, 1865-03-09
MEMPHIS CORRESPONDENCE,
Military Chnnge&-4 Horrible State Of
ANn2fA-Euertlfn OutFagek.

MEMPHIS CORR ESP0HDENCE.
| military Chnnges-A Horrible State OF
Annira-Ener1lin Ontrages.
Especial Correspondents Of the Chicago Tribune.]
MEMPHIS, Tenn, March 8, 1865.
| AnMY MATTERS.
| General Washburn arrived here last even
ing, on the steamer Leviathan, and will as
sumo command Of the Department of West
Tennessee tomorrow. His departure is
greatly regretted by the c.tizens Of Vicks-
burg, who are apprehenslve THAT his successor
at that place will not have the administrative
abilities, and other qualities, that have made
Gen. Washburn SO great favoite wherever
he has commanded. The rain WAS coming
down In torrents when Gen. Washburn and
his staff arrived, ret scores Of our citizens
called during the evening at the Gayoao
House to pay their respects and express their
graduation. In the language Of the Memphis
.BuNetfn, Of this morning, "to say that our
city was In glow of pleasurabte excitement
would fcebly express the general joy, thank
fuluess and exultation Of all classes of our
citizens"
General Dana will, It is supposed, return to
Vicksburg. Gen. Roberts, who has been COM
mander Of the District subordinate to Gen.
Dana, will leave tomorrow for Springfield,
Mass., where board Of United States mill
tary officers are to test his valuable improve
ments in breechloading rifles and
cannon balls. These are very valuable, and It
Is not at all creditable to the War Depart
cured the adoption Of costly and useless mat
tcrs, these improyements by Gen. Roberts,
who Is practical soldier, have not heretofore
received consideration. His breech-loader is
simple, and probably superior to any other,
and ordinary rifles can be changed into
while new breech-loaders Of other patterns
cost thirty dollars each. If our army is to be
supplied with breech.loadcrs, the saving By
adopting the Roberts improvement will
amount to twenty-five millions Of dollars.
Experiments with his cannon balls have de-
monstrated that they, at long ranges, have
much greater precision and force than tho
Hotchkiss balls used BY the War Department,
when fired with equal charges ef powder but
with the Roberts balls, nearly. two pounds
heavier than the others, they struck near the
center Of the target, when In two-thirds Of
the comparative trials the Hotchkiss balls
fell short and ricochcted.
Affairs IN MEMPHIS.
Life and property have been for sometime
more insecure tu Memphis than In any other
/ city in the United States. Murders are fte-
quert and in most cases their perpetrators
escape capture or punishment. Robberics On
the streets are Of daily and nightly occur
renee. AS yon will see BY the Memphis pa
pers, there are probably from six to dozen
robberies and burIlaries every night Our
police hare just been uniformed, but are no
more efficient than they have been for year
past. Very few citizens venture into the
streets at night, II they can ayoid doing so !;
and when they arc Obliged to be out they us,-
ally cany arms; but unlike the practice OF
most Northern thieves the desperadoes here
shoot or knock DOWN their victims before rob-
bing them. The boldest crime set pe7petra-
ted by bighwaymen in our city was commit
ted by three men, who on last Wednesday
night, at about ten O'Clock, posted themselves
in Main, between Monroe and Union streets,
one Of the most public places in the city, and
for nearly an hour robbed the inmates Of every
hack and carriage tlat passed By.
GUERILLA oCTRA6Es.
During the last fortnight the gucrillas im-
mcdiately outside our army lines have been
unusually active, and have committed num-
berlees outrages, robbinE and setting fire to
ping suspected Uni6nists, hanging number
Of persons and whipping others to death, and
burning considerable amount Of cotton that
was beng brought into Memphis. To Illus
tratc the number OF such outrages, permit nc
IL QEElIl Luz 1uEluEu&S III u 6lQn1E GAY, DOL
nnusnally fertile in such incidents. Il was
last Monday, and the cases have not yet been
published IN our Memphis papers, but you
will Sec them thsrc in q day or two:
Forty guerilIas went to the house Of Mr..
| Dunlevy, who lives on the fernando road,
pinc miles from the city, and robbed It, then
whipped two negroes aln2st 10 death for be-
| ing tlnck, and then setting fire to the build
ing, left the place.
Fourteen guerillas went tsthe house Of Mr.
Lowell, five miles from the city, upon the Fl
geon Roost road. robbed 1t and set fire to it.
Mr.. Knight on the State Line road, fl ige or six
| miles from the city, burned a lot Of cotton,
robbed the house OF property, and carried off
Thirty Of Greenlaw's gueril1as, on the
Raleigh road, about five miles from the city,
| they suspected Of unionism, and whom they
compelled 10 60 about forty yards from tho.
road, and there hung him until he was dead.
They robbed the corpse Of What money there
was In the pockets, and then rode to the
house Of Mr. Larkin, which, with the stables,
they plundered. Subsequently they went to-
| ward the house Of Mr.. Buckner, conscripting
both whites and blacks whom they met.
They found Mr.. Buckner's house deserted,
but IN an old log cabin we're Two rcsolute
The guerillas ordered them to surrender.
They refused, and The guerillas fired at the
house. The blacks returned the fire, and q
sharp fight ensucd. Three Of the gueril!as
| were killed, and the rest 1etreated, leaving
| the negroes masters of the field.
| Fourteen guernlas, on the fernando road,
| four miles from the city, met two blacks, who
refused to be conscrpted, and whom they
| killed.
4 gang Of gucrf1las went to the house Of
Mr.. Robinson, SIX miles from the city, rob-
bed 1t Of everything valuable, whipped two
negroes very severely, and set the house On
,6re-
Seven guerillas, on the Arksnsas side Of
the river, n1nrly opposite Memphis, burned
eleven bales Of cotton and set fire to q Gov.
eminent raft.
Robert Vance, who had been in Memphis to
sell cotton. The guerillas demanded their
| money. They refused to give it up. aud one
Of the two men drew revolver and attempt
ed 10 fire at the guerilas, but the revolver
.missed fire. The attempt incensed the que
ri]las who seized and hung them about i've
miles from the city. Information Of this case
was sent to our pickets, and a cavalry force
| was sent in pnrtuit Of the gueril!as, but did
not succeed in coming up With them.
| tits reported that Governmental inVesti-
gationHeot announced IN the papers, has re.
facts that may impeEn shoulder-straps.
Whether there Is any truth In this rumor I
am unable to say.
The departure Of the 8th Iowa volunteers
| from this placc Is matter Of general regret
/ among our citizens. They have served for a
long time az provost guards, and there Is not
anywhere In the United States q more gen
tlemanly regiment. During the Last year
| there was only one case Of drunkenness
brought before the officers Of the regiment.
Quiet and well behaved. they hare won the
regard of our citizens, who hare long respect-
ed them for desperate bravery and other SOL
| dierIy qualities, on Shiloh and other hard
fought battle fields.