The National tribune., 1909-12-30

The 9th and 9Th Ill. Cav, and for over
three years those regiments, under the
leadership of Grierson, Hatch, Prince
and others, were in close touch with
Forrest, Chalmers, Writ Adams and
other rebel commanders, and we feel
that no one is more competent to state
the facts concerning Gen. Forrest and
his troopers than are the survivors of
the Second Brigade, Fifth Division, Cav
airy Corps, Department of the Missis-
sippi.
Our Infantry comrades even at this
late day do not, as rule, understand
the true status of cavalry as used in
modern warfare. Even officers of high
rank during the civil war held to the
idea that cavalry could never be used
except in an open country, and that
they should be hurled against the enc
my's infantry, as was done by Marshal
Ney at Waterloo. But ii was for Amer
ican volunteer officers to show to the
trained soldiers of Europe the way to
use cavalry, especially in a region
where there is heavy timber, deep ra-
vines and sunken roads.
1t is uncertain who first employed
cavalry as raiders" but it is now rec
ognized by all Nations as an effective
mode of warfare. A cavalry raid at its
best is essentially game of strategy
and speed, with personal violence as an
incidental complication. 1t is played
according to more or less definite rules,
not inconsistent with the players killing
: each other, if the game cannot be won
in any other way; but il is a strenuous
game rather than bloody one, in
tensely exciting, but not always danger
GUS.
Neither of the noted cavalry leaders
Of either army were safe men to lead
infantry into action. Forrest was not
content to plod along the highway with
an infantry column, and he never dis
mounted his men TO fight on foot un-
less there was rebel infantry near by to
help him or when he knew he was
strong enough to carry a point by
storm. Many a time did he withdraw
; from the front of the Union lines, only
to strike a terrible blow 20 miles away,
when that point had been weakened by
sending support to where danger was
u threatened.
Forests Spectacular Ride.
We recall Forests raid into Mem
phis with but two light regiments Of
cavalry, and altho there were over TO-
GEO Union infantry and 5000 cavalry in
and around the city, those rebel horse
men set fire to millions of dollars worth
OF cotton, baled hay. grain and commits
sary stores, while Gen. Forrest rode his
= horse up the marble steps of the Cay
osa Hotel into the bar-room, and regis
tered his name in the hotel register as
Gen. Forrest and Staff, G. S. Al Then,
taking morning paper from the hand
of a citizen, he mounted and charged
out of the city at the head of his ragged
butternut-colored column and got away.
He did not stop to fight. 1t would
have been foolish. He struck a hard
bloW both at our pride as soldiers and
at our army stores. He was an ideal
raider, but Grierson was his equal.
. Grierson made q forced. run of 20 miles
In the night time to strike Forrest a
blow when the day dawned at Holly
Springs. He found a few old worn-out
hogses and some sick soldiers. Grier-
son then returned with his column to
CoIliersyille, only to find that Forrest
had struck our camp, captured the gar
u rison, burned all of our stores he did
not carry off. and got away safely by
crossing Wolf River and destroying oul
pontoon bridge.
Thousands of miles did our cavalry
march to cut rebel telegraph wires and
destroy railroad bridges. Forrest fell
into the rear of Grants army while il
was marching from Memphis down the
center of Mississippi to attack Vicks-
burg in the rear. He cut the railroad
In our rear and burned vast stores OF
amtnunitson and supplies, and got away
Grants army fell back from Coffeeville
and oxford to Memphis, and thus For.
J rest changed the whole plan of cam
paign.
Grierson, with coo cavalry, of whom
the writer was one, made a run of over
SOC miles down thru the State of Mis-
sisSppi and thru part of Lou siana, cut
all railroads and destroyed bridges up
, on sroads running into Vicksburg and
j Sort Hudson, and did not lose more
'iah 20 men all told. For damage done