CAIRo, ILL., February 7, 1862.
SIR: I have the honor to report that on the 6th instant, at
12:30 p.m., I made an attack on Fort Henry, on the Tennessee River, with the
ironclad gunboats Cincinnati, Commander Stembel; the flagship Essex, Commander
Porter; Carondelet, Commander Walke, and St. Louis, Lieutenant
Commanding Paulding; also taking with me the three old gunboats, Conestoga, Lieutenant
Commanding Phelps; the Tyler, Lieutenant Commanding Gwin, and the Lexington,
Lieutenant Commanding Shirk, as a second division, in charge of Lieutenant
Commanding Phelps, which took position astern and inshore of the armored boats,
doing good execution there in the action, while the armored boats were placed
in the first order of steaming, approaching the fort in a parallel line.
The fire was opened at 1,700 yards distant from the
flagship, which was followed by the other gunboats and responded to by the
fort. As we approached the fort under slow steaming, till we reached within 600
yards of the rebel batteries, the fire both from the gunboats and fort
increased in rapidity and accuracy of range. At twenty minutes before the rebel
flag was struck, the Essex, unfortunately received a shot in her
boilers, which resulted in the wounding, by scalding, of 29 officers and men,
including Commander Porter, as will be seen in the enclosed list of casualties.
The Essex, then necessarily dropped out of line, astern, entirely
disabled and unable to continue the fight, in which she had so gallantly
participated until the sad catastrophe. The firing continued with unabated
rapidity and effect upon the three gunboats as they continued still to approach
the fort, with their destructive fire, until the rebel flag was hauled down,
after a very severe and closely contested action of one hour and fifteen
minutes.
A boat containing the adjutant-general and captain of
engineers came alongside after the flag was lowered and reported that General
Lloyd Tilghman, the commander of the fort, wished to communicate with the
flag-officer, when I dispatched Commander Stembel and Lieutenant Commanding
Phelps, with orders to hoist the American flag where the secession ensign had
been flying, and to inform General Tilghman that I would see him on board the
flagship. He came on board soon after the Union had been substituted by
Commander Stembel for the rebel flag on the fort, and possession taken.
I received the general, his staff, and some 60 or 70 men as
prisoners, and a hospital ship containing 60 invalids, together with the fort
and its effects, mounting twenty guns, mostly of heavy caliber, with barracks
and tents capable of accommodating 15,000 men, and sundry articles, which, as I
turned the fort and its effects over to General Grant, commanding the army, on
his arrival in an hour after we had made the capture, he will be enabled to
give the Government a more correct statement than I am enabled to communicate
from the short time I had possession of the fort.
The plan of attack, so far as the army reaching the rear of
the fort to make a demonstration simultaneously with the navy, was frustrated
by the excessively muddy roads and high stage of water preventing the arrival
of our troops until some time after I had taken possession of the fort.
On securing the prisoners and making necessary or
preliminary arrangements, I dispatched Lieutenant Commanding Phelps with his
division up the Tennessee River, as I had previously directed, and as will be
seen in the enclosed orders to him to remove the rails and so far render the
bridge incapable of railroad transportation and communication between Bowling
Green and Columbus, and afterwards to pursue the rebel gunboats and secure
their capture if possible.
This being accomplished, and the army in possession of the
fort, and my services being o at Cairo, I left Fort Henry in the evening of the
same day with the Cincinnati, Essex, and St. Louis, and arrived
here this morning.
The armored gunboats resisted effectually the shot of the
enemy when striking the casemate. The Cincinnati, flagship, received 31
shot; the Essex, 15; the St. Louis, 7; and Carondelet, 6;
killing 1 and wounding 9 in the Cincinnati and killing 1 in the Essex,
while the casualties in the latter from steam amounted to 28 in number. The
Carondelet and St. Louis met with no casualties.
The steamers were admirably handled by their commanders and
officers, presenting only their bow guns to the enemy to avoid exposure of the
vulnerable parts of their vessels. Lieutenant Commanding Phelps, with his
division, also executed my orders very effectually, and promptly proceeded up
the river in their further execution after the capture of the fort. In fact,
all the officers and men gallantly performed their duty, and, considering the
little experience they o had under fire, far more than realized my
expectations.
Fort Henry was defended with the most determined gallantry
by General Tilghman, worthy of a better cause, who, from his own account, went
into the action with eleven guns of heavy caliber bearing upon our boats, which
he fought until seven of the number were dismounted or otherwise rendered
useless.
I have the honor to be, very respectfully, your obedient
servant,
A. H. Foote,
Flag-Officer.
Hon. GIDEoN WELLEs,
Secretary of the Navy,
Washington, D. C.
[Report of same date and like tenor to Major-General
Halleck.]
SOURCE: Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies,
Series I, Volume 22, p. 537-9
