"Bombardment of Fort Henry, Tennessee River, Tenn., by the Mississippi Flotilla, Flag Officer Foote, February 6th, 1862. Flag Officer Foote's official report- United States Flagship Cincinatti, off Fort Henry, Tennessee River, February 6th, 1862: 'The gunboats under my command- the <em>Essex</em>, Commander Porter; the <em>Carondelet</em>, Commander Walker; the <em>Cincinnati</em>, Commander Stembel; the <em>St. Louis</em>, Lieutenant Commanding Paulding; the <em>Conestoga</em>, Lieutenant Commanding Phelps; the <em>Taylor</em>, Lieutenant Commanding Gwin; and the <em>Lexington</em>, Lieutenant Commanding Shirk. After a severe and rapid fire of one hour and a quarter, have captured Fort Henry and have taken General Lloyd Tilghman and his staff as prisoners. The surrender to the gunboats was unconditional, as we kept an open fire upon the enemy until their flag was struck. In half an hour after the surrender I handed the fort and the prisoners over to General Grant, commanding the army, on his arrival at the fort in force. The <em>Essex</em> had a shot in her boiler, after fighting most effectually for two thirds of the action, and was obliged to drop down the river. She, with the other gunboats, officers and men, fought with the greatest gallantry. The <em>Cincinnati</em> received thirty-one shots and had one man killed and eight wounded, two seriously. The fort, with twenty guns and seventeen mortars, was defended by General Tilghman with the most determined gallantry.'" —Leslie, 1896

Bombardment of Fort Henry

"Bombardment of Fort Henry, Tennessee River, Tenn., by the Mississippi Flotilla, Flag Officer Foote,…

"Bombardment of Fort Henry, Tennessee River, Tenn., by the Mississippi Flotilla, Flag Officer Foote, February 6th, 1862. Flag Officer Foote's official report- United States Flagship Cincinatti, off Fort Henry, Tennessee River, February 6th, 1862: 'The gunboats under my command- the <em>Essex</em>, Commander Porter; the <em>Carondelet</em>, Commander Walker; the <em>Cincinnati</em>, Commander Stembel; the <em>St. Louis</em>, Lieutenant Commanding Paulding; the <em>Conestoga</em>, Lieutenant Commanding Phelps; the <em>Taylor</em>, Lieutenant Commanding Gwin; and the <em>Lexington</em>, Lieutenant Commanding Shirk. After a severe and rapid fire of one hour and a quarter, have captured Fort Henry and have taken General Lloyd Tilghman and his staff as prisoners. The surrender to the gunboats was unconditional, as we kept an open fire upon the enemy until their flag was struck. In half an hour after the surrender I handed the fort and the prisoners over to General Grant, commanding the army, on his arrival at the fort in force. The <em>Essex</em> had a shot in her boiler, after fighting most effectually for two thirds of the action, and was obliged to drop down the river. She, with the other gunboats, officers and men, fought with the greatest gallantry. The <em>Cincinnati</em> received thirty-one shots and had one man killed and eight wounded, two seriously. The fort, with twenty guns and seventeen mortars, was defended by General Tilghman with the most determined gallantry.'" —Leslie, 1896

Bombardment of Fort Henry

"Bombardment of Fort Henry, Tennessee River, Tenn., by the Mississippi Flotilla, Flag Officer Foote,…

