The reënforcements were indeed sent from here, to the number of three or four thousand; but, owing to some obstruction in the road near Waterford, they arrived nearly two hours too late, so that the rebel rear-guard had been gone out of the town about an hour when the cavalry advance of our forces rode into it. At Pontotoc, Col. Dickey, seeing the great inequality of numbers between his own force and that of the enemy, waited to let them pass through, which they did, without knowing that he was watching them. After Van Dorn had passed through toward the north, Colonel Dickey passed through toward the east, and kept on over to the Mobile and Ohio road, striking it at Saltillo; from that place northward he tore up the track and burned the bridges for thirty miles, making a terrible gap in that great line of communication. between the South and the rebel stronghold at Chattanooga. But to return to the Holly Springs affair: There were enough troops in Holly Springs to have held it against the enemy if any man of courage or judgment had had command. Gen. Grant's despatch reached Col. Murphy on the evening previous to the enemy's appearance near the town. There were between five and six hundred infantry, and seven companies of the Second Illinois cavalry, as brave fellows as ever trod shoe-leather or mounted a horse, as the fighting of the infantryguard at the depot, and the gallant dash of the Illinois cavalry through the rebel forces proves. There were also cotton-bales enough in the public square and at the depot to have barricaded every street in the town, so that the enemy's cavalry could not have charged through as they did; but the infantry had received no information of the threatened attack, and the cavalry had only very indefinite information of it. I am credibly informed that the only precautions Colonel Murphy took were to telegraph next morning to Gen. Grant for reénforcements, in the very act of which he was captured by the enemy. The troops fought literally without commanders, except their company commanders, and the Majors of the Second cavalry. I am also told that the cavalry were ordered by their own Colonel to surrender, he threatening to arrest those who were firing. This command, the cavalry refused to obey, and charged through the enemy's ranks. In their charge they lost seven men, and killed thirty of the enemy. The or on the flanks, and as it seemed then for noth- On Saturday, the nineteenth, Gen. McArthur's division passed through town on their way southward, and on yesterday passed through again on their return. Day before yesterday every thing looked as though we should continue advancing steadily, as we have done since leaving La Grange, but yesterday the face of affairs changed. Cotton, which had begun to come in in large quantities, suddenly got a very black eye," as they say on 'change; sutlers began to pack up, and to-day every thing looks like taking the back-track. A very ridiculous rumor got afloat among outsiders that a tremendous army was marching up from Grenada, and a few of the cotton-buyers, who had heard of the bad fortunes of the brethren at Holly Springs became very nervous. The troubles of one nervous pair have already become a subject of fun for hundreds. They were lodging together at the hotel, and like cats slept with one eye and both ears open. They had gone to bed early with the intention of getting up in good season and leaving the town with the first division of the army. They had just dozed off in uneasy slumbers when a drum was beaten at rather an unusual hour, in some one of our distant camps. "O my Lord!" says H, "there's the long roll! the enemy are coming sure enough! There's going to be a battle right here! What shall we do ?" Both were now up on end, listening to the sound. The drum continued to roll, and as the wind carried the sound about, it came now near and loud, now faint and far, like the sound of some ghostly drum beaten by spirits in the air. Presently a stronger gust of wind brought the sound, apparently right under their window. This was too much. In an instant they were on their feet We, who had been endeavoring to keep our hunting distractedly in the dark for boots, panselves thoroughly posted about the movements taloons, coats, etc. H- was so clean daft," of the enemy, and of our own army, were sur- as the Scotch say, that he could find nothing but prised at the rebel raid toward Jackson. Still his coat (which contained his money) and his more surprised at their entrance into Holly spurs. Some fun-loving acquaintance, or the Springs, but when this army, with no enemy boot-black of the hotel, if the hotel was guilty threatening it with superior forces, in the front of that institution, had carried off his boots. The movements of so large an army as this are soon known all over the country, and I have no doubt that long before this letter will reach you, you will have learned, by hook or crook, in spite of the rebels cutting off our communication with the North, that this army began falling back from its position, fifteen miles south of this place, on the day. before yesterday, (Saturday.) 