The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1863-01-15
vAN.D0R's BRILL isHT CAVALRY RAID
INTERESTING PARTICULARS

4he recent cavalry raid OF Gen. Ven Dorm
|, ,iB the West waa one Of the most brilliant fes,s
| OF the war, not falling thoTt Of any that have
been maae by the renowned Stuart or abiqui.
toss Morgan correspondent CT the Mobile
| Regrsfer gives the following Interesting gar
| sieuiars Of his brilliant achievements in. the
vicinity Of Holly Springs, Mics:
/ Van Dorm took by.way and meanderirc
/ route through the swamp, and came within
! eight ini'es of Holly Springs in the evening.
/ where ne birouaeked his force cntii two hours
/ before day, when he moved cautiously into
town, leaving the Texas brigade upon the
! aei AVS ontsHe as a reserve As car forces
! dashed III from all sides, she entrance proved
/ complete surprise, the breaking sre;,ks of
daylight slowing the Yankee tents with their
! yet un-isturbed siHmberers. 4 charge was
| ordered upon them, and the torch applied to
the canvas which covered thea. o para.
phrase Belgium" picture
4l'. hos q tlera . ss luzsstng "a s15 to
! s2a S:inE.sor II taa hA4Gs
@Ef eb~ X - i-a-'s sr6 3 az a-ss5 sT:tu ~oe.
| A%2HiGnE Ess..t@- ecss'sr sreas "
! The raoidity with which the tents Of the
! enemy were vsca.sd was marvellous: and ira-
| PEELED by burning iorches and rapid discharges
| OF side arms, the Yankees :ooh no tine to
! prepare their toiiets, but rushed cut into the
| cooi atmosphere of = December morning
I
lady Potifhar attempted TO detaia him. Tue
scene was wild, exciting. tuuuluoua Yan-
| Aees tonnGg, tents burning, torches haming.
| Conted@rates shouting. guus porrine, sabres
! clanh,ng, AboiItionists beeGing Ior mercy,
"Feoels shouting exultinriy, women en- dsSha-
6aAe eiappng ter hands, frantic with joy,
crying sill them, Kill tben"-a Letaroaete-
GUS mass Of excited, frantic, frightened hui
roan beings, presented an ihdescribsbie pisy-
tire, more adapted for the pencil of H3gafth
than tEe pen OF :. newspaper CORES poraent.
! he surprised camp surrendered ,S00 Eaen
| and i5J aomaissi ned officers, vrGo were i'm
lneii:.ieig pa~oled And thea commenced the
work Of destruction, The extensive buildings
OF the Mississippi Central depot, the station
house. the engine houses. and immense store.
houses, were aiied with supplies Of clothing
! end colnnlissafy stores. Outside of the depot
! the aarrals OF -four, estimated half Il mile in
| length, oae hundred and fifty feet through,
| and fifteen feet high. Turpentina wa- thrown
| 0ves this. and the whole an0nnt destroyed -
up town, tbs court house and tl'e public build
lngs livery stables, Gad al capaci0us establish
n'en'a, wero jided, ceiling nigh, with medical
! a9a ordnance stores. These were all fired,
| a.nd the explosion Of one of TIE buildings. in
which was stored one hundred hargeisc ct pow
der, knocked Down nearly all the houses on
the sort side Of the square Screiy such a
sHone OF devastation was never before pre-
senfed 10 the eye Ct rlan. Glance at tie ga
ganfic estimates:
8U9 900 fixed cartridges and ether ordnance
stores, valued at S. 500, ,JIU, including 5000 RI
Ties an6 Z, 600 -evolverg
LA, Geo suits o, clo.hire sud other q1.r+er-
master stores, valued al $500, 1,G01: 5C0Gbarreis
O. H1ur aod other conll3ie esary stores, valued
81 $3.50 COO
Sl,c00 G;0 worth OF medical stores, for y Licn
invoices TO thac amount were exhibited, aud
1866 bales Of cotton and $500, ,0G0 worsh OF
suffers stores!\
While The captfre Of the eamr, parolTrc Of
the prisoners, and destroying Of BE stores was
going on, tle TeJCas Rs.t4 e.s, comprising tbe
9tt, 6.l, eDG Sd 'e-s;one. became engaged wi;h
the Mich'gan cavalry, and Grove the1n poli-
fF'-!i through town and run them of l.ort1.
