Flag-officer Foote commanded the little fleet of gunboats then in the neighborhood of Cairo and, though in another branch of the service, was subject to the command of General Halleck.  He and I consulted freely upon military matters and he agreed with me perfectly as to the feasibility of the campaign up the Tennessee.  Notwithstanding the rebuff I had received from my immediate chief, I therefore, on the 28th of January, renewed the suggestion by telegraph that “if permitted, I could take and hold Fort Henry on the Tennessee.”  This time I was backed by Flag-officer Foote, who sent a similar dispatch.  On the 29th I wrote fully in support of the proposition.  On the 1st of February I received full instructions from department headquarters to move upon Fort Henry.  On the 2d the expedition started.

In February, 1862, there were quite a good many steamers laid up at Cairo for want of employment, the Mississippi River being closed against navigation below that point.  There were also many men in the town whose occupation had been following the river in various capacities, from captain down to deck hand But there were not enough of either boats or men to move at one time the 17,000 men I proposed to take with me up the Tennessee.  I loaded the boats with more than half the force, however, and sent General McClernand in command.  I followed with one of the later boats and found McClernand had stopped, very properly, nine miles below Fort Henry.  Seven gunboats under Flag-officer Foote had accompanied the advance.  The transports we had with us had to return to Paducah to bring up a division from there, with General C. F. Smith in command.

Before sending the boats back I wanted to get the troops as near to the enemy as I could without coming within range of their guns.  There was a stream emptying into the Tennessee on the east side, apparently at about long range distance below the fort.  On account of the narrow water-shed separating the Tennessee and Cumberland rivers at that point, the stream must be insignificant at ordinary stages, but when we were there, in February, it was a torrent.  It would facilitate the investment of Fort Henry materially if the troops could be landed south of that stream.  To test whether this could be done I boarded the gunboat Essex and requested Captain Wm. Porter commanding it, to approach the fort to draw its fire.  After we had gone some distance past the mouth of the stream we drew the fire of the fort, which fell much short of us.  In consequence I had made up my mind to return and bring the troops to the upper side of the creek, when the enemy opened upon us with a rifled gun that sent shot far beyond us and beyond the stream.  One shot passed very near where Captain Porter and I were standing, struck the deck near the stern, penetrated and passed through the cabin and so out into the river.  We immediately turned back, and the troops were debarked below the mouth of the creek.