, 1864-08-10

Details Of tho McCook RaId-EIow
Gen. Sherman Reg sar0p the Result
An Escaped PE1sohcF-ahe Situation
Before AtlauEa-HRins.
tFrom our Special Correspondent


tFfom our Special Correspondent
NAsHy1LLK, August s, 1864. .
The Mctook rald turns ont to have been
success, after al, though far less was &C.
oomp1fshed than should hare been. Out of
$500 men who composed the expedition,
2 100 have arrived sale, and others are coming
In. The expedition WAS an important one,
and succeeded in completely eeyering the
last Of the rebel communications. It left on
the 26th nlt., while our army was On the east
Of Atlanta, with Instructions to cut ths Ma
con road, and make circuit round to the
south Of Atlanta. cut the West Point road,
and re1oin the main body Of our army, which
Was just preparing to make Aa1k move
ment, and take up position to the Tcst Of
the beleagusred cIt7, and which movement
it did make giving rise to the sansuiuary
ssttle of the 2Sth, IN account Of which /
sent you ON the 31st ult.
The expedition consisted Of two brlsades,
under commend Of Colonels Long aud
Harrison, and On the a7th the Macon
road: was reached, at a point some
and tTnin was captured and destroyed. Tue
command then proceeded along the road,
where It had several skirmlshes, defeating
the rebels, under Wheeler, every time.
About twenty miles of the road was reude7-:
ed completely useltsa and another train de-
stroyed, making tWo,in I'll, with their en-
gines. A number Of freight cars, standing
on various switches, we're likewise burned,
Withthetr contents. One OF the trains waa
bound down towards: Macon, and contained
ttoree aud baggage, eyfncing that Hood con-
templated the evacuation Of Atlanta, or at
least that he looked upon such Event d not
improbable; though IN some official circles
l rNn3ArfnF fhAE m vFy%x& yLp,rt
tbfnes ont Of the way Of sherman's guns,
which completely cemmand the city; the
other was empty, md was doubtless bonad
to Atlahfa to loa
Having completely severed communica-
tioue Oh the n1aiu road, snd rendered it USE
less for 4 month to come, McC0ok started In
the direction of Newman, on the Wet Point
road, ard hen on the route ne learned that
i trim Of 500 wagons, and thOue 4nd or
more mules, besides those in harness, WIS
moving down the pike south Of Lafayette,
tully loaded with stores, he accordingly
guarded by from 100 to GOO men. with q
grtnt nun Der Of COM taisafoned officers, who,
. discovering rcs:stahce to be useless, aurrcn-
derei Internationally. The ~nggons were
out into Held to brin2 them io as valuable
booty, when it wns discovered that some
twenty Of the Wagons were loaded With
whisky In spite of all that conld be done,
the men aud ofllctrs Tiled their canteeus,
from which they drank freely, not only
cansing delay when time Was precious, but
creating irsubordjnation and disorder.
The wagons We're soon cOnaumed, With all
their contents, and this force proceeded to
New man, where the Westport Road was cut.
But the rebels had brcome appraised Of the
existence OF the raid, and 'rclnforce1nents
were sent to Wheeler, until be largely out
numbered McCook, Our forces tneu COM
menced q retreat, but we're cut off; ror.
uon succeeded IN getting through, aud re-
pu1ted to Gen. Sherman that AcConk aud
$500 OF his command had surrendered, and
this vas telegrap1ed here, a1d to Wa:hng-
ton as true.
Squads continued to arrive up to the Sd,
all making the eame report; until the mum
Der Ut stragglers reached to ten or twelve
hundred; and no one supposed that the
main portion Of the command was safe;
prise Of Ill, McCooE, ii the bend Of 100
men appeared. He had succeeded In eludisg
Wheeler, and had only lost 100 men, chiefly
prfscners; though 1t Is probable that these
figures were 100 high, 1t is impossible to
tell from what regiments the missing men
chiefly came.
General Sherman regards the raid, after
all, u success. The loss Of i've hundred
| wayons, and five hundrrd mules, which were
killed, Of two locomot Yes and forty or hfty
cars, and the destruction vi the track on the
Macon Railroad, we're achievements Of the
| hightst value. II General Hood attempts to
eyAxuAte Atlanta, be will now encountcr
new ano gTayer difficulties.
The rebels hefeabouts are not s,tisfied
with Hood. lhey preferred Johnston's pol
icy, predicting that Shermau'a communica.
tio1s would ultimately be- SO lengthentd th4t
he would be coml e]led to retreat t. ChAtta-
nooga. Hood, they sag, maj yet fall back;
but with q, COO le=s men than he had when
lie took commund; his army being now so
reduced that Sherman eau spare Intn enough
% huld bis commuafcatiuns, though they
Wtre extended to South Caroiina.
AZ ESCAPED PRISONER.
yesterday had the pleasure OF mccting al
| old friend, who has jnst escaped from Dixie
| prison. he WIS a lieutenant IN the 2lst
| Ohio, having been promoted, for good con-
| duct, from the ranks. he was one of the
bridge burners who escaped from an East
Tennessee prison, after several Of Ills COM
their expedition clad Ia tue Q: 5. uniform,
! and for Ais courage lie received gold med4l
| FROM the President, and com mission IRON
Governor Tod. His name is J. r, Porter,
snd he was ca;tured at Cnickamanga, with
tV others ut the escaped bridge burn IL He
BID no shoulder straps on, aud gave q tl-tl~
tious name ard passed as d private, that he
might not be rcce enlzed. He escaped from
the ca.s.While On his way to Georgia, from
Columbia, s. C., about SIX weeks since He
| Was nearly hv9 weeks on the road, s1hstetfng
on p0.at1fs and such food ns he procured
from nrsroes, who we're always his trieads
He etres toleful account OF the manner
In which cur prisoners we're treated. His
two companions. who had been with him in
the bridge burning expedition, gave their
| right palee and were Identified nnd put tn
irons, but eubss qrently We're releasea from
its igntmfny and placed with other prisoE-
this. Lieut.. Porter, IN consideration OF his
services and spfertngs, has b=en furloughed
for twenty days. .-.
Our troors are on the west OF Atlanta,
our right extending to East Point, and our
| LIFT to the railroad from Atlanta to the Chat.
tahoochie, completely protecting Sherman's
| communfcatiots. Our batteries cover the
West Point Railroad, 80 thut no trains car
| run. Our lines are very long, but we are too
! strong to 10 55;7ockk91h. Hnod Is in limbo,
he may escape with part Of his
men, but retrs at will be the
signal for aputh which will destroy the rem.
nant Of Dis broken command. which does lot
| pumber to-day, exclusive of cavalry, s., ,QQQ
men; and think 80 900 fair estimate,
Sherman could capture Atlhta In an hour.
any time; but his objective point Is the reo.,
e] army, and not a city. When he strikes It
pill be for the apnihilAtion OF the rebel army.
believe the final struggle will not be de.
ftrred many days; hnye evidence to con
vince me, that amounts almost to matle.
natical demonstration.
| RAINS.
We have had daily 1a,ns for over week.
ard the injuries from the drought have bee i
counteraeted. The corn crops will be vary