Presiding at an Enlistment Meeting.

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obstructions on the Mississippi; why can it not overcome them on James River? Having done more than was expected, it is now expected we will do impossibilities.

"But to revert to the object of this letter. It is best that you should take your own time to come on. I know you will do it at such time as you are satisfied it will be best for yourself and the service.

"Very respectfully,

GIDEON WELLES."

But our wearied veteran was not suffered to enjoy perfect rest even at home. It was a time of uncommon excitement, uncertainty, and despondency in war matters. The cry was "On to Richmond;" but the Union armies seemed to advance no nearer to Richmond than they had done months before. Vast preparations and expectations had been bitterly foiled. Great numbers of troops were needed to fill up the voids made by sickness and battles in our hosts. Immense war-meetings were organized in all our large cities, and every means was taken to arouse popular enthusiasm and to swell enlistment. At one of these great enlistment meetings, called on the evening of the 8th of July, in New Haven, Commodore Foote presided. In the newspaper account of this meeting the presiding officer is thus spoken of:

"The meeting in Music Hall last evening, called by a number of prominent citizens, to take into consideration the subject of raising the Connecticut quota of the troops called for by the President, was fully attended and very enthusiastic. Commodore A. H. Foote, as before announced, presided. His entrance upon the stage was the signal for prolonged and vociferous cheering. The meeting was called to order by N. D. Sperry, who proposed three cheers for the gallant commodore of the Western waters, which were given with a will.

"Commodore Foote briefly addressed the audience. He was pleased to see so many ladies present. It was an encouraging sign. He felt diffident in attempting to preside at so large an assembly. His life had been mostly upon the water, and his speaking had been confined to giving a few peremptory orders. He spoke in complimentary terms of Governor Buckingham, who sat near him. He spoke in terms of highest praise of Secretary Welles. Connecticut was honored by such a son. He referred

to Commodore Gregory, who regretted that he could not be here tonight his duty in superintending some monitors, that will give the English, French, and every body else who may have the temerity to interfere with us, a warm reception, calling him away from the city. The commodore concluded his remarks with an expression of his belief in the justice of the cause of the Union, and his firm reliance upon divine Providence for ultimate success."

Earnest and patriotic speeches were made by Governor Buckingham and others, and at the close the following resolution was passed:

Resolved, That the thanks of this meeting are due, and are hereby most heartily tendered to our presiding officer, Commodore Foote-not only for his dignified and courteous demeanor this evening, but also for the invaluable services which he has rendered to our country."

In a day or two after, a similar war-meeting was held in Hartford, during which the president of the evening read, amid great applause, this letter:

"NEW HAVEN, July 9, 1862.

“MY DEAR SIR,—Your kind and complimentary note of invitation, in behalf of the committee, to attend a meeting in the city of Hartford tomorrow evening for the purpose of encouraging enlistments, has been received.

"In view of the condition of the country, requiring immediate reinforcements to the Army of the Potomac to secure the possession of Richmond, the great stronghold of the rebels, I would, under other circumstances, most joyfully be with you, and add my mite toward forwarding the grand object of your meeting; but having been forced away from my command on the Mississippi, on the eve of consummating its grand object-of clearing the Western rivers of all rebel obstructions-in consequence of a wound received at Fort Donelson; and suffering to-day from the effects of presiding at the large, enthusiastic meeting here last evening, render it my duty to decline your kind invitation. But, although necessarily absent, I shall be with you in sympathy; and in another field I hope soon, in action, to do my part, as I hope and beg that every citizen will also do his, either in person or by finding a substitute, toward speedily and forever crushing this wicked, causeless rebellion.

Let the ladies urge the young men to the field by their persuasive influence; or, if necessary to secure the quota assigned our state, let them decline the attentions of young gentlemen until they shall go and return from the field of battle-having vindicated the honor of our flag, and contributed their part toward transmitting to posterity the rich legacy of that free government which our fathers have bequeathed to us at the sacrifice of much of their best blood and treasure.

"We ask nothing for the Navy, which, under the efficient administration of Secretary Welles, of whom Hartford, the State of Connecticut, and the nation may justly be proud, is ready to do its part in the future, as it has done it in the past, toward vindicating our flag and sustaining the supremacy of the laws. And shall we now, after so many glorious victories, suffer an ignominious defeat for want of a timely reinforcement to the Army? No! we spurn the thought. We will furnish the gallant McClellan with men; and, patriots of Connecticut, let us rush to the rescue, and the God of Battles will continue to crown our arms with victory-enabling us to sustain our proud position, against enemies internal and external, as one of the most powerful nations of the earth.

"I am respectfully and very truly yours, "Hon. William J. Hamersley, Mayor of Hartford."

A. H. FOOTE.

We will not mention other meetings, which were characteristic of the times, and in which the letters of the fighting commodore-whatever may be thought of them in other respects -were "weighty”—were full of spirit and fire, and stirred the country like the blast of a trumpet.

