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Oliver Boardman correspondence and journals, 1861-1863

03_1862-03-12 Page 03

the Tennessee river and about nine oclock this morning we came up to Ft Henry that great place there has been so much talk about lately the place that Commodore Font stormed afew weeks ago with his gun boats I was surprised to find it such asmall place I expected to see  a fort at any rate but there was neither Ft nor house except afew huts the soldiers had thrown up, to winter in they had throw up fortifycations and out entrenchments over considerable ground but the ground was almost as low as the bed of the river. the Tennessee river is avery pretty stream about half as large as the Ohio and clear of islands it is up pretty well but not out of the banks in many places Tenessee puts me in mind of old Hosier more than any country that I have passed through before the timber on the banks is mostly beach poplar and sugar tree. our course to day has been almost due south and it begins to look like running from winter right into summer vegetation is starting considerable in places I dont know but what sheep could live especialy if they were fed. but things looks more forward than they realy are on account of there being so much cedar pine and cane and other evergreen undergrowth and the mistleto on the larger timber makeing a false show of summer but it will not be long till everything will be in full bloom for the weather is almost

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the Tennessee river and about nine oclock this morning we came up to Ft Henry that great place there has been so much talk about lately the place that Commodore Font stormed afew weeks ago with his gun boats I was surprised to find it such asmall place I expected to see a fort at any rate but there was neither Ft nor house except afew huts the soldiers had thrown up, to winter in they had throw up fortifycations and out entrenchments over considerable ground but the ground was almost as low as the bed of the river. the Tennessee river is avery pretty stream about half as large as the Ohio and clear of islands it is up pretty well but not out of the banks in many places Tenessee puts me in mind of old Hosier more than any country that I have passed through before the timber on the banks is mostly beach poplar and sugar tree. our course to day has been almost due south and it begins to look like running from winter right into summer vegetation is starting considerable in places I dont know but what sheep could live especialy if they were fed. but things looks more forward than they realy are on account of there being so much cedar pine and cane and other evergreen undergrowth and the mistleto on the larger timber makeing a false show of summer but it will not be long till everything will be in full bloom for the weather is almost