Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1888-04-17

JIM 'A'' irntleT IL
ing TO the American reader in all time to
come.
At the time the war began Benjamin Girl
erson was living in jacksonville, His. He is
described ms being full Of a vivid, elastic
life, Overlooking with enthusiasm Like
Con. John A. Logan, that other Illinois man,
Gricrson was slender and dark. He was very
quick and graceful i'll his movements and
seemed To have "A physique Of iron endurance.
There was no shoulder strap pomposity
about him, even after he became major
general lie was modest, gentle and genial
in his manners and such he remained
But his ability in the cavalry field was pro
nouncCA from the beginning. In the early
part of the war he was aide on the staff of
,ien Prcntss, serving without pay. Indeed,
writer in The United States Service Maya
zine says that Grerson served without pay
Throughout the whole war In December.
1861, he became ina ior Of the Sixth Illinois
cavalry, and in few weeks his battalion was
the best drilled and disciplined of the cavalry
troops in the wesi, In March, 1862, the Sixth
Illinois cavalry, armed only with rusty
sabcrs, started to join Grant at Pittsburg
Landing A. Paducah, Ky, Governor
Yates of illinois, likewise on the way to
Grant, encountered the regiment. Maj.
Grerson called to pay his respects to the
governor, on hoard the steamboat The gov
ernor ted the d2rk haired cavalryman back
70 party Of laiie, in the cabin, and intro
ducel hun 30 them a. Col. Grierson.
His colonel bad resigned, and. unknown to
tn major every officer of the regiment but
one had letitiunod tue governor to appoint
Grierson their colonel, and the governor had
done SO.
In In! Col GrierSon's regiment was or
dero,l to Memphis. and here he showed him
self no les accomplished in field than in
camp lie and hi mon dashed ont from head
quarters like whirlwind, and bounced upon
bands of Confederate bushwhackers and
Euerrillas in west Tennessee and northern
Mississippi. He showed them that dash,
daring and hard riding were not all on ono
side of the line, He seemed never to sleep,
but to watch day and night and be ready for
the mount and gallop at any moment
Once he came very near being caught. He
and forty OF his men were dismounted and
at dinner. seventeen miles back of Memphis
With the dripping pork slice poised in mid
air, just before it touched their mouths. 400
ConscderatcS suddenly hove into sight
The men dropped their food and took
refuge wherever they might, behind trees,
the fence or rock They were fired on and re-
turned the fire obstinately, In a twinkling Col
Crieison mounted eighteen of his men, and
with these charged upon the whole 400 Con-
federates The very inpudence of the thing
seemed somehow to paralyze them, and their
lines wavered and then turned back. hum
dred OF Griersons men appearing by another
road at the same opportune moment, the body
of Coufederates turned and fled
The last year of the war Gen Grierson,
then brgadier, was promoted to the full
rank of ma 'or general Of volunteers. After
the wa he remained in the service and was
appointed coioael of the Tenth United States
cavalry. Before the war he earned his liv.
In, as a music teacher. Such was the man
who made the daring raid through Missis-
sippi in the early summer of 1863
BY referring to the accompanying map
the reader will see the route passed over by
the daulitless cavalryman. He was noted
during the war the man who never made
failure. Every enterprise that he under
took was successful
April II, 1868, Grierson and his men began
their famous ride He took three cavalry
regiments, his own, the Sixth Illinois, Col
Loomis commanding; the Seventh Illinois,
Col Prince, and the Second Iowa, Col Hatch.
They started from Lagrange, Tenn, fifty
miles east OF Memphis. False movements had
been made in various directions beforehand
to deceive the Confederates. who might be
on watch, But the real expedition struck
out south at rafting pace, and was soon
over the border into Mississippi The first
day they reached Ripley, in that state. At
Ripley, on the 18th. the command divided,
the Second Iowa going southeasterly and
crossing the Tallahatchie river. The main
body went directly south, also crossing the
Tallahatchie near the town of New Albany.
A second time the command split, this time
battalion OF the Seventh Illinois passing to
the right Of the main body and going directly
to New Albany
Skirmishing was kept up night and day
with bodies of Confederate cavalry which
were encountered in the vicinity Of New AZ
bany. The morning of April 10, Grierson
again divided his main body. He sent ont
three detachments in Is many different di-
rections. His object was to make the Confed-
crates believe he bad come to attack them
and destroy their cavalry Meantime the
main body proceeded rapidly southward. The
second Iowa was BY this time within sup
porting distance on The left After making
feints As ordered, the three detachmenfs soon
rsjoinsd The main column. Gen. Chalmers
vns in command of tho Confsdarass foruap in