General Grant's operation to Fort Henry got underway as a Federal fleet moved up the Tennessee River and transports headed for Paducah, Kentucky, from Cairo, Illinois.
At Southampton in England, the Confederate steamer "Nashville" prepared to leave port for the Confederate States. A Federal gunboat, the "Tuscarora", set off to capture the Southern vessel. Such an action was prevented, however, by the British ship "HMS Shannon". The question of Southern blockade-runners using British ports remained contentious.