Los Angeles herald., 1891-04-25


suming the leadership of a force attached
to the Confederate army operating against
Sherman in Georgia. Morgans ill fated
raid of 1868 reduced him to compare
tive nothingness, and Van Dorm, whose
previous training as leader of squadrons
combined with his habits of boldness and
celebrity, 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, 1854 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 1923 was designated within the Union
lines as Forests 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
iHtuu utStlucu W JOIN IoutTIudu dU AUldHUd.
Smith promptly took up the march for
FORESTS 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 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 1,500.
Forrest led in person, and the command
set out from point near Oxford, Miss,
at dusk, Aug. IS. A steady rain had been
falling for some days and the streams were
greatly swollen, making detour neces
sary that heightened the distance by about
forty miles. The roads were so heavy that
by the morning of the Goth over a hun
dred men and n number of horses had be-
come unserviceable, 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, a 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 twisted 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 stringpieces 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 same methods, except
that a 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
expedition.