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"MY DEAR WIFE,-Your excellent letter and William's came this morning like sunbeams just as I was writing a letter of sympathy and condolence to our dear friend Commodore Smith on Joe's death.* It was a sad affair; but such things will happen in war. I can not express my horrible pressure of responsibility; and now, honestly, I am almost crazy that no troops have been furnished to accompany me and occupy

* This promising young officer went down in the Cumberland at Hampton Roads, March 8th, 1862. Senator Grimes, of Iowa, spoke thus of him in the United States Senate, March 13:

"But while I would thus honor the gallant living, I would bear my tribute of affectionate respect for the memory of the heroic dead who fell in the engagement in Hampton Roads. Let the remembrance of that brave young officer, whose obsequies are now being performed in another part of this city, who, when his vessel was sinking beneath his feet, replied to a summons to surrender that he would never give up the flag intrusted to his keeping, and the next moment met death with composure, be cherished by his countrymen. The name of Smith, already illustrious in the annals of the American Navy, will be added to the bright galaxy of those who have freely laid down their lives at the call of their country."

We can not refrain from adding the father's response to the letter referred to, for its manly pathos.

"March 21, 1862.

“MY DEAR FOOTE,-- I duly received your kind note of condolence, and now I have to sympathize with you in your bereavement and loss of a darling boy. We must bow our heads and lick the dust, and say, 'Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him.' I was relieved by receiving the mutilated remains of my son, and I deposited them with those of his mother. We are looking most anxiously for reports of your success at No. Ten. God give you the victory.

"I have just received a letter from my only son, and he inclosed one for you, which I forward herewith. He has a hard time with his gunboat, but I pray he may be spared to me. I fear Farragut has a difficult task to ascend the Mississippi-his vessels draw too much water; but I hope you may meet him at New Orleans.

"Our arms seem to be victorious every where except in the untoward event at Newport News. We have been too indifferent about the monster Merrimack. I am glad to know my son performed his duty as well as any man could under the circumstances. I am almost crazy with the cares that rest upon me, which I shall endeavor to dispose of to the best of my ability; but I am old, and my mind is somewhat impaired; yet I shall stick to my post, and do all I can for the cause of the Union and the defense of liberty.

"I am taxed to the utmost of my power. "Yours as always,

"Flag-Officer A. H. Foote."

God bless you.

JOSEPH SMITH.

S

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.

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"Ever affectionately your dear husband,

A. H. FOOTE.

· Beauregard and General Bragg are here. "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."

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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,
And like a lane of beams athwart the sea,
Through all the circle of the golden year?"

CHAPTER XXI.

INVESTMENT AND BOMBARDMENT OF ISLAND NUMBER TEN. DEATH OF SON. CUTTING CANAL ACROSS PENINSULA.

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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."

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