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burg to Warrenton grew dark and still, and the beholders retired to wait for the morning news. The tidings that the fleet was safe-the damage small, and only one hero killed, with two others wounded-filled many eyes with tears of joy. The ships, excepting the Henry Clay, were floating securely on the quiet waters between the scarred fortress and New Carthage. General Grant's heart beat lighter, with hope in the success of this last and boldest design upon Vicksburg.

CHAPTER XIII.

CAVALRY MOVEMENTS.-THE ADVANCE.

The Cavalry Enter the Lists in Daring Adventures.-Colonel Grierson's Great Raid. Strange and Amusing Scenes.-The Cavalry Generals.-The Army advance.-Porter's Fleet Co-operates.-The March.-A Battle.-Occupation of Port Gibson.-Telegrams of General Grant and Governor Yates.-Feints to deceive the Enemy.-General Sherman's Movements.-General Grant's care of his Army.

BEFORE leaving the north side of Vicksburg, to take command of his army in person, General Grant determined to cut all the enemy's communications with that city, to secure his columns from an attack in the rear, should it become necessary to invest the place. He therefore detailed the First Cavalry Brigade, under Colonel B. H. Grierson, for this enterprise.

April 17, 1863, the enthusiastic horsemen galloped away in the starlight from La Grange, Tennessee. Two o'clock in the morning found them on the road to Ripley, Mississippi, thirty miles distant, which they reached at nightfall. Dismounting, the heroes bivouacked for brief repose. At eight o'clock the next morning, they were beyond Ripley, hastening toward New Albany. A single battalion occupied this place, while the main body passed eastwardly, but all encamped within four miles of the

town.

The next day they rode off to their work on the railways, crossing forests, open fields, and frightful swamps; now flying yonder, to deceive the rebels in regard to the real design, and then in the opposite direction, tearing up a track, capturing a train, or burning a mill. Amusing scenes enlivened the raiders' wild career. Some of them, stopping at a wealthy planter's house, who was also a guerrilla, passed themselves off as Van Dorn's men; for many of our soldiers, in these adventures, wore "secesh"

uniforms.

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Finding splendid horses in his barn, they began to change the saddles from their tired steeds to the backs of his.

"Can't spare 'em, gentlemen! can't let these horses go!" protested the planter.

"We must have them. You want us to catch the Yankees, and we shall have to hurry to do it," replied the raiders.

"All right, gentlemen; I'll keep your animals till you return. I suppose you'll be back in two or three days, at the furthest. When 'you return, you'll find they have been well cared for."

The guerrilla is probably still waiting for his friends and horses.

A young lady thus complains: "The first thing they did was to carry off Lizzie's buggy. They broke into the storeroom, and took sister Emily's wine, which they carried away, and drank the next morning. As we sat quietly awaiting our fate, still hoping that God-in whose care 'Ma had at the beginning placed us, kneeling with us in earnest prayer-would yet save us, we heard them dancing, whooping, breaking, and plundering away over the house. They stole all my jewelry; they broke all sister Emily's pictures. Nan [a servant] was very much distressed at their taking the blankets.'

Poor girl! we smile at and pity her. But War is no respecter of persons, nor very particular about the amount of damage done along his path.

It was impossible for a large force to move through the enemy's country without meeting some of the foe; and as a natural result, skirmishing took place all along the route, and several prisoners were taken. At one time the advance was engaged with the pickets of Chalmers's rebel brigade, but the latter was soon overpowered, and the main body of his troops retreated.

The rebels attempted to fire the bridge at New Albany; but so rapid was Colonel Grierson's advance, that his forces were across the river before they could accomplish their purpose.

It now became necessary to mislead the enemy as to

the actual destination of the main body; therefore, on April 19th, Colonel Grierson ordered a portion of his force to march back to New Albany, thence by Kingsbridge, where a rebel camp was said to be in existence. A second force he ordered east, and a third northwest, while the main body marched due south. It had been raining all the previous night; consequently this day's march was performed under great difficulties. The center column then proceeded to Pontotoc, where a small rebel force was dispersed, and their camp equipage and a quantity of salt seized and destroyed. At eight o'clock that evening, the command encamped six miles south of Pontotoc on the road to Houston.

On the 20th, a portion of the force was detached and sent back to La Grange with the prisoners and captured baggage. They were ordered to make as much noise in returning as possible, so as to give the rebels the idea that the expedition was over, while in fact the main body would still proceed south. This feint succeeded admirably.

The next day another force was detached, under Colonel Hatch, and ordered to destroy as much as possible of the Mobile and Ohio Railroad; to attack Columbus near the State line, between Mississippi and Alabama, and then to march back to La Grange. In this Colonel Hatch was successful, and the movement drew off General Chalmers's rebel forces from following Colonel Grierson, thus giving him three days' fresh start.

The main body next moved to Starkville, where they captured and destroyed a rebel mail. After traveling four miles further, the command divided-one-half swimming the Dismal Swamp, to destroy a tannery, which at the time contained a very large stock of boots and shoes, saddles, bridles, and several thousand dollars' worth of leather; the other half proceeding on its course.

The command being again united, it pushed on toward Louisville, Mississippi. This part of the march was of the most dangerous character, as streams and blind marshes had to be crossed without any guide. Sometimes the horses would sink in the mud and be left to perish, and it

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is wonderful that some of the men did not share the same fate. Notwithstanding the horrible nature of this route, the men preserved their fortitude, and pushed on vigorously for Philadelphia, Mississippi, where another mail was destroyed. Private property, however, was in all cases respected.

Thus hurried along the troopers till the 22d, when the march was indeed "terrible, because the swamps of the Okanoxubee River were overflowed. After moving four miles south of Louisville, they marched a distance of eight miles through a swamp. On each side of the road were enormous trees, and the water was, everywhere, from three to four feet deep; with every few hundred yards a mirehole in which frequently, for a few moments, man and horse were lost to view. The Seventh Illinois being in the rear, found those holes almost impassable, from the action of the large body of cavalry which had preceded them, and they were compelled to leave drowned some twenty noble animals, whose strength was not equal to such an emergency. The men so dismounted removed their saddles, placed them on some other led beasts, and pushed onward cheerfully."

On April 23d, the force pushed on to the Southern Railroad at Newton, moving by way of Decatur, and arrived at the former place about daylight on the 24th. Here two trains, bound to Vicksburg vid Jackson, were captured, and the whole thirty-eight cars, with the loads of quartermaster, commissary, and ordnance stores, destroyed. The locomotives were also rendered useless. Several bridges and a quantity of trestlework were destroyed in this vicinity, after which, on the 25th, the raiding force moved toward Montrose, thence to Raleigh, Mississippi, where they encamped for the night.

At this time the rebels were close upon Colonel Grierson's heels, on ascertaining which, he moved over the Leaf River, destroying the bridge behind him, and then marched to Westville. Here two battalions were detached, and made a forced march to Hazlehurst Station, on the Jackson and New Orleans Railroad, where they destroyed forty cars, four of which were loaded with shell