66 แ After a vain search for them, he drew on the coat, clapped the spurs on his stocking feet, and started down-stairs for his horse. "But," says W, "won't the guard arrest us if we are out after night without the countersign ?" "Eh ?" countersign!" "guard!" and H- paused for an instant on the stairs. Just then another puff of wind brought the sound of the drum from the distant hills; that decided the matter, down-stairs they went, out to the stable, clapped on saddles and bridles, mounted horse and away, and for three miles out from the north side of Oxford, their flight from the sound of that drum was equal to Tam O'Shanter's race with the witches across the bridge. Toward breakfast-time, not finding the road full of crowds, running away like themselves, and the woods around looking rather guerrillaish, they concluded that it would be better to show their pluck by coming back to town. Last night one of the pair, H, determined to have more courageous company, and changed his lodging place. On going to bed, he inquired of his room-mate if the enemy would be likely to search a man's stockings for money, in case he was captured? On being told that they probably would not think to look in them, he stowed away six thousand dollars in one of the stockings, which he took the precaution to wear on his feet during the night. In the morning he had forgotten where he had put the money, and went to a mutual friend of himself, his room-mate, with a grievous story of his room-mate having robbed him. Half an hour after his room-mate heard of it, and told him that his money was in his own stockings. Ridiculous as the foregoing story may appear, it is all true, to which there are numbers here can attest. W. L. F. GENERAL GRANT'S ORDER ON THE SURRENDER. SPECIAL FIELD ORDERS, NO. 23. It is with pain and mortification that the General Commanding reflects upon the disgraceful surrender of the place, with all the valuable stores it contained, on the twentieth instant, and that without any resistance, except by a few men, who form an honorable exception; and this, too, after warning had been given of the enemy northward, the evening previous. With all the cotton, public stores and substantial buildings about the dépôt, it would have been perfectly practicable to have made, in a few hours, a defence sufficient to resist, with a small garrison, all the cavalry force brought against them until the reënforcements which the commanding officer was notified were marching to his relief, could have reached him. The conduct of officers and men in accepting paroles under the circumstances is highly reprehensible, and to say the least, thoughtless. By the terms of the Dix-Hill cartel, each party is bound to take care of their prisoners and send them to Vicksburgh, or a point on the James River, for exchange, on parole, unless some other point is mutually agreed upon by the generals commanding the opposing armies. By a refusal to be paroled, the enemy, from his inability to take care of the prisoners, would have been compelled either to have released them unconditionally, or to have abandoned further aggressive movements for the time being, which would have made their recapture, and the discomfiture of the enemy, almost certain. The prisoners paroled at this place will be collected in camp at once by the post commander, and held under close guard until their case can be reported to Washington for further instructions. Commanders throughout the department are directed to arrest and hold as above, all men of their commands, and all stragglers who may have accepted their paroles upon like terms. The General Commanding is satisfied that a majority of the troops who accepted a parole did so thoughtlessly, and from want of knowledge of the cartel referred to, and that in future they will not be caught in the same way. By order of Major-General U. S. Grant. JNO. A. RAWLINGS, A.A.G. SURGEON WIRTZ'S REPORT. MEDICAL DIRECTOR'S OFFICE, HOLLY SPRINGS, MISS., SIR: I have the honor to report that I remained behind the advance of the army for the purpose of establishing a large general hospital at Holly Springs. I took a building that had been built for an armory by the confederates, consisting of six large rooms, each two hundred and fifty feet long and numerous out-houses, and after three weeks of incessant labor, in which I was greatly assisted by Surgeon Powers of the Seventh Missouri infantry, I had every thing prepared for two thousand. The Acting Medical Purveyor of the Southern portion of the department had been ordered to bring all his supplies to this hospital, which he did, and on the morning of the twentieth of December one of the most completely finished and extensive hospitals in the army was ready to receive its sick. On that morning the town of Holly Springs was taken by the confederate forces under Gen. Van Dorn. As soon as I discovered the enemy were in possession of the place, I repaired to the headquarters of the rebel General, near the town, and made a formal request that the armory hospital should not be burned, entering my solemn protest on the subject, as the confederates had already set fire to the railroad dépôt and a commissary store-house, and had declared their intentions to destroy all houses occupied by our troops. I received the assurance by Gen. Van Dorn's Adjutant that the armory hospital should not be burned, but that it would be protected by a guard. Satisfied with this, I returned to my quarters, but had not been there an hour when I was informed that the building was in flames; and thus this fine structure, with two thousand their beds and shelter as comfortable as circumbunks, an immense lot of drugs and surgical ap- stances would allow. Dr. Reilly, Assistant Surparatus, thousands of blankets, sheets and bed-geon of the Forty-eighth Illinois infantry, also sacks, was soon in ashes. rendered great assistance by his well-directed and H. R. WIRTZ, efficient endeavors. This proceeding, in violation of an express promise and of