52 



AEMY OPERATIONS. 



Vicksburg, as if it was at that time promptly 

 made. Another reason for a change of his first 

 plan, and in favor of a prompt movement on 

 Vicksburg, was the information that troops 

 were expected at Jackson from the Southern 

 cities under command of Gen. Beauregard. 



Meanwhile the army was lying at Hawkin- 

 son's Ferry, waiting for wagons, supplies, and 

 the arrival of Gen. Sherman's corps. Hawkin- 

 son's was the lowest of three ferries over the 

 Big Black below the railroad. Hall's and Bald- 

 win's were the names of the others. It was 

 on a new military road from Grand Gulf to 

 Vicksburg. 



In order to facilitate Gen. Grant's operations 

 by destroying the enemy's lines of communica- 

 tion and preventing the early concentration of 

 reinforcements, a cavalry raid of unusual bold- 

 ness was made in the rear of Vicksburg. Col. 

 Benj. H. Grierson, commanding the first cav- 

 alry brigade, had proposed a descent into the 

 State of Mississippi, /without meeting the ap- 

 proval of the commanding general until the 

 1st of April, when he was instructed to pre- 

 pare for an expedition. The force was sta- 

 tioned at Lagrange about fifty miles east of 

 Memphis, and four miles west of the junction 

 of the Mississippi and Charleston railroad. On 

 the 17th, Col. Grierson was ordered to move his 

 force, consisting of the 6th Illinois cavalry, Col. 

 Loomis, 7th Illinois, Col. Edward Prince, and 

 2d Iowa, Col. Edward Hatch, out on the road 

 to Eipley. Feints had previously been made 

 from Lagrange, Memphis, and Corinth, in or- 

 to divert the attention of the enemy from the 

 real movement. Early on the next day, the 

 18th, the force proceeded to Eipley : from that 

 village, the 2d Iowa, advancing on the left flank 

 of the column, took a southeasterly direction, 

 and crossed the Tallahatchie about five miles 

 northeast of New Albany. Meanwhile the 

 main body proceeded directly south and crossed 

 the river two miles east of New Albany. At 

 the same time a battalion of the 7th Illinois 

 marched on the right flank and crossed the 

 river at New Albany. Skirmishing was kept 

 up throughout the day by all the forces with 

 detached bodies of the enemy, who were on 

 both sides of the river, but unable to impede 

 the progress of Col. Grierson. At night the 

 6th and 7th encamped about four miles south 

 of New Albany, and the 2d Iowa aflbut four 

 miles east of that place. About midnight an 

 attack was made upon this regiment, which 

 was promptly repulsed. On the morning of 

 the 19th a detachment was ordered by Col. 

 Grierson to proceed eastward, another to move 

 back to New Albany, and a third to march 

 northwest toward King's Bridge, where a Con- 

 federate force under Maj. Chalmers was re- 

 ported to be encamped. These movements 

 were designed to lead the enemy to believe 

 that the object of the expedition was to break 

 up the different military organizations in that 

 part of the country. This was successful. 

 About nine o'clock the main body resumed its 



march in a southerly direction, with the 2d 

 Iowa on its left flank. The various detach- 

 ments which had been sent out soon joined 

 the main column, and the whole fdrce pro- 

 ceeded to Pontotoc. A small Confederate 

 force was here encountered, and pursued 

 through the town by the advance, and their 

 entire camp equipage was captured, and also 

 four hundred bushels of salt, which were de- 

 stroyed at night. Col. Grierson encamped six 

 miles south of Pontotoc, on the road leading 

 to Houston. 



Early the next morning, Major Lall, of the 

 2d Iowa, with about one hundred and seventy- 

 five of the least effective portion of the com- 

 mand, one piece of artillery, and all the pris- 

 oners, moved northward, on the return to 

 Lagrange. The object of Col. Grierson, in 

 ordering this movement, was to relieve his 

 command of incumbrances, and to lead the 

 enemy to believe that the expedition had re- 

 traced its steps. The march southward was 

 then resumed, and the force encamped that 

 night about ten miles beyond the town of 

 Houston. 



On the next day, the 21st, Col. Hatch, of 

 the 2d Iowa, was ordered to move his com- 

 mand toward Columbus, and destroy as much 

 of the Mobile and Ohio railroad as possible, to 

 attack Columbus if the opposing force was not 

 too strong, and march thence to Lagrange, 

 taking such route as he might consider to be 

 the most suitable. In this movement, Col. 

 Hatch was quite successful. It entirely mis- 

 led Gen. Chalmers, who was in pursuit of 

 Col. Grierson, and gave the latter a start of 

 two or three days. The main body now con- 

 tinued its march to Starkville, and captured a 

 mail, which was destroyed. At Dismal Swamp, 

 four miles from Starkville, a halt was ordered, 

 and a part of the command continued on five 

 miles farther to one of the principal tanneries 

 in the State, which was destroyed, with a large 

 stock of boots, shoes, saddles, and leather. 



On the 22d, the command again united and 

 marched twenty-seven miles, nearly to Louis- 

 ville, Mississippi. The deep streams and marsh- 

 es made the route very difficult and perilous. 

 On the next morning the command reached 

 Philadelphia; here a mail was captured and 

 destroyed. About daylight, on the next morn- 

 ing, Newton was reached, where two trains of 

 cars, loaded with all kinds of quartermaster 

 and commissary stores, ammunition, and shells, 

 were captured, and their contents Destroyed. 

 One bridge was destroyed about half a mile 

 east of the place, and three heavy trestlework 

 bridges ten miles farther up the railroad. On 

 the 25th, Col. Grierson reached Nichols's Plan- 

 tation, seven miles west of Montrose. A more 

 southerly route was now pursued. At Raleigh 

 a halt was ordered for the night, and a scout 

 sent to cut the telegraph wires on the railroad 

 between Lake Station and Jackson. On arriv- 

 ing within seven miles of the railroad, a regi- 

 ment of Confederate cavalry was met, which had 



