in a most perplexing manner. The storm of the
previous night had soaked the soft alluvial soil of
the bottoms, until under the tread of the troops
it speedily became reduced to the consistency of
soft porridge of almost immeasurable depth, ren-
dering marching very difficult for the infantry,
and for artillery almost impassable. For some
three hours we thus struggled along, when sud-it with any hope of success.
denly the roar of a heavy gun came booming
over the hills, and another and another, told us
that the gunboats had commenced the attack.
For an instant the entire column seemed to halt
to listen, then springing forward, we pushed on
with redoubled vigor. But mile after mile of
slippery hills and muddy swamps were passed
over, and still the Fort seemed no nearer. We
could plainly hear the roar of the guns, and the
whistle of the huge shells through the air, but the
high hills and dense woods completely obstructed
the view.

The Fort is surrounded by a deep moat, and, when
fully garrisoned, would be almost impregnable
against any force which could be brought against
it from the land side. Evidently its designers did
not anticipate so formidable an attack from the
river, and, certainly, nothing less well defended
than our iron-clad gunboats, could have attacked

Suddenly the firing ceased. We listened for it to recommence, but all was still. We looked in each other's faces, and wonderingly asked: "What does it mean? Is it possible that our gunboats have been beaten back?"--for that the rebels should abandon this immense fortification, on which the labor of thousands had been expended for months, after barely an hour's defence, and before our land troops had even come in sight of them, seemed too improbable to believe. Cautiously we pressed forward, but ere long one of our advance scouts came galloping back, announcing that the rebels had abandoned the Fort, and seemed to be forming in line of battle on the hills adjoining. With a cheer our boys pressed forward. Soon came another messenger, shouting that the enemy had abandoned their intrenchments completely, and were now in full retreat through the woods. On we went, plunging through the deep mud and fording swollen creeks, until, on the summit of a hill higher than any we had previously surmounted, we came upon the outer line of the rebel fortifications. An earthen breastwork, defended by an immense long rifle-pit, stretched away on either side until it was lost to sight in the thick woods. Outside this the timber had been felled in a belt of several rods in width, forming a barrier very difficult for footmen, and utterly impassable for cavalry. This breastwork inclosed fully a square mile. Crossing it and pushing onward, we came soon to another similar line of defence, and further on still another before we reached the Fort itself-and crossing a deep slough which protects it on the land side, we stood within the rebel stronghold.

The Fort showed fearful evidence of the accuracy of our fire, and the terrible force of our heavy guns. Every port facing the river was knocked out of shape; several of the enemy's guns had been hit by our shells-one had been completely dismounted and two more disabled by our shot.

The flag-staff was hit, and every one of the small log cabins which stood thickly in the centre of the open space, was riddled through and through by shot and shells. The earthen embankment, some fourteen feet in thickness, was pierced completely through in several places, but the tenacious character of the earth prevented it from forming such breeches as would ordinarily occur.

All about the guns spots of clotted gore and fragments of human flesh, showed that many lives must have been sacrificed before the Fort finally surrendered, but only four dead bodies were found within the Fort. It is believed, however, that a number of bodies were carried off by one of the rebel boats before the surrender. During the action the rifled sixty-pound gun burst, scattering its fragments in all directions, and greatly disheartening the rebels. This was the most effective gun in the Fort, and the one which had inflicted the shot on the Essex, on the day previous. This gun had been made at the Tredegar Works in Richmond, Virginia, the same establishment which cast the great gun that burst at Columbus, Ky., some time ago, by which Gen. Polk nearly lost his life. In addition to the guns found in the Fort, nine field pieces were afterwards found by our troops, at different places along the road, where they had been abandoned by the rebels in their hurried retreat.

The particulars of the attack and capture, as I afterwards learned them, were as follows:

Soon after noon the gunboats, according to the previous plan, advanced in two divisions up the river, passing on either side of a little island lying about a mile and a half below the Fort, so as in a measure to throw a cross fire upon it.

As soon as the boats appeared in sight, the Fort opened upon them fiercely. The boats advanced slowly up the river, firing moderateThe Fort is of the class known as a full bastion- ly, until within about a mile of the Fort, when ed earthwork, standing directly upon the bank of they opened their full batteries and the battle the river, and encloses about two acres. It commenced in earnest. The scene is described mounts seventeen heavy guns, including one ten- as being terrifically grand. The air seemed fillinch Columbiad, throwing a round shot of one ed with the flying missiles. The heavy boom of hundred and twenty-eight pounds weight, one the guns and the shrieking of the shells as they breech-loading rifled gun, carrying a sixty pound tore through the air, were echoed back from the elongated shot, twelve thirty-two-pounders, one surrounding hills, till the whole space, for miles twenty-four-pounder rifled, and two twelve-pound- around, seemed filled with one confused roar. er siege-guns. Nearly all the guns are pivoted and The Fort was soon wrapped in a cloud of smoke, capable of being turned in any desired direction. I which rose lazily up and floated away over the

hills, and through it, the flashes of her guns broke like successive bursts of lightning.