"Bombardment of Fort Henry, Tennessee River, Tenn., by the Mississippi Flotilla, Flag Officer Foote, February 6th, 1862. Flag Officer Foote's official report- United States Flagship Cincinatti, off Fort Henry, Tennessee River, February 6th, 1862: 'The gunboats under my command- the <em>Essex</em>, Commander Porter; the <em>Carondelet</em>, Commander Walker; the <em>Cincinnati</em>, Commander Stembel; the <em>St. Louis</em>, Lieutenant Commanding Paulding; the <em>Conestoga</em>, Lieutenant Commanding Phelps; the <em>Taylor</em>, Lieutenant Commanding Gwin; and the <em>Lexington</em>, Lieutenant Commanding Shirk. After a severe and rapid fire of one hour and a quarter, have captured Fort Henry and have taken General Lloyd Tilghman and his staff as prisoners. The surrender to the gunboats was unconditional, as we kept an open fire upon the enemy until their flag was struck. In half an hour after the surrender I handed the fort and the prisoners over to General Grant, commanding the army, on his arrival at the fort in force. The <em>Essex</em> had a shot in her boiler, after fighting most effectually for two thirds of the action, and was obliged to drop down the river. She, with the other gunboats, officers and men, fought with the greatest gallantry. The <em>Cincinnati</em> received thirty-one shots and had one man killed and eight wounded, two seriously. The fort, with twenty guns and seventeen mortars, was defended by General Tilghman with the most determined gallantry.'" —Leslie, 1896

Bombardment of Fort Henry

"Bombardment of Fort Henry, Tennessee River, Tenn., by the Mississippi Flotilla, Flag Officer Foote,…

"Bombardment of Fort Henry, Tennessee River, Tenn., by the Mississippi Flotilla, Flag Officer Foote, February 6th, 1862. Flag Officer Foote's official report- United States Flagship Cincinatti, off Fort Henry, Tennessee River, February 6th, 1862: 'The gunboats under my command- the <em>Essex</em>, Commander Porter; the <em>Carondelet</em>, Commander Walker; the <em>Cincinnati</em>, Commander Stembel; the <em>St. Louis</em>, Lieutenant Commanding Paulding; the <em>Conestoga</em>, Lieutenant Commanding Phelps; the <em>Taylor</em>, Lieutenant Commanding Gwin; and the <em>Lexington</em>, Lieutenant Commanding Shirk. After a severe and rapid fire of one hour and a quarter, have captured Fort Henry and have taken General Lloyd Tilghman and his staff as prisoners. The surrender to the gunboats was unconditional, as we kept an open fire upon the enemy until their flag was struck. In half an hour after the surrender I handed the fort and the prisoners over to General Grant, commanding the army, on his arrival at the fort in force. The <em>Essex</em> had a shot in her boiler, after fighting most effectually for two thirds of the action, and was obliged to drop down the river. She, with the other gunboats, officers and men, fought with the greatest gallantry. The <em>Cincinnati</em> received thirty-one shots and had one man killed and eight wounded, two seriously. The fort, with twenty guns and seventeen mortars, was defended by General Tilghman with the most determined gallantry.'" —Leslie, 1896

Bombardment of Fort Henry

"Bombardment of Fort Henry, Tennessee River, Tenn., by the Mississippi Flotilla, Flag Officer Foote,…

"Daring and desperate attack- surprise and capture of the United States gunboat <em>Harriet Lane</em> by the Confederates under General Magruder, and destruction of the flagship <em>Westfield</em>, in Galveston Harbor, Tex., January 1st, 1863. About two o'clock in the morning of January 1st, 1863, the Federal gunboats were attacked by five Confederate steamers, protected by double rows of bales of cotton, and loaded with troops armed with rifles, muskets, etc. The <em>Harriet Lane</em> was captured by boarding, after about all her officers, including Captain Wainwright and Lieutenant Commander Lee, and a crew of 130, all told, had been killed by muskettry from the Confederate steamers. The gunboats <em>Clifton</em> and <em>Owasco</em> were engaged and escaped, the former losing no men and but one wounded. The <em>Owasco</em> lost one killed and fifteen wounded. Two barks, loaded with coal, fell into the hands of the Confederates. The <em>Westfield</em> (flagship, Commodore Renshaw) was not engaged, being ashore in another channel. Her crew were transferred to transports, and Commodore Renshaw, fearing she would fall into the hands of the Confederates, blew her up. By some mismanagement or accident the exploion took place before a boat containing Commodore Renshaw, First Lieutenant Zimmerman and the boat's crew got away, and they were blown up with the ship. The Confederate force was estimated at 5,000, under the command of General Magruder. The Federal land force, under the command of Colonel Burrill, of Masschusetts, did not exceed 300, the residue not having disembarked at the time of the fight. The Federal loss was 160 killed and 200 taken prisoners. The navy suffered the most. The Confederate loss was much greater, as the Federal guns were firing grape and canister continually in their midst."&mdash; Frank Leslie, 1896

