THE WESTERN FLOTILLA
441
the western side of the river below the island. Perceiving the defect in theenemy’s position, he proceeded with great promptness and ability to takeadvantage of it. It was his intention to cross the river and attack the enemyfrom below, but he could not do this without the aid of a gun-boat to silencethe enemy’s batteries opposite Point Pleasant and protect his army in cross-ing. He wrote repeatedly to Flag-Officer Foote, urging him to send down agun-boat past the enemy’s batteries on Island Number Ten, and in one of hisletters expressed the belief that a boat could pass down at night under coverof the darkness. But the flag-officer invariably declined, saying in one of hisletters to General Pope that the attempt “ would result in the sacrifice of theboat, her officers and men, which sacrifice I would not be justified in making.”
During this correspondence the bombardment still went on, but wasattended with such poor results that it became a subject of ridicule amongthe officers of Pope ’s army, one of whom (Colonel Gilmore, of Chillicothe,Ohio ) is reported to have said that often when they met, and inquiry wasmade respecting the operations of the flotilla, the answer would generally be:u Oh! it is still bombarding the State of Tennessee at long range.” And aConfederate officer said that no casualties resulted and no damage was sus-tained at Island Number Ten from the fire of the gun-boats.
On March 20th Flag-Officer Foote consulted his commanding officers,through Commander Stembel, as to the practicability of taking a gun-boatpast the enemy’s forts to New Madrid , and all except myself were opposedto the enterprise, believing with Foote that the attempt to pass the batterieswould result in the almost certain destruction of the boat. I did not thinkso, but believed with General Pope that, under the cover of darkness andother favorable circumstances, a gun-boat might be run past the enemy’s
■spfi
S1S#3