The National tribune., 1894-05-10
HOLLY SPRINGS.
The Real Situation There as Seen by q Par
ficipant.

| ticipant.
! EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: Comrade
W. w. Porter, Lieutenant, Co. L, 18th Ill.
Cav, in always at the Front" issue of
April 5, regarding the captire Of Holly
Springs, Miss, says that "Col. Murphy,
with 500 or 500 men and one company of
cavalry" etc. Farther down he says he
surrendered withouts opposition, zone COM
pany of the 9th III. Cav, it is said, showing
some fight, contrary TO, his ORDERS" etc.
The facts are thai Col. r. c. Murphy not
only had his own regiment, 9th Wis, but
several hundred other troops, some infantry
and artillery, including eight companies of
the I'd ILL., Cav. There were none of the
9Th Ill. Cav. in camp there. The cavalry
was encamped in the Fair grounds, some
distance from the main village. The COM
pany belonged to Co. E. I'd III. Cav was
detached from the regiment and left Holly
Springs the morning before Van Dorm visit
ed the place. We were ordered to Oxford.
There were 13 of our company left behind,
including the First Lieutenant, that were
on the "quinine detail"
| Murphy made no attempt to defend the
place. He had ample material to have
blockaded the streets, such as cotton bales,
etc. His pickets were not SO posted as to be
of any protection to the Post Van Dorm, en-
| camped a few miles east and southeast, did
not build any fires, and was in Holly Springs
before daylight. When they reached the
| cavalry camp all were in the arms of Nor
! pheus.
| The Lieutenant-C Colonel, in dishabille,
| stepped out of his tent. Taking in the sit
uation at once, he said:
Boys, you might as well surrender.
There is no show"
Some invited him to 90 to that warm
country so often heard of in army days.
The various Captains ordered "bOots and
saddles sounded, and in very unprece-
dentedly short time the men were in line.
But the enemy was SO numerous and the
ground so unfavorable for our lines to con-
solidate, they had to fight somewhat dis
jointedly. After several charges and coun-
tercharges the Federal forces were divided,
so they cut their way out. Two companies,
with Capt S. C. Higgins in command, made
their way to Memphis, the remainder of the
regiment, with Maj. Mudd, went out south
east and remained until the enemy evacu-
ated, when they returned to the village.
The loss to the cavalry was about 100,
mostly sick in hospital. There were but
six or seven killed in the fray. There were
5000 of the enemy. There were 1900 pris-
oners paroled, besides the sick in hospital,
which must have been 500 or 600 more.
Comrade Porter gives the financial loss at
100000. He is in error there; it was about
100000. The enemy claims it was 81
100000. Quartermaster, commissary, ord
nance and hospital stores had been accumu-
lating there for more than month. 1t was
the base of supplies at that time for the
entire army of Gen. Grant, then working
south.
1t has always been amystery why Gen.
Grant placed Col. Murphy in command of
such an important post, for he must have
known he was "trickyn It was the gen.
eral impression at the time that Gen. Grant
thought he could not be relied upon in the
field, and, being senior Colonel, he must
give him place somewhere. He thought
Murphy would hold the place until he could
get assistance to him. He finally disposed
of Murphy unceremoniously after that.
Comrade Porter speaks of being detailed
to guard train to Memphis for supplies.
My company was detailed for the same pur-
pose. We left Holly Springs Dec. 26, with
large train and the paroled prisoners. We
formed a junction with Gen. Quimby, COM
handing the Seventh Division, Seventeenth
Corps, 9th; reached Memphis Goth, at 10
q. M; there found Capt. Higgins with his
force, mentioned above.
The wagons were loaded with supplies,
and we started on the return Dec. 81 along
the M. & G. r. r. AT l p. m. Jan. 1 the
train of supplies reached Lafayette. At that
point the force of men going west were re-
pairing the railroad, and the stores were
unloaded into cars and hurried forward to
the hungry troops that had been on short
rations since the Goth nit. By Z a. m. the
I'd the supplies were all unloaded. Gen.
Quimby left part of his force at Lafayette.
He moved back along the railroad, scatter
ing his force to protect the road. His head
quarters was finally located some three to
four miles in rear of Memphis, where we
hung up for the Winter, our company re-
manning at division headquarters.-M. l..
MOORE, Second Lieutenant, Co. E, ID Ill.
Cav, Oregon City, Ore.