Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1864-03-10
THE REBEL PRESS.
REPuLsE OF SMITHS RAID.
Sherman's Return to His Base.
The IRepuIse of Smiths IRaid-The
Rebel Story.
Correspondence Atlanta Southern Confederaoy.
NJ via. hal DEMOPOIIs.a February 2H[ 1864. n

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Correspondence Atlanta Southern Confederaoy.
III yitdd DEMoPoLIs,, February 2S( 1864. r
There is no doubt but that Sherman. ex-
pected material aid and full cooperation
/ from column that was to come down
through North Mississippi. Soentirely was
thisSnpport relied upon, tht the Federal
commander has openly boasted that "Gen.
Smith would be in Columbus by the 18TH"
1t is confidently believed here, that the Fed
eral force now movingSin that direction
will fall in with some obstacles little
| dreamed Of in their philosophy, which will
very seriously interfere with their arrange
ments. y fic, ~ S1s 80,
General Forrest who is already confront
ing them, has been amply reinforced, and
strong hopes aye entertained that very few
will reach GeHeral Sherman and thosewill
hardly improve his already partially de
moralized army. This Northern Mississip-
pi raid, IL seems, consists of from seven to
ten Thousand men, cavalry and infantry
combined, with six pieces of artillery. This
raid is abtlndantly provided for. Our cav
airy have been doing splendid work. have
heard Writ Adams old regiment more par
ticula4yl mentioned. Ihad begun to fear
the .forty wagons" affair was "reliahle
contraband' story, but, to-day, learned
the particulars from a participant in the
affair. y. 1, Il, !, NJ ~ q Z
Two squadrons Of Writ Adams old regi5
ment, dby Col. Wood (now commanding
that gallant corps), and supported by a
small force of dismounted men, under Col.
Dumortielle, charged across a small field,
along the opposite side of which the enc
my's wagon train was passing. heavily
guarded by a line of infantry OH either sidc
The charge was so sudden, so wild, so
gallant that the wretches felt their doom
was sealed, and fled in wild confusion. On
dashed the avenging ''rebels," and while
the mules and drivers struggled in confu-
sion and dismay, they shot drivers and
mules as they swept like whirlwind down
the line of struggling crushed and disor-
derly Yankees, and poured a perfect show
er Of balls into them, and then, coming to
heavy line of infantl y drawn up to receive
them, they wheeled off and dashed again
out of sight and reach We lost six men
and some few horses in the affair; and
among them avery gallant fellow, Sergeant
Gibson, who was wounded, and afterward
killed in cold blood by the cOwardly
wretches who had fled OH the first sight Of
our men,, 60
It is of course not prudent to mention
what is now transpiring hereabouts but all
weak -kneed people bad as well take heart,
and not cry ''wolf" toosoon. a
There is no little probability that the adj
venturons Yankeeswill llpay dearly for their
grand raid. All apprehensions of an at
tack on Mobile or Selma are now dissipat7
ed. 1t turns out that there is no consider
able force at Pascagotla, or in that vicinity,
and If General Polk had only been rein
forced at the critical point at Meridian, for
instance, the whole Yankee force would
have been incontinently 'gobbled up"
o. b. S.
from the Mobile Register. Feb. 25.l
General Sherman has not paused to ac-
cept our pressing invitation to tarry awhile
longer ON the hospitable soil of Mississippi.
Wehad hopes that he would find the town
of Meridian, with its Cat presently rich and
productive suburbs, so inviting that he
would remain and make himself at home
until suitable arrangements could be made
to give him a reception worthy of SO dis
tinguished a visitor. But alas! the con-
queror has departed and left his conquests
behind him. The Lincoln representative
.occnpier'' Of the soil has shaken its dust
from his feet and ceased to shold and pos
sessr in the name of his master. He has,
in short, incontinently ''skedaddled," or in
a more classic phrase we may write of
him., abit eudsit, ercessit, errpit. sls
Jordan was hard road to travel, albeit
Gen. Polk made way for him, and cleared
every obstacle ont'of his path, not except
ing all the public stores of food, ordnance
and logistics, and all thesrolling stock on
the railroads. Notwithstanding all these
facilities to permanent occupation, and,
as asweemphatically assured him, with enone
10 molest or make him afraid, Gen. Sher-
man has absolutely quit the promised land
frems Now, what, did he come for? What
has he gained, and why, oh why, has he
skedaddled? Yankee ways of occupying
arc past finding out. And If they can not
occupy country where there were no
armies to oppose, how are they going to do
1t where they are confronted by the Lees,
BealiregarCs, Hardees, Braggs and Magru-
ders Of the Confederacy? We are afraid that
Gen. Sherman has takena a scare. SIS
Meantime, his friend and supporter, the
reboubtable, raider, Grierson, seems also to
be taken with desire to write his name
yHaines.v He, too, is trying to getaway
from the conquered province Of Missis-
sippi, and If our dispatches are to be be-
lieved, Forrest has him surrounded, and is
gobbling up his men as prisoners. On the
whole, this is one of the prettiest little
failures the Yankees have yet lnade.o There
has been screw loose II, their plans some
where and somebody has failed ITO comerto
time.n syl9s 81 Wee1 lfis y
If Farragut was to divert attention and
troops by an attack ON the bay forts, and
Grierson was to make another diversion in
North. Mississippi while Sherman should
push on, surprise and capture our forces on
either side Of Pearl river, the whole thing
has been magnificent failure, and defeated
by the activity and energy, of Gen. Polk,