The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1864-03-10
Northern view of the Southwestern
Gam mn i'm.


Northern view of the Southwestern
! Campaign.
! special telegram to the New York World,
dated Washington, March 1st, tells more
MAINLY than has General Forrcet, that the
great smith and dricrson cavalry expedition
! has been very soundly thiashed by the g0-
! LIANT rebels. We copy;
| The expedition under Generals Smith and
! Grierson. that was undertaken In view OF Co
onerafinr with General Sherman is at an end.
: 70 tudge from the mann or and reserve al the
| officers. our losses have been more seaeTs than
! hos hce,, stat H. A large number OF EtragE'ers,
not vet estimated. have been captured by the
| enemy. As to our losses in killed and wound
ed, we have no means to Judge, no omciai
! subject. During the numerous attacks
| which took place all along our lines regi-
meut Of Federal cavalry Wds entirely 0asF-
,chsae i By Chalmers nse, ard broke away,
(, leay log three gus in the hands OF tha rebels
our forces were pursued as far up as La.
| grange by the rebel Generals Richardson anu
| Rhoddy. Gen. Forrest, with body OF cav
! airy, two thousand strong, had remained at
f, West Point, and was to leave that place TO
| fall upon General Sherman's rear. ~
L. is not true that Gen. Lse is said to have
| assisted Forrest in repulsing our troops. Lee
| Is not with Forrest, but was at the last date
| harassing Sher,nan's rear IN company WIN
Cosby and Writ Adams.
Tue failure Of Gems. Smith and Grlerson
| has produced a cry sad impression here, rot
merely on account of what they have failed
| TO accomplish, but Oh account OF the virtual
position in which Gen. Sherman Is placed by
their retreat 1t is generally believed that
the latter, who contemplated All attack on
Selma. will DC compelled to give up his pro-
| ,ect and to fall back upon Vicksburg, which
would have q mcst disastrous effect upon the
morale If our troops.
i telegram dated Washington, the LIST
lust, saSs
Since the disastrous retreat Ct G:icrsor
and Smith upon Memphis, the most serious
AID preher,ioAs are felt about Gen, Sherman
in official circles and among politicians
Their retreat naturally interrupts Sherman's
communication all along the line of the Mo
bile and Ohio Railroad, and dcprives his
army Of an important source Of supply, with.
out which. 1t Is believed, he Is incapable OF
maintaining his ground. Worse still, the
falling back Of these two officers takes away
from him the cavalry force upon which he
relied to prosecute his operations. Military
men believe, also, that an advance upon Mo
bile or Selma in his present condition has
become impossible, and that Gen. Sherman
Rlll be compelled to retrace his steps and
come back to Ficksburg.
The following tslss an from Cairo, and
written 1Ddsr the eye of one Of the defsated
Generals, s la criy attempt az bravsdo
which we have seen, aud II snuouness In the
syst line tina. tbs defeated: ctHesr hid rrn q !
the way b. cs 70 Giro;
Gen VIM IL Smith, wEc con- ma1ded .he
late cavalry expedition, arrived to day. Tne
expeditiOuary force was aeven thousand
strong, and the oi c: was &c Claar the com
Try OF struggling rebei forces, and, if possible,
III make a diversion in favor Of Sharmsn and
ein him. A Memphis dispatch, OF the 9th.
! aye TIA: The diary Of ali citclr 1t scaed to
| Gen Giiersons eolumn. il Smiths cavalry
. expediri,n furnishes tnt .i,is Of Importance
| beyond y hat has been arssdy reported.
| Our loss in tie attack on tia enemy A. Yves
| Point was forty killed and wounded We
| ,:sova tiia rebels oct and destroyed number
!; of cara aad culverss, a depot, and several
miles Of track, and large amount Of corr
| AID cotton. IN the attack by Forrest on our
| forces, near Oxalona, the 81 Tennessee cav
| airy broke at the first fire, rnGling elk 0.
| seven of our sm LII guns into di1ce, breaking
| their carriages aud spiking aud leaving the
guns. In this light oar loss was abaut 100,
mostly in prisoners. Oar total loss during the
| expedition wac about $50. This column
I pUrleu hrVub u ,Uct UdlGS u bVuituSkaso COt
| ton, nver !. million tn he.s Of corn, and cap
| ured over hundred prisoners, a. thousand
mules and negroes.
TIE NV York Herald, Of the "a o.
March, Is net pleased with the present aspes'
for sna,r5. It says:
The Developments of the spring campaign
so far are not altogether encouraging
President Lincoln's experimental F!orids
expedition, to begin with, has turned GU;
one of the most stupid and inexcusablt
blunGers of the war Next, the return to
Tunnel Hill Of the advanced forces of Gen
Thomas from the mountain gorge In front
Of Dalton, Georgia, is explained az due to
their discovery that Joe Johnston, in supe
rior strength, had massed his army Of Dali
Ton, and was ready for general battle, aud
we were not. Next, the early retreat OF
Gen. Smiths cavalry expedition from North
ern Mississippi back into Tennessee, pnrsued
by the enemy, does not lock well. Next,
the Sherman Alabama expedition, by the
failure Of Gen. Smith to effect juncture
with II, Is, we fear, placed in position
somewhat critical; and next, as we hear
nothing whatever from Mobile, we must
conclude that Admiral Farragnt has found
that he can do nothing in seven feet water
with vessels drawing fourteen feet.
This is not a very interesting picture for
the opening of the spring campaign.