Daily State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1863-01-06
Our Army Corrcspondence--From
uissfsstppi.

YOU within a week or ten DAYS. for the road !.
repaired hence 10 Jack .oD. 4 enn.. and the cars
will 20 up thi- afternoon but when they viii 20
beyond that u doubtful. though Il j. said that the
road tsetce - Columbus WILDE "a RUNNING OrieF
in three days. a consummaiion most deyOutly %
be wished. Meanwhile. let me gather up a iew
items bereabouts, which may be new though long
DELAYED IN the transit. A life ike picture OF the
events Of the last lev days, such as Runnion
takes OF the human face divine. would be CARED
upon with more interest BY most OF your readers
than anything in the picture line which they have
seen FOR a long time.
! spoke Of Holly Springs. in the last letter. as
beautiful even in it, ruins Like the aged mat
ron whose Youthful beauty had been saved from
utter decay by an amiable temper. 80 il had sur
vived the ravages Of its own aud our army by
admitting a. kindly a. possible to the fates of
war The splendid mansions and their beautiful
grounds vet stood unmOlested, and the wives and
daughters Of men in arms against Us yet slept
quietly. and ate the best they could get, though
in sadness, yet ia security Perhaps II was this
a~uietne-s and seeming resignation which en-
trapped the General commanding this department
and caused him to leave -. DOC, 600 OF stores.
including large supplies OF ammupition. in the
charge OF an officer who had proved himself IN
competent, IL nothing worse. at Iuka, and, with
but a small force of men. aud these not stationed
so as 20 give timely warning or even partial pro
tection in case OF an attack. The cavalry and
one regiment Of infantry camped IN town. and
the other regiment camped just outside. yet were
mostly asleep at : o'clock last Saturday when the
attack was made. The officer commanding the
district was away from bis quarters. having slept
with a friend at the depot; and othe- officers.
instead Of being with their respective commands.
had been lured by the hospitality Of generous
females TO the better lodgings Of their open
houses. Ii Gen. Van Dorm had planned the
position of our excuse OF anarmy, and had given
orders TO our excuse Of a commander. he could
not have had things more to his liking.
The entrance OF the rebel cavalry smacked Of
the terrible. of the sublime and Of the ridiculous
1t was terrible To see a line of battle drawn up
on the adjacent bill, and the heartles- creatures
firing into the tents of the 9th Illinois, where
the men were sleeping unsuspicious of danger.
lt was sublime to see the movements Of the
thousands of cavalry approaching sOmeghat in
military style, but, when they entered town, broke
into independent squads, aud every individual
went on his own hook. in pursuit. now of a fugi-
tive cotton buyer, now OF a Comnissary or his
clerk. now OF a Sutler. and occasionally OF a
skedad5ling scattering soldier-One trooper astride
a mule, the next on the frame OF an unfinished
horse. which seemed to have been taken from
the horse factory before flesh had been put be
tween the SKIN AMI the bones-the next on a fat
and fiery steel Just from the stable OF somC
liltfllN Iitlifis u tWWhN - UN 81 WffIAl-
after the Independence of the Confederacy Is
acknowledged-one wearing a hat gone to seed
the next no hat nc all. the next a plush cap o
several years service, and now and then one witt
the veritable coat OF that same old coon. some
how tied on his head-one had run his heac
through a blue blanket, near the center. anothe
had u muddy colored one, which may have beer
white ia the ages past, and the next had serve
"a section of three PLY carpet in the same way
another "A rich niece of Rru-1pla from his utpfhprf
parlor-that was ridiculous. and YOU would have
laughed ii they had killed YOU for il.
Halt, thar you would hear on the right
"Halt, ttari' on the left; and the trembling cot
ton buyer or Sutler would come 10 n stand still
Fall in. thar come. double quick, thar woul'
follow in painfully rapid succession; aud the maj
of greenbacks and the man OF notions woul,
come To n trot very much against his will. Or
d%inarily. when not under the eye of the General
the prisoner was first relieved OF all such incuin
brances as watches, purses, pistols, DC. In SOM
cases. private vet valuable papers were taken an,
DESTROYED for sheer wantonness, ard sometime
boots were snapped very much against The vii
OF the party of the first part. While this wa
going on IN the streets, the fair damsels Of th
land were joyous beyond measure. The wavinj
OF handkerchief from verandns and window
was the least manifestation Of joy. Frequentl
they went ~ gate, anil cbcered with words by o,
means complimentary to the prisoners and thci
cause Had they had a guaranty from Omnipo
tencc OF perpetual possession. they would no
have been more arrogant or insulting. and IL
not in fallen human nature 10 receive taunts uu
der such circumstances and be wholly ~forgetfu
aftcrwnrd
While the prisoners. civil and military. wer
thus hastily marched Ia the place of rendezvous
thAprch WAS applied to the extensive machine
shSYk and depot buildings of the railroad. th
most complete. In all their appointments, that
ever saw, and soon sixty of our ears. and tw
new locomotives. aud corn and oats. aud coat
and pants. and socks aud shirts. and spades an
shotcls. aud every other article OF Quartcrmns
ter'e stores. were In aames aud Hour and meat
and sugar. coffee and whisky, aud every variet
of Commis-ary stores. went along. About ia
same time fire was set Ia a building on the publ
square. IN which were al kinds of nrinanc
stores IN great abundance. including large guam
Titles ot powder aud loaded shells. The esplo
sion which poon followed WAS most terrific. shat
ieting buildings 10 pieces for several squares. M
leaving hardly one pane oi glass utbroken With
forty rods. The flames spread, and being undii
iufhel 10y a five department, they ceasel onl
when adjacent buildings were not To- be found 4,
fuel, You ma, he sure that this raid has not iu
proved the appearance ut the town much. tnkin
oil these things into the account.
liut this is not al The Rangers, which con
stiutel ~ largo a per ccnt of the cavalry. CAV
N''N'f' WfW"' ~ fN'' tN~h ~ lNNl't''H w
went Nv ptomispuously for general ,hievinl
The, lott bat few houses unmolestei hat 81
capped them toll 4 prey ~ the p,roled men. wi,
had seen the tehest ct them, male ahd female
csuying Alotpa iom onf Cummissaiy nepalI
mrht nml Who were turned lpose nnet their pH
fol, without a days iatluns, and in an enemy
countt, Whether I%ustihahly ~ not, " Il uu
that they cmulalel thelf predecessors la plunde
There vas 10 officer, Federal ~ Confederate
Who had a word a. say luf the former weic %
rolled aud the iattei had left, II was such a tin
as ~ may we'll hope never IA see again n,
mernns houses we've burned 90 various pteteNt
aud until the arrival of tie troops iho town VI
a sceue ~ universal tanult, and evidently ,hul
Who we're a. happy IN The morning, when trh'
rule wss asserted, nov lelt that they had sold "
fclenla ~ losa than oost, and made 4 Nef, hl
hergsln a. that, Hundreds Ut the mosi lnien'
seeeasiunsis wuuid have given Thousands tu ht'
fealofel the order 1T the day beiuto bat II ecu
not he duue
q llottt SruiNos. bee %. lsdp,
The evputs subsequent Ga lhnse alfeal, mel
ilunel constitute a separate chapter. and cNhll
80. L.. ..H.l. .