For more than an hour this fierce conflict continued, the boats gradually approaching nearer and nearer, until within a few hundred yards of the Fort, when the rebels' fire slackened, and suddenly a white flag was raised on the ramparts; but the dense smoke prevented its being seen by the boats, and the firing still continued.

In a few moments more, the rebel flag, which had been proudly flaunting from a tall pole, in the centre of the Fort, was hauled down, and Fort Henry was ours.

Capt. Phelps, of the gunboat Conestoga, was immediately ordered by the Commodore to land and take possession. On arriving at the shore, Capt. Phelps was met by an officer wearing the uniform of a Brigadier-General in the Confederate army, who announced himself as General Lloyd Tilghman, acting Commander of the district, and who formally surrendered the Fort and the adjacent camps, with himself and about sixty others as prisoners of war. When the foremost of our cavalry reached the spot, they found Capt. Phelps standing alone, surrounded by his prisoners, waiting for some one to come and occupy the Fort.

Sixty-three prisoners were found inside the Fort, and twenty-seven others were afterward captured by our cavalry in pursuing the enemy. Among them are a very large proportion of officers of rank, who will prove very serviceable as exchanges for some of our own valued officers now in the enemy's hands.

The list of officers, so far as I have been able to learn it, is as follows:

with some of his officers, attempted to make their escape, but were stopped by the sentinels, who, strictly obeying their orders, threatened them with death should they attempt to pass. Soon after, the flag was hauled down. This is the story told by the guard, who claim to have been impressed into the rebel service, and who thus retaliated. This may account for the fact of so many officers being captured within the Fort. while the entire force in the camp outside succeeded in making their escape.

It may seem a matter of surprise, at first, that the entire force of the rebels, except the garrison of the Fort, succeeded in making their escape; but certainly the last thought in the mind of any one, was that they would abandon their complicated and formidable intrenchments, without making a single attempt to defend them, especially as they had occupied the two days intervening between our arrival and the attack, in strengthening their position and bringing in reenforcements.

The very night preceding their flight, they had thus been strengthened by the arrival of a thousand cavalry, which they had sent for from Dover when our approach was first known. That they intended to fight, up to the very day of attack, is evident, and the sudden change in their plans can only be accounted for on the supposition that the approach of the gunboats struck them with a sudden panic, similar to that of our own troops at Bull Run. That this was really the case, the appearance of their camps amply proves. Had they remained and fought, as was anticipated, although there is little doubt that we could ultimately have succeeded in defeating them, it must have been at the expense of severe

Brig. Gen. Lloyd Tilghman, of Kentucky, commanding the district; Capt. Jesse Taylor, of Ten-loss on our part. nessee, Chief of artillery and Commander of the Fort; Lieut. W. O. Wotts, artillery; Lieut. G. R. G. Jones, artillery; Capt. Miller, engineercorps; Capt. Hayden, engineer-corps; Capt. Wm. Jones, Brigade-Quartermaster; Dr. A. H. Voorhies, Brigade - Surgeon; Dr. Horton, Surgeon Tenth Tennessee Regiment; Capt. J. McLaughlin, Quartermaster Tenth Tennessee; Major McCormick, Asst. Adj.-Gen.

Gen. Tilghman is a large, stout man, rather prepossessing in appearance, and gentlemanly in manner, after the Southern idea of a gentleman, but rather inclined to pomposity, like most of the rebel officers that I have seen. He is a graduate of West-Point, and was formerly in the United States Army. He is regarded as an excellent officer, and his capture will prove a severe loss to the Confederates. Capt. Taylor, I am informed, is also a West - Point graduate. The manner of their capture, as related by themselves, is somewhat curious.

At the commencement of the fight, Gen. Tilghman had posted a guard at the gate of the Fort, with orders to let no one pass out, but to fire upon any who attempted to escape. After the bursting of their rifle gun, and the disabling of two or three others by our shots, and while the shells were falling thickly around, the General himself,

These give ample evidence, first, that they were intended for permanent occupation; and secondly, that they were abandoned in the greatest haste. On a piece of rising ground, immediately in the rear of the Fort, were constructed a series of log-cabins, capable of accommodating three thousand men. In addition to these, tents were pitched in different parts of the encampment, far more than as many more. The tents were mostly new, of good quality, and very comfortable. Judging from appearances, the force of the rebels could not have been less than seven thousand men-perhaps more. They must have abandoned very hastily, as scarcely anything was taken away. Arms, clothing, books, papers, letters, daguerreotypes, even watches and money, were left strewn about in the wildest confusion. In some of the cabins the dishes stood on the table just as they had been left at breakfast. In others the dinner was still cooking over the fire when our men arrived. Everything denoted that the flight was the result of sudden alarm, and not of deliberate intention. The papers found includ ed all the various documents pertaining to the management of a military camp, muster-rolls, reports of all kinds, requisitions, orders, officers' commissions, etc., etc., some of them containing valuable information. The letters were mostly

from Mississippi and Tennessee, indicating the quarter from which the troops came. Many of them are written in rather a desponding strain, evincing a rather uncomfortable state of affairs at home.