Harriet Lane

"Daring and desperate attack- surprise and capture of the United States gunboat Harriet Lane

"Farragut's naval victory in Mobile Harbor. The <em>Hartford</em> engaging the Confederate ram <em>Tennessee</em>. Official report of the engagement: 'The engagement with the enemy's fleet took place on the west side of Mobile Bay, in the direction of Fort Powell, and out of range of the guns of Fort Morgan. The <em>Tennessee</em> boldly steamed in the direction of our fleet, as if for the purpose of running down and destroying the wooden vessels, without paying attention to the monitors, except to keep out of their way; but they persevered in following her and cutting her off, when her whole attention was forced to be directed to them. The fighting did not last long between them, however, for the flagship and the <em>Monongahela</em> steamed in the direction of the <em>Tennessee</em>, the <em>Monongahela</em> striking her amidships with her terrible prow, causing the huge Confederate monster to reel like a drunken man. The <em>Hartford</em> then grappled the <em>Tennessee</em>, but further bloodshed was saved by the latter hoisting the white flag from the pilot-house. Captain Pierre Giraud led the party who boarded the ram, and the Confederate Admiral Buchanana delivered up his sword to him.'"— Frank Leslie, 1896

Mobile Harbor

"Farragut's naval victory in Mobile Harbor. The Hartford engaging the Confederate ram Tennessee.…

"Second naval battle in Hampton Roads- fight between the Federal ironclad <em>Monitor</em>, of two guns, and the Confederate iron-plated steamers <em>Merrimac, Yorktown</em>, and <em>Jamestown</em>, carrying twenty-four guns, March 9th, 1862. But the gloom that had begun to settle on the fort was greatly dispelled when, toward midnight, an iron marine monster, unlike anything that had ever before been seen on the ocean, made its appearance off the forts. It proved to be the Ericsson iron floating battery of two guns, just from new York. The state of affairs was hastily explained to her commander, and she steamed off to the rescue of the deserted <em>Minnesota</em>. When day dawned the Confederate flotilla, flushed with the success of the previous day, bored down on what was supposed to be an easy prey. the <em>Yorktown</em> and <em>Jamestown</em> drawing least water (The <em>Merrimac</em> evidently afraid of grounding) were ahead, when their course was suddenly stopped by the strange craft, which seemed to have dropped from the clouds. They thought to overcome her easily, and opened fire confidently; but a few of the heavy shot of the <em>Monitor</em>, which battered through and through their iron sides, drove them back in panic behind the gigantic <em>Merrimac</em>, against which the <em>Monitor</em> advanced in turn. And then commenced the most extraordinary naval contest known to history- the first battle between ironclad steamers every fought, and one in which all the appliances of modern skill were brought in conflict. The fight lasted for nearly five hours, when the <em>Yorktown</em> and <em>Jamestown</em> fled up the James River, and the <em>Merrimac</em>, disabled, and in a sinking condition, retreated into Norfolk. The <em>Minnesota</em>, having grounded, was then got off, and the <em>Mintor</em>, a proud proof of the designer's genius and skill, rode undisputed monarch of Hampton waters." — Frank Leslie, 1896

Second Naval Battle

"Second naval battle in Hampton Roads- fight between the Federal ironclad Monitor, of two guns,…

The battle lasted two days.

Ship Battle

The battle lasted two days.