! with considerable less 70 the Aooilionls:s
ana loss ar thirty in killed and wounded Oh
cur n&rt.
Tie ladies' rushed out frcTa the houses, Wild
with Joy, crying ont "ile ere's some al the
Fair 'irounds. Chase them, Kill them for
Gods sitke!' One lady said ''rre ankee
Coniuand&nt Of the Post is is my house; come
and Gates him and d search was insligated,
bUf without succars, when the noble woman
! insisted that he was there, concealed and
! tiuaIiv, after much ado, the gallant (saye the
laarA , Colonel Murphy, the Intrepid fanSec
cor"iaaltaut Of Hoi!y spT.n3s. was pulled
on, from nn0er his bsd, anu presented himself
III his nocturnal indictments to his eaptofs.
The Provo. iiarstai raa .i'ao taizeu. and,
adIr- peinE General Van Dorm. Sail: ~ eli,
General, yOG ve s0t rs fairly this tine !:
knowed it. / wls in bed with my wife when
heard the iriGg, aud at once said; - eli,
wife, it's no use closing our eyes, CT hidiu :,
under :4e cover; we've gone mp.
Our attention was given to Grant 2 head
quarters which he had left twenty four homs
betofe. All his papers, charts. maps. etc were
captured, together with his splendid carriage.
winch was burned. Among his pagers was
lou ld a pass, TO pass the beare: over all rail
ROADS aud steamboats, in the United States. at
! Government expenses; 10 pass ali pickels and
guards, and other papers, at once interesting
aud valuable. Mrs. Grant wes also captured,
but 10 indisulty was offered 10 her.
Nearly every store on the public s01ag4 was
tiled with g1tier stores and after our Inen had
helped tkefaeelves the balance OF the goods
were burned.
When our forces irst reached the depot.
there was ii train sboua leaving. The engineer
Jumped on and run away, aha one of our men
! took ola place shut The th-ottie valve. and
s'opped the train. Sixty cara and two locomo.
tiveB were then tired AMI DESTROYED.
After The complete destruction CT all public
| property about The place, and after each man
had supplied himself with Il suitable quantity
OF clothing and boots, at six clocs in the
morning the MAJ CHI was renewed. and Davis 5
nl!i YVES tie next place attacked. Here tue
enemy were eusrenched and sheltered them
selves III d nlock house and foIt formed Of cot
ton bales. The cavalry were commanded 10
charge, aud attempted 20 90 so; but the swamp
and intricate isgoops breaking of in front OF
tue enemy 8 position woafd uot permit il. The
Yankees opened fire wi,h eof1s effect frop,
their fort, ard were supported by q 9-pouna
rited gun, mounted on an iron-ci4d railroad
caF, tormius q r..iisoad battery. Tne Texans
wers-sGain ordered TO charge, and Major Di..
lon, If Van Dorm s staff, whose gallantry
during the expedition was particularly
cons ieuous. attempted to lead them to
tbs stack; but the men refused to fol
low, beieyin. the az impossible ard the
position too strong for cavalry demon.
e5ration alone. Gel. Mccullough Of the His
Gouri caTairy, WAS ordered 10 re, in the rear
OF tho railrcad battery, Gus the track 20 pre-
! vent its escape, aud esptufe iE. L believe he
auecesdec !. cutting the road, bnt our forces
vgere compelled TO withara,g, and tie steam
battery WIS not taken. The force then pushed
on 10 MddisbWQ and Bolivar, and attacked
both places, but luaud them too strongly de-
Tended and garrisoue0 to succeIs: il taxing
either Of .he points.
When the command turned back after it's
unsuccessful attack upon Bolivar the enemy
aeut 3 force OF 10 900, comprising Tho three
branches Of the sergiea, out after Van Dorm.
aaa made great efforts 20 flank and cut oif sis
force bu. this dashing sysesgsras 100 warr
fjr them, and succeed sfin returning Eyssh 4de
steed of captured horsss gFJ alnes, sasaas u id
spoiis taken from the enemy.
The people Of Tennessee are Represented az
having Dsen almost frantic with JOY at .e ap-