all rules of civilized warfare, is an evidence of the barbarity and want of principle in the confederate officers. But this is not all, an attempt was made to destroy the general hospital located in the main square, and which at the time contained over five hundred sick. A quantity of ordnance stores had been deposited in a building on the next block to the hospital, and by the order of Gen. Van Dorn, as stated by the officer who had charge of the matter, the barrels of powder and boxes containing shell and cartridges, were taken out and piled up nearly in front of the hospital and set fire to. Two medical officers protested against this wanton act, but their requests were treated with contempt, and before there was time to remove the sick the walls and windows of the hospital were riddled with flying balls and shell, and finally a terrific explosion took place, which shook the entire building, destroying almost every window and door in the establishment, wounding about twenty men, and creating a scene of the wildest confusion. A large number of buildings on the public square took fire from the explosion, and it was only by the utmost efforts that the hospital was preserved as a shelter for the men in the night air. Together with the medical officers who assisted me in caring for the sick and wounded on that trying day, I thought that the rebels had now done us all the harm in their power; but to injury insult was to be added, in a manner, I hope, never to witness again. A rebel cavalry officer named Brewster, who stated he had been detailed by General Van Dorn to "march off every sick man that had not been paroled," collected together, pistol in hand, about one hundred and fifty sick soldiers, forced them to rise from their beds and fall in line, threatening to shoot the medical officer, who expostulated with him, and actually made the poor fellows, suffering from typhoid fever, pneumonia and diarrhoea, start with him on the road. Surgeon U.S.A., Medical Director Thirteenth Army Corps. A. A. Gen., Gen. Grant's Headquarters. REBEL REPORTS AND NARRATIVES. RICHMOND, January 15, 1863. The recent cavalry raid of Gen. Van Dorn in the West was one of the most brilliant feats of the war, not falling short of any that have been made by the renowned Stuart or ubiquitous Morgan. A correspondent of the Mobile Register gives the following interesting particulars of his brilliant achievements in the vicinity of Holly Springs, Miss. : Van Dorn took a by-way and meandering route through the swamp, and came within eight miles of Holly Springs in the evening, where he bivouacked his force until two hours before day, when he moved cautiously into town, leaving the Texas brigade upon the heights outside as a reserve. As our forces dashed in from all sides, the entrance proved a complete surprise, the breaking streaks of daylight showing the Yankee tents with their yet undisturbed slumberers. A charge was ordered upon them, and the torch applied to the canvas which covered them. To paraphrase "Belgium's" picture : "Ah! then and there was hurrying to and fro, And cheeks all pale and blanched with woe, The rapidity with which the tents of the enemy were vacated was marvellous; and, impelled by burning torches and rapid discharges of sidearms, the Yankees took no time to prepare their toilets, but rushed out into the cool atmosphere of a December morning, clothed very similarly to Joseph when the lady Potiphar attempted to detain him. The scene was wild, exciting, tumultuous. Yankees running, tents burning, torches flaming, confederates shouting, guns popping, sabres clanking, Abolitionists begging for mercy, The men fell down in the street, and had to rise "rebels" shouting exultingly, women en dishaagain for fear of being shot, when they were so bille clapping their hands, frantic with joy, cryweak that the slightest motion was agony. On ing, "Kill them! kill them!". a heterogeneous being importuned if there was any thing in the mass of excited, frantic, frightened human beings name of humanity that could be done to induce-presented an indescribable picture, more adapthim to stop his brutal proceedings, he finally con- ed for the pencil of Hogarth than the pen of a sented to let them alone on receiving a paper sign- newspaper correspondent. ed by all the surgeons present, stating that the men were too sick to walk, and their removal was an impossibility. I cannot speak too highly of the conduct of Dr. E. M. Powers, of the Seventh Missouri infantry, after the capture of Holly Springs. The efforts of this able and accomplished officer for the care of the sick were untiring, and from morning till night he was engaged in doing any thing that lay in his power to preserve hospital property, and make the helpless beings who were driven from The surprised camp surrendered one thousand eight hundred men and one hundred and fifty commissioned officers, who were immediately paroled. And then commenced the work of destruction. The extensive buildings of the Mississippi Central dépôt-the station-house, the engine house, and immense store-houses-were filled with supplies of clothing and commissary stores. Outside of the dépôt the barrels of flour were estimated to be half a mile in length, one hundred and fifty feet through, and fifteen feet high. When our forces first reached the dépôt, there was a train about leaving. The engineer jumped off and ran away, and one of our men took his place, shut the throttle-valve, and stopped the train. Sixty cars and two locomotives were then fired and destroyed. Turpentine was thrown