, 1864-03-07
FROM GEN. S11E1EHfAN'8 Elk.
lEDQEKON.


WASHINGTON, March s, 1864.
There ia no harm now In sating that the princi-
pal If not the cole object Of shcrman's movement
was the destruction Of Railroads West and North
Of Meridian, In order to prevent the enemy ffom
troubling tic navigation Of the mississippi river,
OF Of making raids within our lines In that eoun-
try.
NEW YORK, March 5.-Thc Washington special
to the New York Tribune rays: ~ dispatch dated
Memphis, 1st, received this evening, gives come
most interesting details OF Shcrnnn's lnoYetnents.
The dispatch sass: After having reached Merfd-
ian Sherman sent out scouts to feel the sronnd
aecertain whether Logan, who had started from
Florence, Alabama, to meet him, and Smith and
Grieszon On whore cavalry he relied to prosecute
el*pecd before be received any answer, but as his
amy had hut limited rations, bra rapid movement,
which disconnected the rebels, he Suddenly turned
OF Eastern mississippi, where his army was sure
to find abundance OF prosis1ona. BT this move-
ment hc turned his back on Selma and Mobile,
to meet him. and, By an audacious stroke Of STRAIT
cry. placed himself At distance Of about 100 miles
hom Johneton's flank. now menaced hy his ad:
vance, The dispatch says that the rumor spread.
concerning the uttack upon Mobile and Selma by
sherman. IVES simply meant TO divert p2btic attcn-
tion from the rea1 object Of the expedition, which
Trcn1on and lafayette.
nEBEI ACCOUNT.
From Richmond papers. Fob. I'd to Feb. ssth,
we gather the following interesting items relative
to Gen. Sherman's expedition:
snEnAAN's FoNcEs HETREATIS6 70 yicKsnUno.
From the Richmond Examiner, Fob. s4.1
We have Important news tins morning from
steIman's e1Pedltion. An official dispatch was
Gen PolE. stating that sbeiman's forces lad eYac-
uatcd Meridian, and were retfeafn: in two columns
n the direction Of vieksbulE / il sappossd that
Mobile thwa1ted, and Bis cayalry reinforcements
~ t9!sed e a abandon his ospsditIoa, ana
lid wasc 6y his nyance. Whethet be cah accom @
G1h5;h 5seat viii saeecss remains t. be seen
to be deSastated II Is said that in Raymond. Gin
ton, Brandon and jackson not single house + LEFT
mans jinc d advanee he hrns We're lald waste,
the fences destroyed and residences giyen to the
damcs. The Yankee commander IL reported to
That he wonid sufre tl,e % epirIt % Of the peope 81
Miseleslppj by system Of barbaritfes never before
prac1iced upon any people. These arc now likely
lies through he desert be had lea IL Ills rear.
THE SITUATION m THE SOUTHWEST.
From the Richmond Examiner, Feb. 81
Our Southern exchanges bring: rs but little as to
tho situation Of affairs IN Mississippi. The. &C
counts va Sct repreeeat shcrmaI'a entisa army as
ns soS 81 speee
An Intelligent ctiiEcn Of EnHe11r1r14 Laid in Gus
ts 3 e i e. s sT fs5 s6 T M
Tfiiain %icksfnfEh. @0 - @,.
After burning the bridge this eide Of Quitman, and
tbss 6a ana % nzae houses III the
Yesterday morning the whole force at Enterprise
moved off toward Aeridcn.
Another despatch from De Soto eayB:
"A p9eon iron, Enterprise to-day states that pas-
ties who hare come through .Aerid1n report u9f ne
Yank<<s ~ that pace ysst<rday morning. 0oiag
DEuoro11a- Tuesday, Feb. 2 The enemy's
kin. retroeradc movement In the direction Of the
Miafisstpi arc also retiring, being coscy pressed
b. GeDs. Fo rrcst and Lee =.
pExoro11s A., Sunday, L;yE;, Fee ,asi,. siMThc main ar
taehmert has occupied Lauderdale, on the Mobile
and Ohio Ilniiroad. A portion Of u, column Of
mounted in fantrJ haTe occupied Aberdeen.
from the Montgomery Mail, Feb. 1s.}
The enemy, on arriving at Meridian. appears to
hare put on Ills 'thinktnG cap.": For two dnJs be
has made no serious advance In any direction;
ihe Te1nbrGee @ liver al Moseow, and At present, to
be IN position on this side. The purpo3es Of the
enemy are still shrorded in m5stery. Everything
is mere conjecture as to bis probable movements,
TIE ENEMY STILL ADVANCING PROM MERIDIAN.
IFtom the Richmond Examiner, Feb. ISL
Rurnors report the enemy still adTancInt; from
Meridian but the accounts are conflicting In this
statement. One rumor represents the enemy to
have reached Cuba station, twenty miles caet OF
Meridian but the Aasstsstpp9on contradicts this,
and Gays:
ut Is certain, however, that Sherman hns not ad
yanccd to Cuba Station twenty miles east Of Meri-
dian. II he had, hls stny would be abort there, as
there e but little LEFT In Iaudcrda}c county to sus
tain either man or beast. The enemy do NOT seem
o smo
i oils. Tomorrow mar bring something definite
news perhaps Of the enepys retreat or OF his con-
! tfnued advance toward Selma. Having met with
but little Resistance thus far Sherman concluded to
| ptsh on for Selma and montgomery, only panatnas
| at Meridian to obtain reIntorcement8 from some
other point"
| 4 dispatch from Enterprise says:
There Eas been no movement OF the enemy IN
| this direction. The general opinion among well.
informed persons from the vicinity ot the Yankees
TO b that their L to cpnue tan he1
to meet another column. and thence move forward
| 10 the rear OF Gen. johnston"
Per confFc, tho NEssi<sipptan Of late date says
| We learn from persons from Uemopolta TINT Zen.
Polk has crossed the Tombtsbcc at Moscow, ten
miles below Demopols, with big aIny@wI1b the
Demopolis. 1t ia expected that the enemy win h b
| checked at the Tomhirbcc, and that q battle Will
take place there in day or two. The banks Of the
| TombiCtee furnish excellent natural Notifications
and Splendid line q defence: It may, however
Tombigbcc. 1.-The Is permitted to do ao his destruc
ton Is absolutely certain, II commanders and
troops meet publlc expectation. his force ts nc
larger than the telegraph 1naEcs It, there is no c.
cape for him except the sup!ness Of the
pie and soldfcfy, or The most extraordinary want
| Ekil in our commanders.
TIE EVACUATION OF MERIDIAN.
From the Mobile Rcgister.l