Island No. Ten, if we take it, since, if I leave it unoccupied, the rebels will come back to their batteries and reoccupy it, and keep our supplies from coming to us from here. I do not understand such movements. I would not, my dear, be in the position I am-the vast responsibility of this river, which, if disaster occur to my boats, the rebels could retake Columbus, capture St. Louis, and command the Mississippi River-for all the world can give. The mere fight, my mere life, is nothing in the consideration. An officer said truly this morning that no man in the nation had the dreadful responsibility upon him that I had. Cullum is sick, and gone to St. Louis, and Scott ordered home, and Governor Strong, a citizen volunteer, is in command here. Thus it goes. I am apprehensive of disaster for want of management on the part of the Army. I write, my dear, that if disaster come, you may know the reason, and have my vindication; for I have done all that should be done to avert it. You will know the result by telegram before this reaches you, and you need not caution me against being spoiled by success, as I was never more humbled. I would this moment give all I am worth could I be on the Atlantic a captain of a good steam-frigate, instead of being out here under a pressure which would crush most men; and how I have stood it thus far I can only account for by the fact that 'God has been my helper.' I have not time to answer yours in detail. All is confusion, and I am almost in despair. Oh, my dear, if our affairs, if our 'house were put in order,' and our children older and doing well, what a relief it would be to quietly wait God's time, and joyfully leave this world for the glories of a blessed immortality. That is the bright spot-the sunshine amid the gloom and darkness. Here we must do our duty, and I pray for strength to do mine, and to God let us commend ourselves and our children and all whom we hold dear. He has placed me here, and I hope I may in a proper spirit perform his will. To your parents and cousins my love, and love and kisses to the children. Am glad to hear darling Emily is more free from pain. แ "Ever affectionately your dear husband, Beauregard and General Bragg are here. A. H. FOOTE. "Later.-General Halleck telegraphs 'not to make an attack on No. Ten till further orders, as he wishes to wait till General Pope gets his heavy guns in position to cut off the enemy's retreat.' This may induce the rebels to evacuate it. At all events, we shall go better prepared; so don't give yourself uneasiness about me." The writer of these letters was not a man who loved war for war's sake. He was ready to use it, and use it with terrible effect, for great ends; but he would have been glad at any moment to retire from its troubled scenes. He was a man, at heart, of peace, of kindly domestic affections, and of humane ideas and desires for the highest happiness of his fellow-men. The war-worn fighter murmured in his heart "But we grow old. Ah! when shall all men's good Be each man's rule, and universal Peace Lie like a shaft of light across the land, CHAPTER XXI. INVESTMENT AND BOMBARDMENT OF ISLAND NUMBER TEN. DEATH OF SON. CUTTING CANAL ACROSS PENINSULA. In order to understand clearly the history of naval operations at Island No. Ten,* the following letters are important: "DEPARTMENT OF THE MISSISSIPPI, CAIRO, March 8, 1862. “FLAG-OFFICER FOOTE, U. S. N., commanding Flotilla, Western Waters: "FLAG-OFFICER,-Major-General Halleck desires that a demonstration by gun and mortar boats should be made by Monday morning next upon Island No. Ten, and then upon New Madrid, in order to relieve the command of General Pope, now in front of that place. The forces of General Pope are needed for movement up the Tennessee, and must be ordered back without results unless we can bring them by river early next week, after capturing Island No. Ten and New Madrid. To effect these important results, I desire to know whether you can have ready for service by Tuesday night four gun and four mortar boats; if so, I will provide transports for movement by land forces for as many as may be necessary to remove from New Madrid such portion of General Pope's forces as can be safely spared after capturing New Madrid and Island No. Ten. "Your immediate attention will greatly oblige, “Yours respectfully, and most obedient servant, "GEO. W. CULLUM, Brig.