I saw the absolute necessity of his gunboats going into hospital and did not know but I should be forced to the alternative of going through a siege.

But the enemy relieved me from this necessity.
When I left the National line to visit Flag-officer Foote I had no idea that there would be any engagement on land unless I brought it on myself.

The conditions for battle were much more favorable to us than they had been for the first two days of the investment.

From the 12th to the 14th we had but 15,000 men of all arms and no gunboats.

Now we had been reinforced by a fleet of six naval vessels, a large division of troops under General L.Wallace and 2,500 men brought over from Fort Henry belonging to the division of C.F.Smith.