Flag Officer Foote continued two days later: "The Benton is underway and barely stems the strong current of the Ohio, which is five knots per hour in this rise rise of water, but hope, by putting her between two ironclad steamers to-morrow, she will stem the current and work comparatively well....
"I hope on Wednesday [12 March] to take down seven ironclad gunboats and ten mortar boats to attack Island No. 10 and New Madrid..
"As the current in the Mississippi is in some places 7 knots per hour, the ironclad boats can hardly return here, therefore we must go well prepared, which detains us longer than even you imagine necessary from your navy-yard and smoothwater standpoint.... We are doing our best, but our difficulties and trials are legion."
We can get 'Em there, But Not Back
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