St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-01-24
Prepared Exclusively for the st. Paul
Globe" From Entirely Original
Sources.
A Confederate Officer Tells of the Capture
of Grants Supplies at Holly
Springs.
The Cowardfce of the Federal ofhcer
in Charge and the Slight Resist
ance Made.
How Lack of Information Chahse0
the History OF the Serge OF
Vfcksburg.

secondary base of supplies, captured the
garrison of 800 men commanded by Col.
Mummy of the Eighth Wisconsin regiment,
and DESTROYED all our munitions of war,
fond and forage The capture was a dis
graceful one to the officer commanding, but
not IN the troops under him. At the same
time Forrest got on our line of railroad be-
tween Jackson, Tenn, and Columbus. KY,
doing much damage to it. This cut me off
from all communication with the North for
more than a week, and it was more than
two weeks before rations and forage could
be issued from stores obtained in the regu-
lar way"
This extract brings wildly to my mind
the dOings in Mississippi twenty-three years
ago last Christmas season, in which it was
my lot to participate. | was an officer
under Gen. Earl Van Dorm. beau sabreur
commanding cavalry in the army OF
Gen. PembertOn, then at Grenada, Miss.
This town is on the YalObusha river, and
at the junction of the two railroads known
as the Chicago, st. Louis d. New Orleans
and the Mississippi q Tennessee. The town
of Holly Springs is on the former road, in
the county of Marshall, and not far from
the northern boundary of the state. Here
Gen. Grant had gathered an
ENORMOUS QUANTITY OF SUPPLIES
of various kinds, preparatory TO his cOntcm-
plated movement by land Oh Nicksburg.
The general himself was at Oxford engaged
i'm repairing the railroads and bridges. 1t
was determined to make an attempt TO reach
Holly Springs with flying column and
capt1re and destroy the wealth Of supplies
lust mentioned. With this end in view
Gen. Van Dorm organized force of just
2, 800 cavalry. q am particular in specifying
this exact number in view OF a statement
which will appear later on We had not
with us a piece of artillery, an ambulance
or a wheeled vehicle of any sort, and we
took Just three days rations. Just then
Gen. Grant had sent east force comprls-
ing las he says in his report half his
available cavalry" under Col. Dickey, to
destroy a portion of the Mobile d Ohio
railroad; and our line of march, when we
turned to the north, after first going well to
the east, was at right angles to theirs Gen.
Grant saws that we passed in front Of them,
but this is not correct; it was in their rear
According to his report too, we moved
very rapidly from the Yalobusha, and we
most certainly did. He says that he was
advised of our coming and sent force TO
Pontotoc. but that we travelled just as fast
as the scouts who brought him the news;
that our departure from Pontotoc, going
north, was then reported, and that he sent
all available cavalry in pursuit OF US, but
Ibid not expect much" as we Outnumbered
them three TO one. At all events they
GAVE Us NO TROUBLE.
About Dec. 10 we arrived at a point fif-
teen miles distant from Holly Springs.
There. stopping at a farmhouse, L met an
honest farmer who took our force for a
Federal one. He told me he had been in
Holly Springs, and gave me quite an ac-
count of affairs and dOings there. lie also
showed me, with considerable pride, a pass
which had been given him by the provost
marshal and which would enable him TO
enter and leave the town as he pleased. |
examined this pass with a considerable
show of interest. Then l looked at him
sharply (he of course still taking me for
Federal officer) and told him that he might
be ''all right" but that as / had some
doubts about him ] would retain the pass
for while. On the back of this pass there
was as usual a description of the person to
whom it was issued went to an officer in
whose command there were many Missis-
sippi men acquainted with the region, and
asked him if he could find one, who, in the
first place looked or could be made to look
enough like our friend the farmer to use his
pass; and in the second place was quite
willing to go into the town, despite the fact
that if detected he would most surely be
hanged as a spy. He assured me that he
had plenty of such men. and one soon made
his appearance. | borrowed coat and hat
from the husbandman and arrayed my vol
unteer in them; then he started for Holly
Springs.
GEN. GRANT SAYS
that warning was sent of our raid to all
threatened points, and this is doubtless the
case; but said warning had very little effect
at Holly Springs, to judge from the report
brought us by our disguised cavalryman.
He was told that on entering, he must tell
the pickets that ne would probably be late
in coming out, and arrange with them to
pass him, which they did. We learned
from him Just how matters stood in the
place; where the troops were, etc, etc,
and we had no hesitation in proceeding at
once to attempt its capture. We accord
ingly marched that night and, very early
in the morning of the goth of December.
1862, we were ready to effect our entry. 1
should mention that in our advance was the
Second Missouri cavalry, Col. Mccullough.
This regiment wore Federal overcOats, and
! have no doubt that our column was at
first supposed not to be a Con-
federate one. At all events we
ran over' the pickets and made our way
quickly and easily into the town. We rode
through the camp of considerable body of
infantry, but they made no appreciable re-
sistance. never formed line. and, indeed,
never beat the alarm. In General Order
No. II from the adjutant generals Office in
Washington, issued Jan. 10. 1868. and dis
missing Col. Murphy from the service. it is
stated as one reason for this action that he
allowed his men to be surprised lin bed. +"
We reached the main square without the
least difficulty, and without our movements
being generally known, and we might have
gone further under the same conditions but
for the fact that some of our men could not
refrain from emitting what are commonly
and rightly known as ''yells. They said
they
COULD NOT HELP IT.
We were not TO have it wholly our own
way. however. North of the town were
the fair grounds, surrounded by board
fence. Here were some of the Second Illi-
nois cavalry Col. John J. Mudd. They
heard the alarm. rallied at once and gave
US sharp encounter. OF course we were
far too many for them, but a good portion
managed to get away; and it is beyond
question that, had all the Federal troops
been handled as were they, it would have
been quite impossible for us to have accom-
pIished what we did. Gen. Grant, in his
Especial field order of Dec. %, 1862, said
that a successful resistance could have been
made, and that statement may stand I'M
challenged. About two hours after our
first entry we found Col. Murphy hidden in
citizens clothes. In his report of the affair
he made two most curious statements One
was to the effect that he was taken to the
rear and there saw twenty-five regiments
of our cavalry numbering 10000 men o..