The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1864-08-05
General A. j. Smiths Expedition.
Return Of the Expedition To In.
grange. Tennessee.

| winch OoIoaC0U fOF6SC'S reDelS so com
pletely at Tupelo, Mississippi, have return
ed to LAGRANGE, Tennessee, having ran
short of supplies.
Not gun or a wagon was lost.
The rebel loss in this battle was about
1900.
SEVERE BATTLES AT TUPELO and DEFEAT
OF THE REBELS-THREE SEPARATE AS
sAULTs MADE AND REPULsED-FAILURE
OF SUPPLIES AND RETURN OF THE ExPEDI-
TION-REBEL LOSS 1900.
CAIRO, July pa cavalry officer
who actively participated in Gen. A. J..
Smiths late expedition against Forrest,
furnishes the following particulars con-
corning the affair:
The expedition, comprising two divisions
of infantry, one brigade of negro troops,
and division of cavalry, commanded res
pectively by General Mower, Col Moore,
Colonel Benton and General Grierson, all
under the command of General Smith, left
La Grange on the 9Th instant, proceeding
southeast toward Ripley, and on the 9TH
the advance OF the cavalry under Colonel
Hyanis arrived seven miles nth of that
place, when skirmish took place, which
resulted in the falling back of the rebels
three and half miles, with he loss of
seven or eight men killed and wounded,
our loss being none Here they took a
strong position on high bluffs, from whence
they were dislodged after an hours fight
by the I'd Iowa cavalry, who charged up
the hill killing five or six, and occupying
the position vacated by the rebels. The
cavalry encamped on the ground and wait
ed for the infantry to ccme up, and on the
9Th the whole army entered Ripley, then
moved toward New Albany, with the cav
airy on the left. The Sd Iowa cavalry was
sent ahead on a reconnaissance towards
the Tallahatchie river, where they met
large force of the enemy occupying
strong position at Kelly's Ford. A sill. hit
skirmish occurred, resulting in the routing
of the rebels with loss on our side of
three men, when the regiment returned to
the main force.
On the morning of the 9th the entire
expedition crossed the Tallahatchie, en-.
camping on the south side that night On
the 10th they marched south toward Pom
totoc, the infantry by the main road and
|
miles to the left. Still further to the lett
was battalion of cavalry, which on strik-
ing the Tuscumbia and Pontotoc road, dis
covered broad train leading toward the
latter place. 1t proved to be that of Blu
fordis rebel division from Tupelo.
The whole army marched into Pontotoc
on the 18th, the cavalry still on the left,
with the exception of the 9TH Kansas,
which brought up the rear. After an
hours fight the rebels were driven out in
every direction, leaving number of killed
and wounded.
Up to this time our loss did not exceed
three men from the time of starting. For
rest at this time was in strong position
at Brasham's Gross Roads, expecting to
meet the expedition at that place; but
finding that he was misled, he moved rap
idly toward Tupelo, and from thence to
Okolona, where he threw his forces out six
miles to Prairie Mount, taking a strong po-
sition on range of hills exten ling two
miles around On the 18th, the expedi-
ton, instead of moving up to Okolona,
where Forrest was expecting to meet it,
marched direct to Tupelo. Forrest heard
of this, and at once started north for Tu-
pelo again, but General Smith reached the
place first, and obtained the choice of po-
sit:On, where terrific battle occurred, in
which the rebels suffered a terrible punish
ment at the hands of the cavalry and ne
gro troops, who charged them with des-
perate fury in every direction. The rebel
loss was very heavy, $50 of their men fall
ing into our hands.
On Saturday night the rebels made an
assault on the temporary works thrown up
by our men, but they were again terribly
,epulsed.
On the 18th another battle occurred, the
enemy assaulting our lines three times,
but meeting with nothing but disaster a
each attempt
On the night of the 18th the last day s
rations were distributed, and the rext
morning our forces started on the return,
followed at a respectable distance by Bu-
ford for four miles, when he returned with
heavy loss from skirmishing expedition
From the night of the 9Th to the night
of the 10Th, Gen. Smith was obliged to
subsist Ivy foraging, his supplies being en-
tirely exhausted. AT Salem, the night of
the 10th supplies were received, and on
the Goth the expedition reached Lagrange
with the loss all through, of less than five
hundred men in killed, wounded and miss
ing. He brought back two hundred and
fifty prisoners. On several occasions the
rebel dead were buried by our men.
Gen. Grierson says the entire rebel loss
cannot fall short of 1900. Rebel dis
patches captured by Gen. Hatch admit
the loss of 2,400.
The brunt of the battle was borne
throughout by the cavalry and negroes,
who were constantly placed in the most
exposed position.
The return of the expedition is said to
have been owing to the falling short of
their supplies.
Among the rebels killed were Colonies
Faulkner, Mowbray, Nelson, Harrison and
Forrest-the latter brother of General
Forrest, who was wounded in the foot.
Colonel Wilkin, of the 9th Minnesota,
and Lieut.. Mcmahon, of the 9th Illinois,
were the only officers known to be killed
on our side.
The expedition returned without losing
a gun or wagon from the time it started