The Washington herald., 1914-02-19
THE WAR DAY BY DAY
Fifty Years Ago.
Feb 49, IS6EA Federal Cavalry Under William Sooy Smith,
Moving South Mississippi Assist Gen. Sherman in His Meridian
Campaign Came with Forests Cavalry, Fifteen Miles
North of West Point the Mobile and Ohio Railroad.
written expressly for The Heraid.)

recruiting. II was a dangerous business
Meeting places were established IN out
of-the-way places. often in dense cane
brakes and in the ravines and thickets
of the river bottoms. In these places
volunteers gathered and were drilled.
Hither conscripts were brought and forci-
, bly, inducted to their new positions as
soldiers Of the Confederacy.
In less than two months Gen. Forrest
had raised a force Of about 4.Voo men,
Few of them were armed, but all were
willing to fight as soon as the means
could be placed In their hands. Learn
ing OF the concentration of Federal cav
airy against him, Gen. Forrest sent his
newly made army south into Mississippi.
! There other recruits were received. and
early in January Forrest organized mis-
brigades and armed them as best he
could.
The First Brigade, 1.5o0 men. was under
Gen. r. v. Richardson; the Second. 1.2O
strong, under Col. Robert McCulloch; the
Third, 1000 men, under Gen. Tyree III.
Bell, and the Fourth, 1000 men. under
Col. Jeffrey Z. Forrest. the generals
brother. Gen. Forrest commanded the
First and Third brigades iu person. The
Second and Fourth brigades, constitut-
ing a division. were placed under the
direction Of Gen. James r. Chalmers.
Sooy Smiths March.
Gen. Forrest knew of the gathering of
FederaIs at Collierville. and with his
usual keen perception judged their pur-
pose so closely as to determine their
route of march three days before they
took the field.
Gen. Smith thought TO deceive the Con-
federates as to his point Of crossing the
Tallahatchie River by an elaborate 1eint.
An infantry brigade, under Col. William
l.. McMillen, moved from Memphis TO
Wyatt on the Tallahatchie, while Gen.
Smith with his cavalry swung east and
crossed at New Albany, Miss. thirty-hve
miles up stream
Forrest already had judged that the
Federals would cross at New Albany
and had written a dispatch to that effect
as early as February s. He made no
attempt to prevent the advance, as his
plan was to draw the Federals as far
away from their base as possible and
then 10 deliver a sharp blow.
As Gen Smith advanced the Confed-
crates under Gen Forrest fell back.
posting small detachments TO watch the
progress OF the Federals. Forrest, with
Bells brigade, retired to Grenada, while
the other troops of his command moved
east through Houston toward West Point
and Columbus. He then moved from
Grenada to StarkviIle. which is in the
vicinity of West Point, and there gath
ering his command once more, waited
Sooy Smith in the meantime was max
ing good progress toward his objective,
Meridian, without opposition. Passing
through Pontotoc the command reached
a swamp at the crossing of the Houlka
River Here we were met by Gholson's
rabble of State troops to the number OF
about 800 whom We stampeded and drove
peIl-meIl across the swamp" Gen. Smith
wrote in his report
But in spite of the alleged stampede
the Confederate State Militia still con-
tested the passage of the river. The
Federals made an attack on them and
then swung of to the east, to Okolona,
on the railroad. From this point a regi-
ment was thrown forward by a forced
march to Aberdeen to endeavor to seize
ferry boats TO effect the crossing of the
River; but no ferry boats were
found.
Tearing up ties. burning them and bend
ing the rails. destroying corncribs and
stores of cotton, the Federals proceeded
down the railroad from Okolona. Fifty
years ago today, as the advance rode into
Prairie Station, fifteen miles north OF
West Point, it came in contact with the
first formidable opposition that it had
met since the expedition started. This