Arizona republican., 1891-05-17

suming the leadership of force attached to the Confederate army operating against sherman in Georgia; Morgan's ill fated raid of 1868 reduced him to compara tive nothingness, and Van Dorn, whose previous training as a leader of squadrons, combined with his habits of boldness and celerity, marked him in the first years of the war as possibly another Murat, was killed in 1868. Other cavalrymen of less note had transient success and equally transient fame. But as late as midsum- mer, 1861, when Sherman was before the gates of Atlanta, the extensive belt of coun try east of the Mississippi nominally con quered for the Union by Halleck and Grant in 1S62-3 was designated within the Union lines as "Forrest's country" He raided quite at will almost to the Kentucky bor- der, and, hoping to prevent his incursions on the flank of the Union army in Georgia, sherman directed movement from Memphis, into his chosen territory in northern Mississippi to distract or occupy his attention. The movement, led by Gen. Sturgis, ended in a stunning defeat near Guntown June 10, and the retreat of the column to Memphis. When Sturgis' troops reached Memphis Gen. A. J. Smith hap pened to be in camp there with a com mand destined to join Sherman at Atlanta Smith promptly took up the march for "Forrest's country" and meeting the re- doubtable Confederate at Tupelo June IA, whipped him so soundly that he had to re. sort to unusual tactics to rid his territory of a foe so mettlesome. Since Memphis was base for operations aimed at him he would counter on Memphis in the hope of getting up panic that would result in Smiths recall, if nothing more. For this expedition he formed a detachment of his choicest mounted men, numbering 1 800
 Forrest led in person, and the command set out from a point near Oxford, Miss, at dusk, Aug. Is. A steady rain had been falling for some days and the streams were greatly swollen, making a detour neces sary that heightened the distance by about forty miles. The roads were so heavy that by the morning of the 20th over hun dred men and a number of horses had be- come unservceable, and these, with two out of the four cannon that started with the expedition, were sent back. Relieved of these membranes Forrest pressed on. In his front the Hickahala creek rolled in deep stream, sixty feet between banks and without bridges. Beyond was Cold Water river, hundred feet broad and not ford able Forrest, of course, learned the situa tion in advance, and sent out scattering parties to gather bridging material, and by the time his column reached the cross ing place there was lumber at hand to make a bridge floor. The men went to work and tH sted cables out of grapevines, formed floats out of dry telegraph poles bound them with the vine cables and an, chored them in the same way to trees on either bank. Telegraph poles also served as stringpeces to support the floor of the bridge, and in about one hour from the time the first stroke was made, the men began to file across in double lines At Cold Water river the feat was repeated in three hours by the sams methods, except that convenient ferryboat was used as support in the middle of the long span That night the raiders reached Fernando, twenty-five miles from Memphis, and were met by scouts coming direct from the city The scouts reported the positions occupied by the Union troops, and assured Forrest that the enemy had no knowledge of his eXDeditiOn