Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1886-01-29
STORIES OF THE WAR,
No. 1.-THE Capture of Grants
Supplies at Holly Springs.
Written fer the Free Press from entirely or
igina sources.

In Gen Grants book, just published Ton
PIP. 432 and 433), he briefly says "Gen.
Van Dorm appeared at Holly Springs, my
secondary base of supplies, captured the
garrison of 800 men commanded by Col.
Murphy of the Eighth Wisconsin regi-
ment, and destroyed all our munitions of
war, food, and forage. The capture was II
disgraceful one to the officer commanding,
but not to the troops under him. At the
same time Forrest got on our line of rail
road between Jackson, Tenn, and Column
bus, Ky, doing much damage to it. This
cut me off from all communication with
the North for more than Il week, and ii
was more than two weeks before rations
and forage could be issued from stores OBJ
tanned in the regular way
This extract brings wildly to my mind
the doings in Mississippi % years ago last
Christmas season, in which it was my lot
to participate. | was I'm officer under
Gen. Earl Van Dorm, a bc0U SdhrcUr,
commanding cavalry in the army of Gen.
Pemberton, then at Grenada, Miss. This
town is on the Nalobusha river, and at
the junction of the two railroads, known
now as the Chicago, St. Louis, 4 New
OrIeullS ana lnc VI iSSlSSIppl u IuuCSNtt'
The town of Holly Springs is on the for
ner 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 contemplated
movement by land on Nicllsburg. The
General himself was at Oxford engaged
in repairing the railroads and bridges 1t
was determined to make an attempt to
,,r3ach Holly Springs with lying column,
fI.ta.i .laCt of
supplies just mentioned. With this end
in view Gen. Van Dorm organized a force
of just 2,3OO cavalry q am particular IN
specifying this exact number in view OF a
statement which Will appear later on
We had not with us Il piece of artillery,
an ambulance, or IA wheeled vehicle of
any sort, and we took Just three days IA
tons. just then Gen. Grant had sent
east force comprising (ls he says IN his
report half his available cavalry, I'M
der Col DickcY, to destroy portion OF
the Mobile ~ ONO railroad ana our llne
of march, when we turned to the north
after first going well to the east, was at
right angles to theirs. Gen. Grant says
that we passed IN 'front.' OF them, but TINS
is not correct it was in their rear. Ac-
cording to his report, too, we moved very
rapidly from the laIobusha and we most
certainly did. He says that he was adNls-
ed of our coming and sent a force to Pom
totoc, but that we trayeIeq Just as last as
tne SCOUTS NEo pIouShl nm lHt news =
that our departure from IOhtOtoc, gong
north, was then reported, and that he
sent all available cavalry IN pursuit OF us,
but did not expect much, as we outnum-
bered them three to one. AT all events
they gave us no trouble.
About December 10 we arrived at a
point 10 miles distant from Holly Springs.
There, stopping at farm house, met an
honest farmer who took our force for a
Federal one. He told me he had been III
Holly Springs, and gave me quite an &C
count of affairs and doingS there. He
also showed me, with considerable pride,
a pass which had been given him by the
Provost Marshal, and which would ena-
BILE him to enter and leave the town as he
pleased. ! examined this pass with IA con
siderable show of interest. Then looked
at him sharply Che of course still taking
me fora Federal officer and told him that
he might be ''all right" but that as | had
some doubts about him would retain the
pass for Il while. On the back of this pass
hap az inf on nf ll