The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1905-08-17

For six months after the fall OF
Vicksburg and Port Hudson, Nlissis-
etppi swarmed with Confederates.
They still had possession of the great
railroads that crossed each other ct
Meridian.
To destroy these railroads an expe-
dition was sent, in command Of Gen.
Sherman, Feb. 8, 1864. It set out from
Vicksburg in light marching order.
The soldiers who contributed the force
of nearly $4,000 men were from Nc
Pherson's and Hurlburt's corps. Both
these commanders accompanied the ex
petition.
The cavalry was chiefly composed Of
the united commands of General W.
Eooy Smith and General ben" GrIer-
son-in all 1900 men The cavalry
started from Memphis, and were I'M
der strict orders to join Sherman at
Meridian not later than Feb. 10. They
were to march to the south through
Pontotoc, Okolona and Columbus.
In December, 1863, Bishop Polk had
been put in command of the Confed-
crate department of the Southwest.
He had in his department nearly 16.-
600 men. Nine thousand were infantry
under Generals French and Loring;
the rest cavalry, under Generals Fer
guson, s. d. Lee and Writ Adams.
On the approach of Sherman, Polk
hastily evacuated Meridian. He gath
cred all the rolling stock of both rail-
roads and sent it to Mobile. BE moved
also the Confederate supplies from
Meridian and elsewhere to a place OF
safety. He accomplished all this with
swiftness, and then retired with his
army to Demopolis, across the Tombig
bee
Besides destroying the railroads,
Sherman hoped to penetrate to Selma.
II not to Mobile, by aid of the cav
airy under Smith. At Selma a great
iron foundry was turning out arms for
the Confederacy day and night.
Feb. 6 the expedition reached Jack
son. For the third time Sherman's
army was in the capital of Mississippi.
This time it was almost destroyed.
No Instructions beyond a few burnt
bridges, easily repaired, were met until
the troops reached Tallahatta. twenty
miles west of Meridian. Here trees had
been pulled across the track, to check
Sherman as long as possible, and give
time to remove the Confederate prop
erty from Meridian. Seeing this, Sher-
man left his trains behind. and h lrried
on. But Polk had already slipped
away.
Feb. 16 the Union troops began the
demolition of railroads.
The great warehouses and acres of
side tracking at Meridian showed how
important to the Confederacy had been
railway transportation through that
place To understand Sherman's work
of destruction, the reader has to pic
ture himself the havoc that could be
made by 10000 men working vigorous
" nearly a week. and armed with
crowbars, pickaxes and sledge-ham-
mers.
After tearing up the tracks in the
usual way, the soldiers lifted from
their beds the wooden ties also. These
were then piled into vast heaps with
the torn up iron rails upon top. The
pile was then fired. OF course the
rails presently became red hot. In
this condition they were raked from
the flames and twisted around like a
screw. Many we're taken while still
red hot, drawn around a tree trunk,
and the ends crossed. This was called
Jeff Davis Necktie."
North and east OF Meridian General
Hurlbut had charge Of the demolition.
South and west Mcpherson superin-
tended 1t. Hurlbut reported that MS
army had destroyed sixty miles Of ties
and eight bridges. Mcpherson tore ZIP
fifty-five miles Of road and burnt fifty
three bridges. Not much rolling stock
had been left by Polk, but the Union
forces found thirty-five locomotives
and twenty cars, which they
burnt
I'VE stayed at Meridian a week.
said Sherman in his report, land made
th.. most complete destruction Of the
railroads ever beheld-south below
Quitman, east Of Cuba station, twenty
niles north Of Lauderdale Springs and
west all the way back to Jackson"
BY the beginning OF 1864, the news
of Lincolns emancipation proclama
ton had become thoroughly published
among the slaves Of the South. They
took advantage of 1t wherever the
Union forces appeared, swarming al
about them in such numbers as otter
to prove a serious embarra ssment TIE
able-bodied men were enlisted. bu1
what to do with the aged, the womer
and the children, the armies did mo-
know
No sooner had Sherman penetratai
Mississippi than they came. Many
Union white refugees came also. WheI
the expedition returned to Vicksburg
brought with it 400 Confederate pris
opers, 1000 white Union'-t refugee
and 5000 negroes.
"Some were on foot, some ou horse
back, and some in OK cuts. Som
were clad in their Sunday best, tn
CASTOR clothing of their masters. s.
vast was the crowd that families wer
separated and women and childrel
lost in the throng. Silent tears course.
down many cheeks, tears Of thankful
1850 g. f1,os~ <~roof doivorouoo Thor,