Daily national Republican. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1862-1866, 1865-05-06

The Great MAId-Dttann "a vyiItbnsn
xpsaition-Inarnenss stores % cst-
ton Dsstroyea-Miitary suppiies
captursd-IIow Selma, Montgomery,
cslssasup and Meesn wsss Csr-
turea. IA f VI
7 lcors.pendsnes New rork Times.
ls aAYAsnAH, SatardAy, Aprif 70
Captain Hosea, Of Genolnl Wilnon,s staf.
arrived In this city on the 27lh, direct from
Macon, with important dispatches from Cen
eral Sherman. He reports The compiets sue
cess Of General Wilson's expedition, from the
time II len Chickasav, on the 97d Of March,
TO the capture Of Macon, on the roth Of
April. In this space Of time The expedition
trasersed . distAnes Of four hundred and
eighty miles, averaging over twenty miles q
ma; captured four important citiea-s Selma
Montgomery, Columbus and MaeohAlaand ih,,
hicted heavy loal on che enemy By The dsS.
tfuction Of great number Of rolline4mills
supply dePots, magazines, powder factories,
&c. IL IL = matter Of congratulated that
this was accomplished with the loss Of o little
more than 800 men; while the enemy'a loss
at Selma alone Il estimated at nearly 500 Il
The following Il brief outline Of the Incl.
dents Of the expedition: af
Gen. Wilson and his command len Chiokn-
saw, Ala, on the 22d March. At Ebsns1er
Church, near Plantersville, a short and pharp
engagement occurred with FORESTS cavalry,
which resulted In the complote diseomfturs
Of the rebels and the capture OF three hun
dred prisoners. A column was then sent 10
Tuscaloosa, where large amount Of rebel
Government property was destroyed On the
I'd Of April Selma was taken by assault, with
two thousand seven hundred prisoners.
There our forces found thirty two guns In
the fortihcations of the city and seventy .hve
others In the anenal. The arsenal, which
wm one Of the largest and most important In
the Confsdsracy was destroyed, together
with several rolling-milll, magazines, powder
works, naval foundry and other public
property. s',. ri.
Aftsr delay ofeight days our forces len Sell
ma, crossing the Alabama river on . pontoon
bridge $50 feet In length, and marched against
Montgomery, which was captured without
opposition on the 18th. Here they discovered
that the rebels had destroyed an immense
quantity Of cotton, the estimate varying from
80, 900 10 1000 bales Ave steamers, about
seventy cars, and one locomotive. An the |
bridges between Selma and Montgomery, a
distance Of about fifty miles, were Thoroughly
Tho rebel property left behind
was Of little value, and our forces captured |
but fve guns. Several rolling-mills and |
foundries were destroyed. r'7,
From Montgomery the expedition marched |
on Columbus, Ca, distant little less than |
ninety miles. This city was captured by an |
assaulting column, under General Upton, on
the night Of the 10th. Here twelve hundred |
prisoners and hfty-thrce guns fell into our |
hands. The quantity Of cotton captured and |
destroyed was immense, the number Of bales |
being estimated at not less than one hundred |
thousand. Besides this, our forces destroyed |
great quantities Of military stores, an ar
senal, a pistol factory, a sword factory an
accoutrement factory, three military and I
naval foundries, rolling mill, thirteen loco
motives, about hundred cars, and several
depots and machine shops. A gunboat,
mounting six finch riasd guns, was captured
here. While this work Of destruction was In |
progress La Oranges brigade made detour |
to West Point, where the rebel works we're |
taken By assault. The entire garrison, NUN. |
boring over three hundred, were captured,
aud their commander, General Tyler, killed.
Here hfteen locomotives, two hundred cars |
and two large factories were destroyed, as
well as immense quantities Of Quartermaster's
and Commiasary's stores. The destruction
Of every hind Of public property was thorough
and complete. IN n .-tH .trI. lsa
mhoon buTrehdereu 10 our forces on the
10th, without opposition, and up 20 the time
Captain Hosea len II had not bsen found
necessary TO destroy any Of the public prop. |
erty. Al Macon Gems Howell Cobb, q. W.
Smith, Robertson, Mccall, and Mercer fell
into our hands.
The total captures made by our forces In
the course Of this astonishing sweep through
Alabama and Western Goorgia are thirty.tWo |
guns in position and two hundred in arsenAlH, |
nearly two hundred thousand bales Of cotton,
(dsstroyed,) nearly four hundred cars, thirty |
four locomotives, besides an immense amount |
Of miscellaneous military storosi while, as
before stated, our losses In all the engage.
ments are less than $50 men. In every re-
spect the expedition was success, and dem
onstrates-if further proof Of tho fact were
nesded-ths utter hollownsss Of the eonfed-
eracy. . r.' Hrs