over this, and the whole amount destroyed. Up-town, the court-house, and public buildings, livery stables, and all capacious establishments were filled, ceiling high, with medical and ordnance stores. These were all fired, and the explosion of one of the buildings, in which was stored one hundred barrels of After the complete destruction of all public powder, knocked down nearly all the houses on property about the place, and after each man had the south side of the square. Surely such a scene supplied himself with a suitable quantity of of devastatation was never before presented to clothing and boots, at six o'clock in the morning the eye of man. Glance at the gigantic estimates: the march was renewed, and Davis's Mill was One million eight hundred and nine thousand the next place of attack. Here the enemy were fixed cartridges and other ordnance stores, valued intrenched, and sheltered themselves in a blockat one million five hundred thousand dollars, in-house and fort formed of cotton-bales. The cavcluding five thousand rifles and two thousand re-alry was commanded to charge, and attempted volvers. One hundred thousand suits of clothing and other quartermaster's stores, valued at five hundred thousand dollars; five thousand barrels of flour and other commissary stores, valued at five hundred thousand dollars. One million dollars' worth of medical stores, for which invoices to that amount were exhibited, and one thousand bales of cotton, and six hundred thousand dollars' worth of sutler's stores. While the capture of the camp, paroling of the prisoners, and destroying of the stores were going on, the Texan Rangers, comprising the Ninth, Sixth, and Third legions, became engaged with the Michigan cavalry, and drove them pell-mell through town, and run them off north, with a considerable loss to the Abolitionists, and a loss of thirty in killed and wounded on our part. The ladies rushed out from the houses, wild with joy, crying out: "There's some at the Fair Grounds, chase them, kill them, for God's sake." One lady said that "the Federal commandant of the post is in my house; come and catch him;" and a search was instituted but without success, when the noble woman insisted that he was there, concealed; and finally, after much ado, the gallant (save the mark!) Col. Murphy, the intrepid Yankee commandant of Holly Springs, was pulled out from under his bed, and presented himself in his nocturnal habiliments to his captors. The provost-marshal was also taken, and, addressing Gen. Van Dorn, said: "Well, General, you've got us fairly this time. I knowed it. Í was in my bed with my wife when I heard the firing, and I at once said: 'Well, wife, it's no use closing our eyes or hiding under the clothes, we've gone up.' Our attention was given to Grant's headquarters, which he had left twenty-four hours before. All his papers, charts, maps, etc., were captured, together with his splendid carriage, which was burned. Among his papers was found a pass, to pass the bearer over all railroads and steamboats in the United States, at Government expense; to pass all pickets and guards, and other papers, at once interesting and valuable. Mrs. Grant was also captured, but no indignity was offered her. Nearly every store on the public square was filled with sutler stores, and after our men had helped themselves, the balance of the goods were burned. to do so; but the swamp and intricate lagoons breaking off in front of the enemy's position would not permit it. The Yankees opened fire with some effect from their fort, and were supported by a nine-pound rifled gun, mounted on an iron-clad railroad car, forming a railroad battery. The Texans were again ordered to charge, and Major Dillon, of Van Dorn's staff, whose gal lantry during the expedition was particularly conspicuous, attempted to lead them to the attack, but the men refused to follow, believing the way impassable and the position too strong for cavalry demonstration alone. Col. McCullough of the Mississippi cavalry was ordered to get in the rear of the railroad battery, cut the track to prevent its escape, and capture it. I believe he succeeded in cutting the road, but our forces were compelled to withdraw, and the steam battery was not taken. The force then pushed on to Middleburgh and Bolivar, and attacked both places, but found them too strongly defended and garrisoned to succeed in taking either of the points. When the command turned back after its unsuccessful attack upon Bolivar the enemy sent a force of ten thousand, comprising the three branches of the service, out after Van Dorn, and made great efforts to flank and cut off his force; but this dashing officer was too wary for them, and succeeded in returning with four hundred head of captured horses and mules, laden with spoils taken from the enemy. The people of Tennessee are represented as having been almost frantic with joy at the appearance of our forces once more upon their borders. They fed our soldiers with a bountiful hand, and wept for joy. "Thank God you have come at last!" one and all exclaimed. Their hospitality was not a little surprising to our soldiers, who have been so uniformly swindled and extorted from in Mississippi. The people of Tennessee had been induced to believe that General Grant's headquarters were at Jackson, Miss., and that our whole army had been captured. Judge, then, of their surprise, when they were visited by Van Dorn's command. The entire number of prisoners captured and paroled during the raid is two thousand one hundred privates, and one hundred and