ISLAND NUMBER TEN. An island which existed, until shortly after the Civil War, in the Mississippi River, about 40 miles below Columbus, Ky. (near the boundary line between Kentucky and Tennessee). thus named from its position in the series of islands below Cairo, III. After the first Confederate line in the West had been broken by the capture of Forts Henry and Donelson (q.v.). the garrison at Columbus, Ky.. constituting the Confederate left Clank, was withdrawn to New Madrid (q.v.) and Island Number Ten and placed in command of General :McCown, who was later replaced by General Mackall. Early in March, 1862. a Federal army under General Pope and a Federal fleet under Commodore Foote advanced against these posi tions. On the 16th New Madrid surrendered to Pope, who then marched about 25 miles down the river, and with the assistance of transports which had been brought through a laboriously con structed channel, across a peninsula formed by a loop in the Mississippi, from a point above the island to New Madrid, succeeded in attaining the Confederate rear at Tiptonville, the Confederate batteries along -the east bank having been pre viously silenced by the gunboats Carondelet and Pittsburgh, which, under Captain Walke and Lieutenant-Commander Thompson, had success fully run by the island on April 3d and April 7th, respectively. Meanwhile Foote's fleet had kept
up a fairly continuous though ineffective bom bardment. The Confederate garrison, which num bered between 6000 and 7000, threatened in front and rear, and completely cut off from retreat by the Federal forces and impenetrable swamps. finally surrendered on April 7th. The Federal loss was less than a dozen men. The cutting of the channel across the peninsula formed by the lcop in the river required great labor and con siderable engineering skill, while the running of the batteries by Henry Walke (q.v.) was not only one of the most dramatic deeds of the war. but completely overcame the Confederate defense of this position. After the war the old Island Number Ten was gradually washed away by the river, and a new one was slowly formed on the opposite shore. Consult: Johnson and Bud] (edi tors). Battles and Leaders of the Civil War, vol. i. (4 vols., New York, ISS7) : 31ahan. The Gulf and Inland Waters (New York. ISS:3).