TELEMAQUE.

us and the Gulf to prevent an army from marching on to Mobile or New-Orleans, or by a flank movement reaching Memphis, Columbus, Nashville, or Bowling Green. An entrance has been effected into the Confederacy at a point where Some letters I saw, written by officers in the they least expected it, and the backbone of the Fort, which they had not had an opportunity to rebellion is broken. You may be sure that the send. Nearly all of them were written in the advantage gained will be immediately followed braggadocio strain so common in the rebel news-up. In fact, steps have already been taken to papers, expressing the utmost confidence in the maintain our position, and extend our success. strength of their position, and proclaiming their In a few days you will probably hear of more ability to whip any number of Yankees which events of interest. the despot Lincoln could send against them. The clothing found was generally of home manufacture, coarse but warm and durable, and they all appear to have been amply provided for in this respect. In some of the officers' quarters, however, were left fine and costly suits of NewYork and Philadelphia manufacture, together with kid gloves, perfumery and toilet articles, of the best quality, in readiness, no doubt, against the time when they would make their anticipated triumphal entrée into Cincinnati, St. Louis or some other Northern city.

A large quantity of commissary stores were also found, showing that there was no lack of food of good quality. Coffee and tea appeared to be scarce, but there was plenty of flour, corn meal, rice, sugar, and molasses, fresh and salt beef, and bacon sides. Hams I saw none of.

The arms found were a motley variety: old flint-lock muskets, rifles and shot-guns of almost every known style. Great quantities of cartridges were found made up, for use in their smooth-bore guns, containing three buck-shot and a bullet each. In the magazine of the Fort were stored a large quantity of powder and ammunition of all kinds. Everything was prepared for a vigorous resistance, and had it been attempted, I have no doubt that it would have proved more difficult of capture than all the fortifications of Cairo, Bird's Point, and Fort Holt combined.

BOSTON "JOURNAL" ACCOUNT.

The correspondent of the Boston Journal gives the following interesting details of the bombardment of Fort Henry:

When the rebels took possession of Columbus, and made a stand at Bowling Green, they saw the necessity of also shutting the two gates midway the two places, the Cumberland and Tennessee Rivers, which open into the heart of the seceded States. Taking now the map, you will observe that the two rivers are very near together at the dividing line between Kentucky and Tennessee. Two important points were selected on those rivers, near the State line, strong natural positions, which military science and engineering had made, it was thought, impregnable to any attack by land or water. The points selected are below the railroad which connects Memphis with Bowling Green, thus guarding against any interruption of communication, a matter very important to the rebels, not only in subsisting their armies, but in enabling them to transfer troops from either division, as might be necessary to counteract our movements.

The point selected for fortification on the Tennessee, is about ninety miles from the Ohio River, at Pine Bluff Landing, on the east side, where, in addition to the strong battery commanding the river, there was an entrenched camp, protected on both flanks by creeks and a pond, and on the Perhaps the point which struck us most forci- river by felled trees, for a long distance. The bly with surprise, after entering the works, was river at this point runs nearly due north. A mile the enormous extent of the plan which had been and a quarter below the Fort is Panther Island, proposed and partially carried out in the fortifi- heavily wooded. The channel on the east side cations. As I before stated, the exterior line of of the island is impassable at low water, the main breastworks, with their ditches and abattis, en-channel being on the west side. The rebel engiclose at least a square mile. One single line of rifle-pits extends nearly a mile and a half. And this is only one of three lines of defence which were to be overcome before the Fort itself could be approached. There is ample room within the intrenchments for one hundred thousand men, and at least half that number would be required to properly defend it.

It is evident that the confederates regarded this as one of the most important points in their whole line of defences, and a glance at the map will show it to be such. By obtaining possession of this post, we have reached a point the most southern of any yet attained by our army away from the seacoast. We have an easy and uninterrupted communication with the entire North is now nothing between

neer, therefore, in constructing the work, arranged the angles and faces to command the main channel, but had taken into account the contingency of high water, and had planted torpedoes in the east passage, which were fished up by Commodore Foote without difficulty. Three were first taken up, and all but one were found to be so moist that they would not have exploded.

The front face of the Fort is about twenty feet above the water. It contains four or five acres, and the intrenched camp about thirty acres.

You can obtain an idea of the relative positions by standing facing the north, and raising your right arm, half bent, till your hand is on a level with your face. Your arm represents the river; the Fort is at your elbow, in position to send a raking fire down toward your wrist. Midway