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NASHVILLE RESTORED TO THE UNION.

53

wooden gunboats Conestoga, Tyler, the 24th, but found no enemy preand Lexington, steamed up the Ten-pared to resist them. In fact, the nessee to Florence, Ala., at the foot city had virtually surrendered alof the Muscle Shoals, where he cap- ready to the 4th Ohio cavalry, Col. tured two steamboats, and constrained John Kennett, being the advance the Rebels to burn six others; he hav- of Buell's army. Gol. Kennett had ing burnt the railroad bridge near reached Edgefield Junction, 8 or 10 Benton on the way. The wholly un- miles from Nashville, and thence sent expected appearance of the National forward a detachment, under Maj. flag in North Alabama, where slaves H. C. Rodgers, who occupied withwere comparatively few, and at least out resistance the village of Edgefield, three-fourths of the people had stub- opposite Nashville, on the Cumberbornly opposed Secession, was a wel- land, and communicated with Mayor come spectacle to thousands, and was Cheatham, who surrendered the city greeted with enthusiastic demonstra- to Col. Kennett on his arrival, which tions of loyalty. was before that of Gen. Nelson's command. A small squad of the 4th Ohio crossed over into the city and returned, their orders not contemplating its occupation; but the battery of the regiment had been planted where it commanded the heart of the city, and a reasonable fear of shells. impelled Mayor Cheatham to proffer and hasten a surrender, by which he agreed to protect and preserve the public property in Nashville until it could be regularly turned over to the use of the United States.

Com. Foote, with the gunboats Conestoga and Cairo, moved up" the Cumberland from Donelson, three days after its surrender. At Clarksville, he found the railroad bridge destroyed; while the wealthier citizens had generally fled, and he encountered no resistance. As it would have been absurd to attack a city like Nashville with such a force, he now returned to Cairo for additional boats; while Gen. Smith, with the advance of our victorious army, marched up to Clarksville; whence Lieut. Bryant, of the Cairo, followed by 7 transports, conveying the brigade of Gen. Nelson, moved up the river to Nashville, where they arrived on

"Gen. Johnston had moved the main body of his command to Murfreesboro'-a rear-guard being left in Nashville under Gen. Floyd, who had arrived from Donelson, to secure the stores and provisions. In the first wild excitement of the panic, the store-houses had been thrown open to the poor. They were besieged by a mob rayenous for spoils, and who had to be dispersed from the commissariat by jets of water from a steam fire-engine. Women and children, even, were seen scudding through the streets under loads of greasy pork, which they had taken as prizes from the store-houses. It is believed that hundreds of families, among the lower orders of he population, secured and secreted Govern

But, in fact, the spoils of victory had already been clutched by the Nashville mob; so that, while the Rebel loss was enormous," the positive Union gain was inconsiderable.

ment stores enough to open respectable groceries. It was with the greatest difficulty that Gen. Floyd could restore order and get his martial law into any thing like an effective system. Blacks and Whites had to be chased and captured and forced to help the movement of Government stores. One man, who, after a long chase, was captured, offered fight, and was in consequence shot and badly wounded. Not less than one million of dollars in stores was lost through the acts of the cowardly and ravenous mob of Nashville. Gen. Floyd and Col. Forrest exhibited extraordinary energy and efficiency in getting off Government stores. Col. Forrest remained in the city about 24 hours, with only 40 men, after the arrival of the enemy at Edgefield"

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Gen. Buell soon afterward reached | the Rebels had left some hours beNashville, and established there his fore, after burning 18,000 bushels of headquarters, while his army was corn, 5,000 tons of hay, their cavalry quartered around the city. Col. stables, and much other property; Stanley Matthews, 51st Ohio, was while many of their heavy guns, appointed Provost-Marshal, and soon which they were unable to take restored the city to order; discover- away, had been rolled off the bluff, ing and reclaiming a considerable here 150 feet high, into the river. amount of Rebel stores which had The 2d Illinois cavalry, Col. Hogg, been appropriated to private use. from Paducah, had entered and The bridges and roads northward taken possession the evening before. were speedily repaired, and railroad A massive chain, intended to bar the connection with Louisville reopened. descent of the Mississippi, had here The wealthier classes had in great been stretched across the great river, part left, or remained sullenly dis- but to no purpose; the Missouri end loyal; but among the mechanics and being loose, and buried in the mud laboring poor a good degree of Union of the river-bed. feeling was soon developed.

