All the gunboats engaged were hit many times.  The damage, however, beyond what could be repaired by a small expenditure of money, was slight, except to the Essex.  A shell penetrated the boiler of that vessel and exploded it, killing and wounding forty-eight men, nineteen of whom were soldiers who had been detailed to act with the navy.  On several occasions during the war such details were made when the complement of men with the navy was insufficient for the duty before them.  After the fall of Fort Henry Captain Phelps, commanding the iron-clad Carondelet, at my request ascended the Tennessee River and thoroughly destroyed the bridge of the Memphis and Ohio Railroad.

CHAPTER XXII.

Investment of fort Donelson—­the naval operations—­attack of the enemy —­assaulting the works—­surrender of the fort.

I informed the department commander of our success at Fort Henry and that on the 8th I would take Fort Donelson.  But the rain continued to fall so heavily that the roads became impassable for artillery and wagon trains.  Then, too, it would not have been prudent to proceed without the gunboats.  At least it would have been leaving behind a valuable part of our available force.

On the 7th, the day after the fall of Fort Henry, I took my staff and the cavalry—­a part of one regiment—­and made a reconnoissance to within about a mile of the outer line of works at Donelson.  I had known General Pillow in Mexico, and judged that with any force, no matter how small, I could march up to within gunshot of any intrenchments he was given to hold.  I said this to the officers of my staff at the time.  I knew that Floyd was in command, but he was no soldier, and I judged that he would yield to Pillow’s pretensions.  I met, as I expected, no opposition in making the reconnoissance and, besides learning the topography of the country on the way and around Fort Donelson, found that there were two roads available for marching; one leading to the village of Dover, the other to Donelson.

Fort Donelson is two miles north, or down the river, from Dover.  The fort, as it stood in 1861, embraced about one hundred acres of land.  On the east it fronted the Cumberland; to the north it faced Hickman’s creek, a small stream which at that time was deep and wide because of the back-water from the river; on the south was another small stream, or rather a ravine, opening into the Cumberland.  This also was filled with back-water from the river.  The fort stood on high ground, some of it as much as a hundred feet above the Cumberland.  Strong protection to the heavy guns in the water batteries had been obtained by cutting away places for them in the bluff.  To the west there was a line of rifle pits some two miles back from the river at the farthest point.