In the mean time letters from the West, detailing in full the operations of the flotilla, continued to come, as if distance and separation made no difference in the feeling of unity between him and his "old command." We have space but for extracts from one of these:

"U. S. FLAG-STEAMER BENTON,' MISSISSIPPI RIVER,

July 29, 1862.

"FLAG-OFFICER A. H. FOOTE, U. S. N., New Haven, Conn. :

"MY DEAR SIR,—I had the great pleasure to receive your letter of the 19th instant this morning, and I am most grateful to you for it. I am attempting to answer it under difficulties, having a felon upon the fore

finger of my right hand. I am very glad, indeed, to hear of your improved health, and that the foot is mending. Count the months since you were wounded; does it not seem an age? and all so different now from what we hoped for after the fall of Donelson. I wrote to you a short time since, which letter, I believe, shared the fate of the Sallie Wood, fired into and burned on her way up to Memphis. Should I be in error, you will know why I go back over most of our stay at Vicksburg.

...

"Before we went down, a plan had been made by Flag-Officer Davis for an expedition up the Yazoo River, intending to destroy the enemy's vessels there, and especially the Arkansas. . . . Refugees brought very contradictory reports about the Arkansas; but Commodore Davis, seeing that the lower fleet remained quietly above, resolved upon a move up the Yazoo, and first dispatched a reconnoitring force to ascertain the strength of the batteries covering the obstructions, and to learn generally what force to send up. The Taylor and ram Queen of the West were to go on this reconnoissance, while the Carondelet should go up to the mouth of the 'old' river, and remain till the return of the first two. The boats left here at 4 A. M., and before 6 A. M. began firing, as we supposed, on guerrillas, bushwhackers, or the like. We, however, soon ordered steam up. It appears that the boats met the Arkansas very soon; that she had a few minutes' fight with the Carondelet at close quarters, in which she (the Arkansas) seems to have got holes below the waterline, as they were seen pumping and bailing; and that, after shoving the Carondelet on shore, she pushed on, now using her two bow guns with effect on the old Taylor's square stern at some two hundred yards' distance. Gwin made a good fight. The ram Queen ran away on the beginning of the firing. They were soon down upon us. Not one of the lower fleet had fires kindled. The old Benton smoked vigorously; still there was not steam to move her huge hulk; and other vessels had so crowded about us that we could not slip and drop down with the current till such time as steam was ready, and by the time we began to move the rebel was a mile below. He had received the fire of Farragut's fleet, scarcely one doing him harm except the Richmond, Captain Alden, whose broadside made the iron fly splendidly-whole bars going up twenty feet in the air. It was hard times with the rebel evidently. None of his shot hurt any one on board the vessels at anchor, or did damage worth mentioning. One cut away a stanchion for us, and left its traces on the back of my sack-coat-so much for the favors of my friend Brown. We followed the Arkansas down till fired upon by the batteries. She

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had escaped. . . . It was settled that we at six o'clock should engage the upper batteries while the lower fleet was passing, which would leave ample daylight for them to see the rebel gun-boat, which is painted an earth color, not distinguishable at night. Anchors were suspended from mainyards, and grapplings from the cross-jack yards; in short, most elaborate preparations were made for the advantage of the rebel intruder, and none could doubt of its immediate destruction. One grand ram, the Sumter, was loaned for the occasion. At six o'clock we were under way; and, while the sun still blazed in his glory, were again in hot exchange of compliments with the enemy's battery of six rifled guns. No vessels of the other fleet moved yet, and for three quarters of an hour we were still watching to see them come. At last, as the twilight began, they started, and we could scarcely tell when the foremost vessel passed the upper battery, and saw nothing of the hindmost ones. The thing was a failure. We had no need of reports from below to tell us that. . . . The next night came and passed undisturbed by one sullen sound. The day after there were still threats of destruction to the horned enemy; and this went on till, finally, the Essex and ram Queen of the West made their attempt. This was against Commodore Davis's judgment. Flag-Officer Farragut himself came up, spent most of the day with Commodore Davis, and matured a plan of attack, which was this: The Essex and ram Queen of the West were to go down and attack the Arkansas at daylight next morning, we covering them at the upper batteries, while the lower fleet should attack the lower batteries, and prevent them firing with ef fect on the attacking boats. The Sumter was also to go up to assist. ... Morning came; we engaged the upper batteries; the Essex and ram Queen in due time passed down. No guns from the lower fleet could be heard; we continued to listen in vain, and our hearts grew heavy. Our two vessels, unsustained, could not endure the fire of both batteries and rebel gun-boat. The rebel fire was very heavy. Presently the Queen came up badly shattered. She had struck the rebel, but not effectively; and in the terrible fire upon her could not renew the at tempt. The Essex had poured her fire into the enemy, but in the swift current could not be managed well enough to lay by the fellow, enduring the while the terrible raking fire of those lower batteries as well as of the others. The lower fleet was at anchor; the Sumter not to be seen. It is a fact worthy of notice that when the Queen struck the Arkansas, half the crew jumped overboard. The Essex's shot made big holes in her sides, and cries were heard on board. No explanation was made of the failure