Identifier: abrahamlincolnba01newy (find matches)
Title: Abraham Lincoln and the battles of the Civil War
Year: 1886 (1880s)
Authors:
Subjects: Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865 Generals Generals
Publisher: (New York, N.Y.) : (The Century Co.)
Contributing Library: Lincoln Financial Foundation Collection
Digitizing Sponsor: The Institute of Museum and Library Services through an Indiana State Library LSTA Grant

View Book Page: Book Viewer
About This Book: Catalog Entry
View All Images: All Images From Book
Click here to view book online to see this illustration in context in a browseable online version of this book.

Text Appearing Before Image:
compass. We were greatly surprised whenwe arrived above Island Number Ten andsaw on the blufts a chain of forts extendingfor four miles along the crescent-formed shore,with the white tents of the enemy in the rear.And there lay the island in the lower corner ofthe crescent, with the side fronting the Mis-souri shore lined with heavy ordnance, sotrained that with the artillery on the oppositeshore almost every point on the river be-tween the island and the Missouri bank couldbe reached at once by all the enemys bat-teries. On the 17th an attack was made on theupper battery by all the iron-clads and mortar-boats. The Benton (flag-steamer), lashed be-tween the Cincitinati and St. Louis, was onthe east side of the river; the Mound City,Carondelet, and Pittsburgh were on the westside; the last, however, changed her positionto the east side of the river before the firingbegan. We opened fire on the upper fort at1:20, and by order of the flag-officer firedone gun a minute. The enemy replied
Text Appearing After Image:
GENERAL W. W. MACKALL, CONFEDERATE COMMANDER ATISLAND NUMBER TEN. (FROM A PHOTOGRAPH BV G. W. DAVIS.) promptly, and some of his shot struck theBenton, but, owing to the distance from whichthey were fired, did but little damage. Wesilenced all the guns in the upper fort exceptone. During the action one of the rifled gunsof the St. Louis exploded, killing and wound-ing several of the gunners; another proof ofthe truth of the saying that the guns furnishedthe Western flotilla were less destructive tothe enemy than to ourselves. From March 17th to April 4th but littleprogress was made in the reduction of theConfederate works—the gun-boats firing a fewshot now and then at long range, but doinglittle damage. The mortar-boats, however,were daily throwing thirteen-inch bombs, andso effectively at times that the Confederateswere driven from their batteries and com-pelled to seek refuge in caves and otherplaces of safety. But it was very evident thatthe great object of the expedition — the

Note About Images