The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1864-03-09


vi.w Of matters in Gen Folks Department !,
The campaign through which the army Of
this Dsporsnt mt has Ist passea bes been fruit.
fui Of many iucident,, end profitable in de-
mon s.ratiug the ability If ths Sna!h to main
tain rs lode ;,sndencs
Tta Federal newspapers have for more thar,
elk weeks been filed with the rlms Of ths
great Southwestern campaign. Sherman was
TO invade MississiI o. with ,hres colamns -
pns--the tsIgsr--to leave Vieashurg; anotb
or. Wesfern Teunes ,se. down the Mobile and
Ohio railroad a. d the third was to land as
PAatsy MA. There .h.ee columns we're To
mite at come rciut, ca oture Moti!s, then
Montgomery, and occupy all Of Miseissipp:,
and that portion OF The state OF Alabama, wee.
OF tho Alabama river. To accomplish this
grapd Obi ct, Sherman was given 20 900 Vet.
evan troops.
The expedition 80 largely p,snued waa 10,
aueu.ated by the moving OF the two frs.
c,!umns. Sherman LETT Nicksburg the lst Of
February. 1T the head Of thirty five thousand
infantry, two or three thousand cavalry, and
T. ON sixty to eighty pieces of artillery. a.,
most sir uitansousiy Grisrson or Smith began
,iei. m arch through North Mississippi with
twelve or fifteen thousand cavalry And Mount.
eli infantry Mobi!a. 3. the came time, was
threatened by water with the enemy's II ct
- glnhosts, and by Iaad from Pensacola aud
Pascagona.
~. ql.s.ion naturally arose with thoss
anxious about the fate OF tais eection " hal
Vas To be the result Genes al Polk had re-
Gently bssn placed in command OF this De-
patt,asn,. Ike assuTed coDmand late IN De,
Gambler, aud ecarcsiy had more than familiar
ia I'd himself with the command, ard had ha.t
but little time 10 organize his troops aid col
isct together all tire energies of HE Depart
men.: and whether strong CT weak by reason
of his predecessors ocganization, upon that,
ard that alone, hs must rely.
Gen. Polk took the field. Forrest was still
detached from the main army, and must re-
main 80 to watch the movements OF Grier
son and his command. Sherman with his
$500 could only be opposed by i.oring,
French, and Lee.
From Vicksburg the enemy moved very
rapidly and vigorously on to jackson, aud
from that point they threatened Meridian,
the railroad centre of this department.
At this time Gen. Polk borrowed from the
Mobile garrison two or three brigades TO
retard the enemy in order to enable him TO
save his supplies, which had accumulated ut
different points Of the railroads for The paai
two years. 1t would have been the height
of folly to have given the enemy battle IN .
der the circumstances. Our force, when
strengthened by the reintorcements ircm
Mobile, did not reach over half that Of the
enemy, inclusive Of our cavalry.
At the present stage Of our revolution,
the loss Of an army, however small, wouid
be extremely disastrous. Caution and 1ru-
dence is more needed now than at any period
Of the war.
With the additional force from Mobile the
enemy was checked, enabling him TO save
his accumulated stores and protect his sup
plies. The little army Of this Department
fell back from Brandon In perfect order
slowly and successfully. The enemy moved
his bodies Of infantry, artillery, and cavalry,
with caution and prudence. Lee hung upon
his Hanks and compelled him TO move in
compact column, giving him no time to iol~
age or to depredste upon the country. In
knowledged energy, was moving all his
stores from points of the different railroads
likely to fall into the enemys hands.
On Sunday, the H., Lieut.. General Polk
svaeu ted Meridian, with his little army, haa-
viiy p-.Sssd by ALI enemy thirty five thous and
strong. BsfCre tbs evasuadon, However,
every article bslongipg to the different depart
msnts of tbs Government had tsen moved.
The rolling stock Of four important railroads
lad bean aaysd-n7t car was !sft. and scerce
~ a wheel left. This locomotives and cara 5s
longing to ,ns Mobile and OHIO read were
safely noused in Mobile. Those Of the other
.oais were brouxh: to the Tombigbsa ana
ssss qass ri s this side 6. IL. river l.
great railroad centre The little town Of Ms
fidiaI stood ionsiy amid the si!snce of PIN
bavreBs. without Ioiee to disturb it's so:.ctudo
or thrill whistle to arcEse lie inhabitaDtg-
Ths ga,ris,r belonging 10 Mo5;!s had bsen
safely rSturnad TO their duties there, aud Mo-
bile was as safe as the department 1T Rich.
mond intended it to be. General Polk with
his bard IF harcsa, retired safely to this place,
1vx, -roNf 10
The enemy, with his strong force of West
ern troops, marched through the centre Of the
Ststs of Missiesippi, nearly to its eastern Dor
De-, and reaped a fruitless victory. Scarcely
a grain Of corr or q struggling beef repaid
MIN fer bis tot! aud 20 day he is 8 discounted
enemy, retracing his sseps with as muah haste
as no invaded. The other eolcmn uudar
Grierson net the same fate !: was unable TO
form a ;gua;ion with Sherman, and is now
uoviu1 osok to big stronghold IN Hsmphts.-
Forrest had been hansing upon his Il .nss
from the time lie e4tersd Mississippi, and Los
ia now sen. by the commanding General to
unite with Forrest, aad woe DO unto hip if ils
falls between thes. mill stones.
l have given bris a the faets connected wi
the campaign, AS ] have seen then, TO show
tne public what was done, wss we'll dcne.--
Eistcry will record to Gsa. Polk great sk!ii
and ensr2y id the management OF this oaul-
paiyn. fhs array in this ID ,par.m-nt he found
here; with sueii steTinl as he had, he made
the campaign
We have lost con, parative,y little In s5sn, il
munitions, or in supplies. Ard in iess than
ten days We will have ragsi,.sd all TIE teri
tory witch the ensoy PISSED, and this was
done by the force III :hs Department without
aid from DINER qa2r.ars-
General Polk mas issued tks following o..
ders to the troop. under bis command:
HEADGuARTERs, J
Demopoiis, Ala, Feb. %, 1864
Genera! Orders, No q:
The Lieutenant General commanding ofisrs
his congratulations to the army On the sao.
cessfnl termination Of the campaign jast
ctOeed.
The ohesru'.eFs with whinh the troops
have borns the fstigues and Inconvenience I
o: the march, and tb cir ready ao3uiesesnc5 in
the orders directing their movements, have
emitted them TO the highest commentators
To the tirnsness and good conduct Of the uen
and tho sti'i ana jad:-men. of their officers
con- handing General is indebted for %
curing the puSlia stores and dspriving
the enemy of the re of tho railroads and /
other facilities for forging and subs;stence.-
The concentration. OF ar cavalry on dis Co,
uHn CT cavalry from Hfsss Tennessee TOWN a
the turning point of the Campaign That con.
eentraticn brok, down his only means Of auh.
Stating his infantry. His column wa. defeated
and routed, and his wlols foros compelled 10
make q hasy retrest Never did grsud
inauyura,ed win sUoh p.e:entiot,,
mora inalorioasly. VITA a fol 20
three tines that which was opp ,ssd to its al
vance, they have bsen defeated an forced 10
leave the field with loss of ,aen, email arma
aud artillery. Eoah of their columns ara re