Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1886-01-29

remember that there were two to three
hundred carloads, besides all those stored
elsewhere. There was also good deal of
stock collected there. We completely
tltted out our whole command and then
destroyed all the residue of supplies, eX-
ccept what. was secured by the citizens of
Holly Springs.
The soldiers were all paroled-1 800 of
them and Gen. Grant stated that the
only excuse for their giving such paroles
must be found in neutrality-suspicious. Ger
tainly it would have been Il little difficult
to know what to do with them had they
refused so we came out remarkably well
in that respect.
The moment we had gained control of
the town we sent men to occupy the tele-
graph office, and we secured the dispatch
es. We then learned that Forrest was
raidinE north of us Gen Grant says, AS
previously quoted, in his book, Forrest
got on our line of railroad between Jack
son, Tenn. and Columbus, Ky, doing
much damage to it," We went north,
hoping to join him and, had the com
mands been united, we should have done
much more execution than was done by
the two separately. We went by SOmGr-
vile, Tenn, toward Bolivar. In Western
Tennessee we found that Forrest had gone
to join Gen. Bragg's army in the middle
of that state. Then we moved southwark
again, being near Ripley Miss, on Christ
mas Day and on this course MS on our
nOrthWard one, we passed in the rear of
the Federal cavalry column when near
Grand junction we heard their drums.
When we arrived at Grenada Gen. Penn
berton had gone. But for our raid he
would undoubtedly have started sooner
than he did, for he was all ready, when we
left him. to retire ON Canton and indeed,
had sent one division to the rear
Gen. Grant returned to La Grange and
TVt,,. L L..
known the demoraliZed condition of the
enemy, or the fact that Central Mississp-
pi abounded SO IN all army supplies he
would have been in pursuit of pembertOn
while his cavalry was destroying the
roads in his rear Fortunately for us he
did not know these two things and we
had but little fighting to speak of with
the column sent by HIM to pursue us.
He took very philosophical view Of
our rad, as appears from the following
sentence in his book Cp 1870
Our loss of supplies was great at Holly
Springs, but it was more than cOmpeusH-
ted for by those taken from the country
and by the lesson taught My view of
the matter differs from this. He moved
his headquarters back to Holly Springs ON
December 23d, and, drawing back his
troops gradually, remained there until the
road thence to Grand Junction, and from
Grand j JUNCTION to Memphis, was entirely
repaired, WnlCn was not Untll january 10,
1853. Then he made further retrOgIade
movement to Memphis, from which place
he departed in the last days of that month
TO begin his campaign against NickSburg
which occupied just about six months,
and was finally won 10y him at Il tremen-
douS cost in life and money. Only on july
4th did that Confederate stronghold capt.
ulate, after many battles and Il prolonged
siege. On the other hand, suppose Grant
had suffered no loss of supplies, and push
eel to the southwark as he originally in
tended. He would have been close on
Pemberton's heels, and the latter could
never have entered Nicksburg. Beyond a
doubt it would have been in Federal
hands in January instead of July, and the
history of the war would read far differ
emily from what it does. Thus the lesson
that we should never ''despise the day OF
small things" has Il striking illustration
in the mOmentous results of the capture
of Holly Springs.
A CONFEDERATE OFFICER.
December 1880