JANUARY 17TH, 1862: The USS Conestoga, Lt. S.L. Phelps, and USS Lexington, Lt. Shirk, reconnoitered the Tennessee River below Fort Henry, attempting to determine the location of a reported "masked battery" at the foot of Panther Creek Island.
Having become convinced that the battery had been removed, Phelps fired "a few shells" at the fort, but the range was too great for his guns to reach "...our batteries," reported General Albert S, Johnston, CSA, "though ready, did not reply."
As early as October 1861, the Navy had initiated a careful examination of the Confederate works in the area in preparation for the Army-Navy assault on Fort Henry.
--Old B-Runner
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