-Gen., Chief of Staff, and Engineer." "CAIRO, March 8, 1862. "GENERAL,—I have repeatedly stated to you, and to Assistant-Secretary Scott, that I shall not be ready with the flotilla, to move on Island No. Ten and New Madrid, until Wednesday, leaving here in the course of that day with gun and mortar boats. "If I am peremptorily ordered to move before that time by AssistantSecretary of War Colonel Scott, I shall try to do it, but under a remon * For map of Island No. Ten, and its surroundings, see p. 267. Military Correspondence. 265 strance that I shall deem it an act involving, in all probability, the most disastrous consequences to the flotilla, and to the service which it was designed to perform. "The pilot-houses are unsafe, and the vessels are not in a condition which would enable them to make any thing of a stand against such a resistance as the rebels have made in every instance. I can not, therefore, except under this strong remonstrance, be a party to an act which I believe would terminate in the utter demoralization of my command. "I am, respectfully, your obedient servant, A. H. FOOTE, Flag-Officer. "Brig.-Gen. Geo. W. Cullum, Chief of Staff and Engineer." In a letter of the same date to Lieutenant Henry A. Wise (Bureau of Ordnance and Hydrography, Washington) he speaks of his preparations : "The Benton is under way, and barely stems the strong current of the Ohio-five knots per hour-in this rise of water, but I hope by putting her between two iron-clad steamers to-morrow she will stem the current and work comparatively well. On Wednesday I hope to take down seven iron-clads and ten mortar-boats to attack Island No. Ten and New Madrid. A portion of iron plating for pilot-houses and chains got aboard a steamer from Cincinnati, which was prepared to go up the Cumberland, but will be here to-morrow or next day. As the current is in some places in the Mississippi seven miles per hour, the iron-clad boats can hardly return here; therefore we must go well prepared, which detains us longer than even you would imagine necessary from your navy-yard and smooth-water stand-point." General Pope had just seized New Madrid with his land forces, and planted his batteries so as to command the stream down the river; and when the gun-boats assailed Island No. Ten from above, the place would be thoroughly invested, and the siege so full of picturesque and wonderful incidents, as it proved to be-would fairly commence. This order from General Halleck was received March 12th: "TO FLAG-OFFICER FOOTE: "You will not make an attack on Island No. Ten till further orders. I wish to wait till General Pope gets his heavy guns in position to cut off the enemy's retreat. H. W. HALLECK, Major-General." The following letter, of the same date, shows the writer's state of mind in regard to the enterprise : “MY DEAR SIR,-I am grateful beyond expression for your kind letter of the 7th, and beg to be excused for this hasty answer, as we leave to-day for No. Ten and New Madrid, and I trust that God will give us the victory. Island No. Ten is very strongly fortified, and we shall have a hard fight. I shall be very cautious, as I appreciate the vast responsibility of keeping our flotilla from falling into the rebels' hands, as it would turn the whole tide of affairs against us. "I will not show, nor have I shown jealousy against the Army. I am on the best of terms with Generals Grant, Smith, McClernand, and with all the junior officers. I thank you for your valuable friendship, and will strive to retain it. Respects to your family. I can hardly get through my work, so excuse this. "I have the honor to be your friend, "The Hon. Gideon Welles." A. H. FOOTE. On the morning of the 14th Foote moved down the river with his flotilla, consisting of seven iron-clad gun-boats and ten mortar-boats. He was joined at Columbus on the same day by Colonel Buford, in command of some twelve hundred troops, and reached Hickman that evening with the flotilla and transports. The boilers of the Louisville were here found to leak badly, and she was sent back to Columbus for repairs. We continue the narrative of events for the next two days in the flag-officer's own words, in his report to the Secretary of the Navy: "On the 15th instant, at daylight, the flotilla and transports moved down the river, arriving in the vicinity of Island No. Ten at 9 A.M. The rain and dense fog prevented our getting the vessels in position, other than two mortar-boats, for the purpose of ascertaining their range. "Early on the morning of the 16th instant I placed the mortar-boats in as good a position as the circumstances would admit, when they shelled several regiments out of their encampments, and, at extreme range, reached the batteries on No. Ten, the floating battery, and the five batteries on the Tennessee shore. The mortar-boats are in charge of Cap |