Evansville daily journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1863-1866, 1864-01-15
IFrom our own Correspondent.
A Euarrtiia HINT
CAHP TON Brown, West Tenn,

recent expedition against Forrest and
his comrogues, and feeling disposed tc
be communicative, | have given myself
the task of giving your readers nara
tive of what we did, and what we suffer
ed, and what we saw and heard, whether
marching or in camp, hoping the rela
ton viii prove as interesting to them, as
the journey which furnished the events
and incidents composing it did to me.
Before l commence, must light and
Take pui. at Suffers eheroot,
Ere look at the world DER the toe Of my bost
There is in rowing, as cavalry rove, a
strange fascination to me. 1t reminds
me of lang syne," when with stir
ring breeze, our gallant barque bowled
along with the ease grace and speed OF
a sea gull Having no pack to carry as
infantry have, our movements are more
rapid, and our actions being less under
the surveillance of the officers, we conse-
quently fare better, and when we pitch
our camp, we are less fatigued than are
those who soldier as pedestrians. There
IS also less sickness among cavalry, gen.
orally, than among infantry, and this is
because of the advantages the trooper
has over the infantry soldier in the mat
ter of packing his conYenienees, and
providing for his bodily wants. We ewere
seventeen days out on our late scout,
and in a day or two will be ready and fit
for anything of the like kind that may
be required of US.
On the 22d of December an order
reached our headquarters to prepare five
days rations, and be ready for marching
next day. Accordingly at about P. NJ.
We broke camp and proceeded to Cham
bers' Farm, distant from Union City six
miles. The infantry-24th Missouri and
the 18th New York-the artillery-3rd
Indiana, six guns, the 9th Indiana, four
gnns-had preceded US by a day s march.
The cavalry consisted of the 7th Indi-
ana, 4th Missouri, 2nd New Jersey, 7th
Tennessee. and battalion of the 2nd
Illinois. In the aggregate we had, cav
airy, artillery and infantry, about 5000
men. 1t was well understood at our de-
parture what the nature was of our ex-
pedition. That Forrest, Faulkner and
Richardson were collected in or about
Jackson, Madison county, was well
known. There are not wanting Union
men Jealous enough to give US inteli-
gence, and consequently we were well
informed of the proceedings of these
worthless. jackson was said to be their
headquarters, aud recruiting and con-
scRipting their business, and it was to
break up this batch of desperadoes, or
drive them from their position, that we
were sent out & 1t was also our impress
sion that an expedition from Memphis
was on it's way to attack the rebels,
should they attempt to escape south
but from that source we have had no in.
telligence, although there was report
current at Jackson, that the rebel.forees
had been met at Big Hatchie and re
pulsed 1
Our route lay by the way of Dresden
Mckensies Station, Huntington, and
Spring Creek When we reached Dres
den, the citizens informed us that For
rest had confidently declared that he
would eat his Christmas dinner there
but he was not as good as his word
Our march was orderly and ordinary
and we arrived at jackson on the 3lst
of December, 1863, finding the plact
empty of rebelS. forces, they having ske
| daddled on the 23d and 24th of Decem
ber This was rather provoking, but al
it could not be helped, we very philo
sophically digested our disappointment
If wehad not the qualification of a meet
ing with the guerrillas, we had the sat
isfaction atleast of knowing that we hat
frustrated their endeavors to increas,
their numbers and augment their sun
plies The Forrest against whom W,
were despatched is Colonel Jesse For
rest, a brother of General John Forrest
and much younger than he He is rer
resented as accomplished, energetic an
active, but unscrupulous and vindictivt
His force was variously estimated at fror
700 to LOO. Without Richardson
and Faulkner S forces, his force no dout
is buEcsmall, and all accounts represer
them as being badly mounted and poorl
armed. We eascertained that he obtaine
quite a number of recruits and col
scripts while he remained in West Te,
nessee, but the latter desert his hord
whenever they have an opportunit,
Whatever horses could te procured witt
in their reachewere pressed by then
: and diligent search was made to obtai
arms for their new adherents We r.
mained at jackson until the lst of Ja
nary, 1864, when we resumed our marc
backward. We had left our infantl
and artillery in the vicinity of Huntin
ton, where they remained until we r
ioined them. Our march to Union Ci
was made with all unavoidable della
resting on account of the badness of Il
roads but one day, four miles north-ea
of Huntington, on the Paris road. o.
, route back was by the way of Pari
Boydsville and Dukedom, on the Ke
tucky and Tennessee line, the cavall
preceding the infantry and artiller
which made their way to suit their pa
ticular convenience, and their progre
: was necessarily slower on account
the supply train, which brought up the
rear 4sa-s ca
r The expedition was under the imm
( diate command of General A. ]. Smlt
S regular graduate, of West Point, and
man we'll qualified, both by edacati
and experience, to be intrusted with
command. The cavalry was command
;, by Colonel ]. C. Waring, of the 4th M
u souri, Cavalry, of whom 1 can say
more than that his appearance is exc
:, sively rakeish and nile;-stylish
his dress, wakes his moustaches assic
:. ouslyr rcultivates industriously the soci,
of two dogs-ore long-tailed, and t
! other shorttailed. travelling eonstan
IL with him,-encases his pedal extre
7 tiles in q pair of buckskin unm
t enables, and is notorious bed-press
seldom leaving his couch till A.
: Whatever means have been exerted
elevate him from the cobbler's lapsto
Ss l am not apprised of but were he to
4, seend to his original vocation, and so
.II other man better qualified for the p,
c. ton put in his stead, the service wo
be gamer, and the wax he apple:
his facial appendage devoted to its leg