By the Union successes recorded in this chapter, the Rebel stronghold at Columbus, Ky., commanding the navigation of the Mississippi, had been rendered untenable. It was held by Maj.-Gen. Polk, Episcopal Bishop of Louisiana, who had expended a vast amount of labor in strengthening its defenses, while the adjacent country had been nearly divested of food and forage to replenish its stores. Its garrison had been reported at 20,000 men; but had been reduced by successive detachments to 2,000 or 3,000. Com. Foote, on returning from Clarksville to Cairo, speedily collected a flotilla of six gunboats, apparently for service at Nashville; but, when all was ready, dropped down the Mississippi, followed by three transports, conveying some 2,000 or 3,000 soldiers, under Gen. W. T. Sherman, while a supporting force moved overland from Paducah." Arriving opposite Columbus, he learned that the last of

Island No. 10 lies in a sharp bend in the Mississippi, 45 miles below Columbus, and a few miles above New Madrid on the Missouri bank. This island had been strongly fortified, its works well supplied with powerful guns and ammunition, under the direction of Gen. Beauregard, so that it was confidently counted on to stop the progress of the Union armies down the river. Gen. Pope with a land force of nearly 40,000 men, had previously marched down the Missouri shore of the river, reaching and investing New Madrid, March 3. Finding it defended by stout earthworks, mounting 20 heavy guns, with six strongly armed gunboats anchored along the shore to aid in holding it, he sent back to Cairo for siege-guns; while he intrenched three regiments and a battery under Col. Plummer, 11th Missouri, at Point Pleasant, ten miles below, so as to command the passage of the river directly in the rear of No. 10. The Rebel gunboats attempted to dislodge Col. Plummer, but without

38 March 4.

THE REBELS ABANDON NEW MADRID.

GEN.POPE'S HO.QRS.

NEW MADRID
FI THOMPSON

success. Pope's siege-guns arrived
at sunset on the 12th, and, before
morning, had been planted within
half a mile of the enemy's main
work, so as to open fire at daylight,
just 34 hours after their embarkation
at Cairo. The Rebel garrison had
meantime been swelled to 9,000 in-
fantry, under Maj.-Gen. McCown,
and nine gunboats directed by Com.
Hollins, on which our fire was mainly PLEASANT
concentrated. A heavy cannonade

from both sides was kept up through-
out the day, with little damage to
the Unionists, who, driving in the
Rebel pickets, steadily pushed for-
ward their trenches.

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RIDDLERS P

3
CEN. POPE
CROSSED APR. 7 1862

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MAP SHOWING THE RELATIVE POSITIONS OF ISLAND
NO. 10, NEW MADRID, TIPTONVILLE, ETO.

A violent thunder-storm raged through most of the following night; and at daylight it was discovered that the Rebels had left, taking Brig.-Gen. Makall, who assumed it very little with them. Thirty-three in a bombastic proclamation. Meancannon, several thousand small arms, with ammunition, tents, cartridges, wagons, &c., were abandoned by the fugitives, with scarcely an attempt even to destroy them. Our loss during the siege was barely 51 killed and wounded.

Com. Foote, with his gunboats, had moved down from Columbus early in March, opening on the Rebel works at No. 10 on the 15th. Two days later, a general attack was made, with five gunboats and four mortarboats; but, though maintained for nine hours, it did very little damage. Beauregard telegraphed to Richmond" that our vessels had thrown 3,000 shells, expended 50 tons of powder, and had killed but one of his men, without damaging his batteries. He soon left for Corinth," ceding the command at No. 10 to

April 1.
April 5.

time, Gen. Pope's engineers were quietly engaged in cutting a canal, 12 miles long, across the Missouri peninsula, opposite No. 10, through which steamboats and barges were safely transferred to the river below the Rebel stronghold; while two of our heavier gunboats succeeded in passing the island" in a heavy fog. Gen. Pope, thus relieved from all peril from the Rebel flotilla, pushed a division" across the river toward the rear of the remaining Rebel stronghold, and was preparing to follow with the rest of his army, when the Rebels under McCown, sinking their gunboat Grampus, and six transports, abandoned No. 10 to its fate, and escaped eastward, leaving Makall to be driven back upon the swamps, and forced to surrender some thousands of men, several gun

"The Carondelet, April 4, and the Pittsburg, April 6. April 7.

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boats, and more than a hundred | fight, and was run upon a shoal,

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Com. Foote, having refitted, moved down" the river in order of battle, followed by transports conveying part of Gen. Pope's army; finding his way first impeded at Fort Pillow, or Wright, situated on the first Chickasaw Bluffs, near the Islands Nos. 33 and 34, about 70 miles above Memphis. Landing his mortars on the Arkansas bank, he commenced" a bombardment of the fort at a distance of three-fourths of a mile, and was replied to with energy and accuracy. The high stage of the river prevented cooperation by our army; so the cannonade was kept up for two weeks with spirit on both sides, but with little effect.