seventy-five commissioned officers. Doc. 80. other stores, and armed all the convalescents that were able for duty. On Friday morning I learned AFFAIRS AT TRENTON AND HUMBOLDT, that a wood-train passing Carroll Station was TENNESSEE. COLONEL JACOB FRY'S REPORT. BENTON BARRACKS, Mo., January 17, 1863. Captain Harris, Assistant Adjutant-General: fired into by the enemy and considerably injured. During the day, a train arrived from Columbus, and remained over night, having on board some sixty or seventy soldiers returning from hospitals. These I also armed. On Saturday morning the train was ordered to Jackson, leaving about twenty of these men, representing fifteen different regiments. On Friday evening, the nineteenth, Col. Hawkins returned from the Lexington fight, and reported that he did not see more than eight hundred of the enemy, and that he saw no artillery, except the two pieces taken from our forces. This news gave us renewed hopes. Our stockade was secure against any force of cavalry or infantry, unless accompanied by artillery. Some eight days previous to the attack I received a telegraphic despatch from Major-General Grant, giving information from Major-Gen. Rosecrans, that Forrest was moving with his force toward the Tennessee River, and ordering me to be on the look-out. I immediately despatched a detachment of the Second West-Tennessee caval- Forrest's demonstration toward Jackson, with ry to look after the enemy, and to watch his a portion of his force, was merely a feint-his movements. I also prepared this place for de- main object being Trenton and Humboldt, and fence, by throwing up earthworks and digging the Memphis and Ohio Railroad, with a view to rifle-pits, on an elevation completely commanding cut off General Grant's supplies. Learning from the dépôt and other public property. These my scouts, on Friday morning, the nineteenth, were completed on the seventeenth, in a most that the main force of the enemy was moving tosecure manner, of sufficient capacity to hold one ward Trenton, I telegraphed Gen. Davis, at Cothousand five hundred men, and I was confident lumbus, to send me reënforcements, with one that with my force I could hold it against For-battery of artillery, if possible, as I expected an rest's entire command. attack hourly. On the fifteenth, news was received that Forrest was crossing the Tennessee River at Clifton, immediately east of Jackson. Col. Ingersoll, Chief of Cavalry on Gen. Sullivan's staff, ordered Colonel Hawkins, of the Second West-Tennessee cavalry, with all his effective men, to join his force the Eleventh Illinois and three hundred of the Fifth Ohio cavalry-at Lexington. The order was promptly obeyed by Col. Hawkins. On the seventeenth, Colonel Ingersoll me the enemy near Lexington, and, after a very sharp engagement, was repulsed, with a loss of some men and two pieces of artillery. To this despatch, I received no answer. On the arrival of the train at noon, I learned from ex-Governor Wood, of Illinois, that when he left Columbus, that morning, a regiment of infantry was disembarking. I again telegraphed to Gen. Davis for reënforcements, with a battery of artillery--stating that my force had been ordered to Jackson, and that I had nothing left but convalescents. To this he replied that he had no men or artillery to spare. On Saturday morning I learned from scouts that Forrest had encamped at Spring Creek with his entire force. I telegraphed this fact to Gen. The same day, General Sullivan telegraphed to Sullivan. General Hayne, then in command at know what my available force was at Trenton. I Jackson, answered that Gen. Sullivan was in the replied that I had about five hundred available field, and asked the distance and direction to men, with three pieces of artillery-not more Spring Creek. I answered twenty miles, and than sufficient to hold the place, if attacked. The that the enemy would approach from the east. next morning I received an order from Gen. Sul- The wires were cut soon after, and I had no furlivan for the whole of my force to move to Jack-ther communication with Jackson. son, with two days' rations - reserving only the convalescents for guard-duty; and to notify the citizens that they would be held responsible for any damage to the railroad or other public property; which order was promptly obeyed. The last of the troops left Trenton on Friday morning, the nineteenth, at three o'clock- -a portion having had to wait for the train from Union City, with troops, also ordered from that place to Jack-command of Lieutenant Allender, of the Second son. As the troops had been ordered from Trenton, I was compelled to abandon my rifle-pits, and to concentrate what force I had at the dépôt. On Thursday evening and Friday morning I had the dépôt platform-some one hundred and fifty by forty feet barricaded with cotton bales and Under these circumstances, I was determined to make the best possible defence, and collected the convalescents, stragglers, fugitives, and other soldiers, until I got together a force of about two hundred and fifty men. This was the condition of things up to noon Saturday, and I felt confident of holding the place against every force except artillery. Twenty-five sharp-shooters, under West-Tennessee cavalry, were placed on a brick building across the street-the top of which was well protected by a parapet wall, about three feet high. A squad of six men were placed in a building that commanded another street, to fire from the windows. All officers in the breastwork were placed in positions where they could be |