did also all operations, even
the moving of the mortars, while a tug carried Lieut. Bishop down to see what
was wanted. On arriving at the work he
was answered that they were signaling their works down the river and did not
wish to communicate with us; a mere subterfuge to gain time, which was followed
up by the Grampus, with a white flag, steaming towards the tug from the
Island. Lieut. Bishop was of the opinion
that time enough was lost and did not wait for the Grampus, but steamed off for
the Benton and the Grampus hauled down the white flag and ran back under cover again.
Up to this time no rebel colors had been shown from the
battery, but now it went up and the preparations to get it down regularly in
the approved method went on with renewed vigor.- Eight mortar boats were soon in
position and engaged in throwing 13-inch shell.
Lieut. Bishop disgusted at the bad taste of the rebels who
did not wish to communicate with so gallant and good-looking officer, by
permission of the flag-officer and Capt. Phelps, he opened directions by guns
of the [Benton’s] rifled 74; with such style that the rebels ran from the work
and their flag was covered with dirt and mud.
The firing was kept up steadily though slow until 5 P.
M. The mortars exploding 210 shells and
the Benton 41. The heart of every man in
the flagship was saddened by sympathy with the grief of our beloved flag
officer Foote, who received by the dispatch boat at noon intelligence of the
death of his second son, a lad of 13 years, of exceeding promise, of whose illness
the Commodore had no previous intelligence. – To-morrow will see the reduction
of one or more of the enemy’s works and the close investment of the whole.
The place is very strong – four our point of view we could
see forty-four guns in position and negroes were busily at work on the battery
out of our reach, on which to-morrow we shall probably find heavy guns
mounted. With all these notes of
preparation and all these premonitions of a hard fight, some incredulous people
will suspect that the troops marching across the woods from Island No. 10, to
Maryweather’s landing on the Mississippi below Point Pleasant, a distance of
only 5 miles from the Island over a practicable road, and that when they are
embarked on the fleet of boats, the smoke of which has plainly been seen all
day at Maryweather’s, we shall find the next empty and the river clear of
rebels to Randolph of Fort Pillow.
– Published in The Burlington Weekly Hawk-Eye,
Burlington, Iowa, Saturday, March 22, 1862, p. 4
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