where she sank; while the Mallory, which had attempted to crush her, was herself caught by the St. Louis, cut into and sunk, most of her crew going down with her. One of the Confederate gunboats had ere this been burnt; another had her boiler exploded by a shot; while the rest were so crippled as to render them nearly ineffective; so they gave up the fight and drifted down the river, under cover of the smoke, to the protection of their batteries. The Cincinnati was our only vessel that had suffered, and she had but 4 wounded.

order of battle, opening fire when within three-fourths of a mile. The Union ram, Queen of the West, soon

A month later," Fort Pillow was evacuated, as was Fort Randolph, twelve miles below. Some damaged guns were left in them, but nothing A powerful ram having been re- of much value. Com. Davis dropped ceived by the Rebels from below, they down next day to within gun-shot of resolved to test its efficiency; and Memphis, where he came to anchor; accordingly made an attack on our and next morning, with five gunboats fleet," the ram leading, backed by and four rams, slowly approached three gunboats, and making a rush the city. Soon, a Rebel fleet of eight at the Cincinnati, whose rapid broad-gunboats was seen approaching in sides at short range made no impression on her assailant's iron mail. The boats collided with a fearful crash, instantly followed by a broad-struck the Rebel gunboat, Gen. side from the Cincinnati and a volley of musketry; directly after which, Commander Stembel fired his pistol at the head of the Confederate pilot, killing him instantly. The pilot's mate thereupon shot the Commander through his shoulder and neck, disabling but not killing him. The Cincinnati, though crippled and sinking, was able to withdraw from the

48 Gen. Pope, in his official report, says: "Three Generals, 273 field and company officers, 6,700 prisoners, 123 pieces of heavy artillery-all of the very best character, and of the latest patterns-7,000 stand of small arms, several wharf-boat loads of provisions, an im

Price, crushing in her wheel-house,
and causing her to leak so badly
that she was headed at once for the
Arkansas shore.
The Rebel gun-

boat, Beauregard, now made at the
Queen, which attempted to strike
her; but the shock was skillfully
evaded by the Beauregard's pilot,
who struck the Queen aft so heavily
as to disable her. The Union ram

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MEMPHIS SURRENDERED BY THE REBELS.

57

Monarch thereupon made at the Beauregard, and struck her heavily on the bow, causing her to fill rapidly and sink, while the Monarch took the Queen in tow and drew her out of peril. Com. Davis's flag-boat, the Benton, threw a 50-pound ball from a rifled Parrott into the Rebel gunboat Gen. Lovell, striking her aft, just above the water-line, and tearing a great hole, into which the water rushed in a torrent. In four minutes, she had sunk in 75 feet of water, carrying down a part of her crew. There remained but four of the Rebel boats; and these, which had been for some time drifting, though firing, now turned their bows toward the Arkansas shore, which the Jeff. Thompson soon reached, when her officers and crew leaped off and ran into the woods, while a shell exploding on her deck, set her on fire, and she was burned down to the water. The crew of the Gen. Bragg and the Sumter escaped in like manner; while the swifter Gen. Van Dorn fled down the river. The battle had lasted a little over an hour, and its result was most decisive. No man was killed on board our fleet. Memphis, whose population had all been interested spectators of the combat, surrendered immediately.

An expedition, comprising four gunboats and a steam transport, conveying the 46th Indiana, Col. Fitch, was soon dispatched up the Arkansas and White rivers, to open communication with Gen. Curtis, known to be approaching from the West. Reaching St. Charles, the Mound City, then in advance, was fired on from two concealed batteries,

48 June 24.

and replied, while our troops were landed below to take those batteries in the rear. A ball, from a siegegun on the bluff, pierced the side of the Mound City, and passed through her steam-drum, filling the vessel instantly with the scalding vapor. Of the 175 persons on board, barely 23 escaped injury. Many jumped overboard, frantic with pain, and were drowned; while the boats sent from the Conestoga to their relief, were fired on by the Rebels with grape and canister, killing most of our scalded and frantic fugitives. In a few minutes, Col. Fitch had carried the works by a charge, capturing 9 guns and about 30 prisoners, including Col. Frye, the commandant. The expedition failed to effect its purpose.

48

The triumphant Union fleet soon proceeded down the river, encountering no serious obstacle till near Vicksburg, where it communicated with Com. Farragut, whose fleet from the Gulf lay below this natural stronghold, accompanied by Gen. Williams, with four regiments of infantry. The Rebel fortifications were bombarded" for several hours, without result; but Lt.-Col. Ellet, with two rams, went that day up the Yazoo river, to capture three Rebel gunboats, which, on his approach, were set on fire and impelled down the current, with intent to envelop our vessels in the flames. The Rebel boats were destroyed.

The siege of Vicksburg was continued by our fleet, and a determined attack made on it July 1, but defeated. The Rebel ram Arkansas came down the Yazoo, ran through the astonished Union fleet, and took

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49 June 26.

50

to July 15.

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