The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1863-06-30


letter appears III the Missi$slPPa0h isolD
ia. j w Fucker, m editor OF ;4iea's ani
s4ii to be genteman OF respectable staining
III thIn. sOme statements int If true meiit the
immediate attention OF tbs War DGpati9lehi.
lie commences by si!ndlnS 10 the repoIta pet
fcIth a' the time Kirby Smith wae 0rderedio tho
'iraus Missigsipii Department, aui when ne
was preceded few days by Gen. Pnice, that
Uen. Smith wae to have supreme command
ami that Gen .'tiUe was 30 he assgnet to &c
tvs c0mma;d i'll The iieid, untiamn;3'oi, IL
putsue the enemy when and where he could
strike him 10 best advantage. Nh. 1. learned
th..t upon their ARRIVAL ill Arkansas it wds es !.
ceftaued that ueaerai Holmes was ia com,
nland there, aud that General Pfice would be
under h,Gl ana that General Smith presence
would be required in Louisiana. Gon. p, he
continues, who had restored coniidonc3 to a
number OF troops ami recruited AL army, sought
permission TO take them 10 the field but was
ordered by Genefai Holmes with his whole
command to JaCkaonpoit, Aikansas, "and,
saya Mr. T., 'he might as well for the time be
static ned in Australia" We extract the ful
Iwn9 paragraph from his letter:
btthe time jackson was being burnt by
Grant and Sichsbor2 was being Invested,
Col Clay Vay:or, OF General Prices staff,
crossed tae h.eB!sslppi river to AIkaiieas, wit
ueeeef the efforts making by the enemy 10 re
inf0rce ana feed Grant army, and SAW the
practcabilisy OF cutting oil sulpilea ani rein
i.rceulents ftoin the west bank Of the river
lie made an earnest application to Holmes 10
he allowed to take e few heavy guns, aud sta
;ion them at p0int where tho enemy q trans
pori II set coJi,d ba destroyed, otiariDg 10 work
aB private and Il gunner ii0im95s army
was doing nothing never Was doing any thing,
but dYug, running, and being captufei. aa at
A.kansss pott But Col, Taylor application
was raiaeei on the grounj that the enemy
would land ard burn tho county. tihey did
not burn hlississiplj homes aud ptantat,onsY
Gen pfica then ', ,ent ia peraon to second Col
Yayior's aipiie ition, L viii 20. cad he,
ana taae nay Division with me; aud let the
enemy land it he dare {, l II whip him back into
the iiver." BIT Hoimes ao0uld nat a{i0U 0ny
Msag Of Ike kind 10 be aNemptcd
The writer further states that Gen Holmes
had at one time Al, 900 men, who were demor-
alzed and diminished to l2,UU0 without. sttik-
ing one blow. Now" he says, "when chr
fte trembles in the balance, Is 900 to % OUo
men are held Ia vice, they neither help Kir-
by Smith opposite Vicksburg, nor capture lie
lena, nor degtroY the enemy's means of sub
slatence, nor threaten s.. Louis, nor anything
elae in Coda world to aid our cause"
These allegations, if last, arc certainly sc
Eous. and niay@weli arouaa an Indignant te Il
ing through the country. General Holmes is
by many consijered au eiete commander, be.
longing to the class OF officers who did mis-
chief around this city daring the terrible bat.
tleg which were TO decide lis fate through
theii want of activity anu promptness. When
here w.s certainly not at all erieved Bat if
he has been the mar plot in Arkansas that MIR.
Tucker aiiegee, it were better that he had ztaid
here. The facts deserve investigation.