Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1863-01-27
FORESTS we-t Tennessee HxpeditiOu.


From the Montgomery Advertissrl
RR. EDITOR: You have 10 doubt heard before this
Of Gen FORESTS exeur-ion into West Tennessee ont
perhaps you have had TO give you Synopsis OF
the whole raid into this portion Of the state hed go
long b. the vandal enemy and as DOUBT no' your YOU
readers would be glad to have ain statement OF e's
ia the case, therefore you viii pardon me Tor Woupns
you with thi- communication
We crossed the Tenne see river on the loln Deeeih'
ber 1862 portion cr5ssingat Clifton white the cteisl
fCoones stares and Rus,es) crossed 50 The Decatur
iron furnace some ten miles blow, which being done
and the brigade collected together we moved on Lex
ington. Tennessee, the 18th ut hen Nithin iour
mites of The town we met the enemy pckets I" ham We
drove before us az the chan Petofe ne sit slu We -
sued them within hundred yards of heir lines when
found their force to consist Of some nne nsnIso
cavalry two pieces Of artlii4ry ihey opened Npou
with their artillery and long-range gems yet We az
yanced Colonel Russes gineHt in 'front.' unit; "lih
hundred yards Of their artillery where we ust up
in line in a thick oak grove and made charge upoh
their artillery which they he8 Until we were almost ~
gums length The charge made idly thar NOT
more than three hundred of reg eDt got into IT,
Their cavalry made stampede that Ball Run can III
wise surpsss As passed group Of iadies stanolug
gate The town. stepped forward, waving ner
handkerchief to salute US and said tIenemen ,hs Is
a fair Bull Run ! never saw such skedaddlng IN
ALL captured their artillery two pieces) two huaieo
and fifty prisoners two hundred cavalry guns ana ssF
ers horsecaptuing both the colonel aud MAJOR oi tAe
Pushinr forward to Jackson we pushed those that d
keep thercs INTO that place by daTS and as they sup
posed we had stopped pursuit, sent back picket
inst dark which advance guard succeeded IN esp
road while Colonel Russell sent to pass to the souIh
of Jackson mp the railroads and Col Doore was
sent North TO do likewise which was done ~ d9e ths
He mp the railroad and cred INTO the tram as 1T
passed down. while Colonel Russell burned the bridges
on both the Mobile and Ohio and Mississippi Central
railroad cutting off in both cases, the S0uthera trains
which vs Accomplished lust 1t daylight the morning
of the 20t which occupied in returning 70 the ace
had left the brigade (Cotton Grove and found they
had gone out to Spring creek, where we We're also or
dered. 70 which place re 1ehed auring ths' hsu
where We formed junction with the brigade.
On the 2lst we moved in the direction OF Humboldt
and Trenton but had prOcee only some ten or Twelve
miles when scouts from the rsar Informed OF the pur
suit bv two regiments of infantry, one Of cavary ano
nine pieces Of artillery and Colonel Russe, with bis
reinent was ordered back 10 meet and hold them in
check unti General Forrest could make successful cap
lures both Humboldt and Trenton which places We're
the mnin depots Of military stores on the railroad
Accordingly Colonel Russell carried bis regiment 5a
TO perform a wonderful w0rk-;hat Of holding at bay
with regiment Of cavalry the above named fcrees
But he did admirably. Put mg company IN advanee
commanded by Lieutenaut J f. Cater found the
enenvs pckets about O'Clock P. NJ. whom we at once
ran in and continued to fire their pickets until darS
10 move them back o. Jackson
So when ali things ready, snd while darknass
covered us we again advanced upon their pickets and
continued to dive them in (your humble servant hav'
mo charge Of the advaneel until we had driven them
within hundred yards of their camp, where could
see hundreds of their csnlp ires At one sight, and
where we could hear them cal Fall in company A.
fal in here company c. etc While your o6edien ser
want was ordering forward men, orTardl At the same
time Col Russell had charge sounded and the whole
regiment sent yell as though they were coming on
mn With all the speed Of their war steeds But in
stead of charging them be dsmounted aud marched
upon them and gayeAhem a deadly ire, when they
skedasded across bdge, near BY and bu Mt the
bridge leaving one wagon ard two ambulances And
as citizen tod Us the next day we killed twenty ana
wounded others at the sin rge-fre This is the WORK Of
the double barrel shot gun, that Yankees have so
often essayed to make fun or as weapon OF war aV-
inc done this we remained there and scented around
rnti two o'clock P. the I'd when were order
ed up with thu command, which we found at Ruther-
raafh sd alg0 ear frrn6
before dark that evenf1g.
At Humboldt and Trenton we captured some 500 600
off what could be carried, with the assistance Of some
twelve or thirteen caUtnre1 wagons and eamsobserg
ing 70 eurn the remainder
From here proceeded up the rail DAD burning the
bri ges and cutting the wires for distance when
we pas, ed 20 Dresden Here portion of the com
insnd stopped and rested two days, willie a potion
went on 40 10 the direction of Columbus Ky, and with
in Twelve miles of Columbus, they burned station.
making the garrison fee 10 Columbus for safety when
we burned the treste work ana also the bloekhOuse
made for its defense.
RAILROAD burning bridges ETC. bnt soon found hat there
was force Of eight thousand iutantry atfer us who
had arrived Huntington, aud whom Major Taylor Of
Gel A. Russell regiment, had been fighting, and we
srsin formed ourselves in ambuscade 20 await ther
arrival bnt finding that they not coming in nur-
suit attempted to out flank them and gam thr Lex
iroov, road b-tvveea them ard Lexington by wav of
Msclemoresvilje But before had reached the road
above menfione they managed 10 throw one brigade
back lust at the place where the r0sd were ia
attacked on the SIS ult. who way and fell back
on thu Lexington road TO give as full room to get
our whole force into the above mentioned road when
they made stand When Coionels Woodland, Russell
and Bfle turned their right flank Of intanry, and Col
Starres and Major Coz turned their left flank, while
our ten pieces of artillery, supported 10y Col d. bbrel
engaged them IN front when the hankiug parties di
mounted and charged them in the capturing
riece Of artille' y
Here thoaght we had them well whipped, as they
were surrendering by squais and comp nies when we
found tC sad dis ppdntment that the other brig de
(four thOusand) had moved in and we had
10 fall back and leave the enemy in possession Of the
bloodest battlefield that cavalry alone ever fought upon
leaving four pieces Of artillery upon the field bHt three
Of them were disabled. being burstei, while the
other one they did whole Of noneiieet, IS it
captured piece and We had neither could we get any
ammunition for TO- it being small hree-nch rifle piece
and this is the Opy gun that was in condition 10 be
used The relative losses follows since we crossed
int West Tennessee:
We captured and psroled four colonies four majors,
one staff officer ten captains, twenty four lulenants
and over thirteen hundrel nOn-eommissioned officers
and privates killed at srkers Cross Roads, the 3lst
,lt over one hundred, and learn from surgeon,
formed zoe that our cannon shot most awfal manged
theul and thinks wounded greai many mor3 than
we H led while our less in killed was only sixteen snd
wounded thirty forty While we broughtof of
the field Parkers Gross Roads, eight of their baggage
wagons only losing two Of ordnance train. msking
some eighteen wagons and teams we have captured and
psroled the prisoners above mentioned and don't think
we have damaged them less hundred aud fifty
thousand dollars say nothing Of the Inconvenience we
have put tn BY destroying the railroad and wires.
am your ebedelt servant FATAMIAN.
Cor Tam