Waterbury evening Democrat., 1903-12-08

To steal out of west Tennessee be-, fore the eyes of the alert Federals was a feat to tax the genius of even a For rest, especially as he had been up to the trick before, and his enemy knew just how to take him. Tn order to cover the movement from the strong body of en- emies known to be at Memphis the raiding chief sent forward picked detachment of TOO troopers to threaten an attack on that town. This column rode within four miles of Memphis, drawing off a large body of Federals in pursuit toward the Mississippi bor- der, while Forrest, with the main col umn, crossed Wolf river.
 The crossing of Wolf river was ac- Somplished' with a show of readiness and energy characteristic of Forrest. There was but one bridge on the river, and that had been put in order by the Federals for the purpose of throwing troops across to catch the raiders. The Federals had also built small work to defend the bridge, and the floor blanks were kept stored under its guns for use whenever the bridge might be needed for troops on the southern side. On approach the bridge Forrest sent out 200 riders to make feint of cross ing the river below, and at the same time Colonel Tyree H. Bell, with 200 sabers, rode through dense wood to- ward the site of the bridge.
 Led by skillful guides, Bells party dismounted and at a signal dashed for the bridge, charging across the bare timbers and firing one volley into the blockhouse, only thirty feet from the bank The Federals didn't stand fight, and Forrest relaid the bridge, crossing safely his whole column. The raiders were now out of the woods and on New Years day, 1864, were in their old camp at Okolona with 5000 raw men, their trains, artillery and cattle intact They had marched out of Tennessee in the face of 10000 Federals.
 At the very time when Forrest was galloping northward over the bor- der into west Tennessee on his daring raid Sherman was speeding by rail from Chattanooga to Nashville to lay before his chief plans to wipe out the raid1ng band and also to free Missis- sippi entirely from Confederate troops. Grant had removed his own headquar- ters from Chattanooga to Nashville to avoid having his communications cut with Washington by raiding Confeder- ates. His first campaign against Vicks- burg had been brought to 8 sudden end by this sort of enterprise on the part of his foe. Forrest played chief role in that affair.
 Sherman wanted to use his troops under McPherson and Hurlburt at Vicksburg and Memphis and "strike a blow" east of the Mississippi. Grant told him to go ahead. From Nashville he proceeded to Ohio to pass Christ mas with his family and started down the river from Cairo early in Jan uary. Forrest was then safe in his old camp dividing the spells of the raid and whetting his sabers for new cam paign. When Sherman. got ready to strike, Forrest was ready, as usual, to parry the blow.
 Meanwhile the victors of Lookout | Mountain and Mission Ridge remained | at Chattanooga with Thomas at their l head. These troops were to form the | bulk of the army which later would | go forward under Sherman to skin the southwestern leg of the sConfederacy, 1 take Atlanta and march to the sea. | Thomas had in his front at the begin ming of the new year the old foes of k Chickamauga and Chattanooga. These ] Confederate forces on retreating from l Mission Ridge had marched back to 1 Dalton, thirty-eight miles south of l Chattanooga. Toward the close of De- 1 cernber their old commander, Braxton ! Bragg. was succeeded by General Jo- l seph E.: Johnston, leader last met with in the battles around Richmond in 1862.
 Longstreet still held on in east Ten nessee between two <, with Burn 1 side north of him d. Knoxville and 1 Thomas south at Chattanooga. Thom- as was himself between three fires, for besides Longstreet to the north and Johnston south, a large Confederate force, including Forests cavalry, how cred in Mississippi west of him. Out of this mixed situation of December 1863. was to come the straight ahead march of Sherman in the Atlanta cam paign of 1864.
 GEORGE l.. KILMER.