Forrest's Marine Operations in the West.
The mode of procedure of the
Confederate horse-marine cavalry in capturing the Yankee gunboats out West is very interesting.
Some letters to the Mobile
Register give full accounts of the recent exploits of the troops of
Forrest's command on the
Tennessee river.
The first is a narrative of what was done by
Buford's division, and the description is worth reading:
At daylight, everything was in readiness; every one breathlessly watched the river for approaching steamers and their convoys.
About 10 o'clock, smoke in the distance notified us of the approach of a boat coming up the river.
Various were the surmising as to her character.
Thus passing the time in discussions, the boat approaches, proving a transport — never dreaming that an enemy was lying in wait for her — and expecting to reach her destination before night.
But deceitful are the expectations of humanity.
She passed the lower battery, her officers and crew lounging carelessly about, smoking.
They were aroused from a sense of security by the plunge of a ball through her stern, followed by one through her hull, while sharpshooters poured in a hail of Minnie balls.
She sounded the alarm and attempted to put about, but another ball was sent, carrying away her steam pipe, and one through her pilot house.
She was rapidly landed on the far side of the river and deserted by her crew and clerk.
She had in tow a barge, heavily laden, and was sunk herself to the guards by freight.
By means of a hawser she was brought over and secured.
We found a rich cargo of supplies, consisting of hard bread, shoes, blankets, axes, etc., etc., valued at two hundred thousand dollars. She was the "Mazeppa," of
Covington.
This was her first and last trip.
Our (
General Lyons's) brigade was at this point, and we commenced at once unloading our prize.
We had succeeded in discharging the most valuable portion of the cargo, when a gunboat, followed by two others, came up; and anchoring beyond the range of our guns, commenced shelling the transport and the landing.
They shot with great accuracy, and it was evident that they would soon destroy the boat and prevent us from saving the stores.
Under these circumstances,
General Buford deemed it prudent to burn the boat, and thus endeavor to deceive the gunboats and induce them to advance under our guns.
Soon after the
Mazeppa was fired, the gunboats ceased shelling and moved down the river.
Our army thus finds itself well supplied for the winter, besides rations of hard bread sufficient for more than a month.
All night was spent in hauling stores to the rear; it is impolitic to say how many wagon loads.
On the morning of the 30th, the steamer
Anna, under pretence of landing, succeeded in passing down by our guns.
She was severely injured in passing the upper battery; and when opened on by our lower batteries, she whistled for the gunboat; a shot or two more brought her over to the shore, and she rung her bell to land.
She was ordered to land at once; her pilot replied he would at the lower landing; as she made every disposition to come in, our batteries ceased firing, as we were desirous to obtain her uninjured.
Getting close under the bank, she ran by; in doing so, however, her steam pipe was cut and her hull completely riddled.
She drifted down till she met a gunboat, and was towed down the river.
She played us a cute Yankee trick.
It was evident that a steamer, though disabled and riddled with shot, aided by the current, could pass us, and
General Buford immediately arranged measures to prevent a like occurrence, and instructing his artillery in future not to cease firing until the boat should be completely in our power.
Gunboat No. 55--reported the best on the river — soon came steaming down to the assistance of the
Anna, and having under immediate convoy a transport and two barges.
Colonel Bell let her pass his battery before firing, as ordered, and then engaged the gunboat — the transport hauling out of the way. But our artillerists proved themselves too successful in their aim for this "dreaded monster," and she moved down the river disabled and crippled.
When in range of our lower batteries, we opened fire on her; but seeing it was impossible to pass the battery, disabled as she was, she got into a bend of the river, beyond range, and landed on the far side of the river to repair, intending, no doubt, to slip down the river under cover of the night.
She shelled the woods continually, to deceive us in regard to her condition.
As we had other batteries coming, I am very credibly informed that
General Buford immediately dispatched a courier, stating the condition of affairs, and directing that one be sent down the river to the bend to force the gunboat either to drop down or surrender.
This was done, and she was deserted — a prize in the hands of
Forrest's cavalry.
The transport then surrendered.
After the gunboat had retired to the bend, another transport came down the river, her passengers indulging in no thought of danger, nor dreaming of the cry, "The foe, they come!" The table was spread for dinner, and the passengers were lounging abaft, trying to pass away that most tedious of all hours — the hour just before dinner — little dreaming of the acquaintance they were so soon to make with the rebels.
According to instructions, she passed the upper battery, and
Colonel Bell immediately sent a shot through her stern.--She was soon disabled, rounding for the other side, but she was ordered to send a yawl and hawser ashore and land her on this side.
She was thus brought in by
Colonel Bell.
She proved to have a light cargo, mostly furniture.
The successful fight at
Johnsonville, by
Rucker's brigade, is thus described.
Since our fight at Paris landing, we have been moving up the river in search of more prey, and on yesterday we succeeded in coming up with two of the enemy's boats below
Johnsonville, which gave us a few shots and retired.
During the cover of darkness, last night,
Colonel Rucker put one of his regiments in position on the river banks, near the town, and also
Captain Morton, with his splendid battery.
At early dawn this morning three gunboats commenced throwing out "feelers," and to their sorrow they found out where the rebels were.
The bottom opposite
Johnsonville is almost impassable, but the persevering
Rucker and the indomitable
Morton made their movement regardless of mud and water.
About 3 o'clock this evening the engagement became general.
Colonel Rucker succeeded in gaining the river bank immediately opposite the town, under a heavy fire from the enemy's boats and land batteries, and for two hours the hills and hollows for miles along the
Tennessee river resounded with the roar of cannon and musketry.
Morton's guns set the transports (seven in all) on fire, and pretty soon the entire wharf was in flames.
The enemy had four large siege pieces on a hill just back of the town, which continued to shell the woods for miles along the banks, but
Rucker could not be driven from his position.
He had come to perform the work, and nobly did he execute it.
A large force of Yankee infantry made its appearance on the wharf below where the boats and warehouses were burning, and commenced a heavy fire with small arms across the river.
Colonel Rucker ordered
Colonel Hodgson, with the Seventh Alabama, and
Captain Bell, commanding Twelfth Tennessee, to open upon the infantry opposite; and for one hour the fire was kept up incessantly.
During the fight, a Yankee regiment of cavalry made its appearance in the town, and it was laughable to see them stampede when a shell from our battery fell in amongst them.
That cavalry has not been heard from since.
Night came on and closed the engagement, which may be summed up as follows: Loss to the
Yankees, three gunboats, seven transports, a large ware-house and an immense quantity of army stores destined for
Sherman.
We cannot tell what loss the enemy sustained in killed and wounded, but it must have been severe.
Strange to say, our loss was no one killed and about fifteen wounded. Our fire was much more destructive than the enemy's, owing to the fact that we got the complete range of his position and made every shot tell.
