Horace Greeley, The American Conflict: A History of the Great Rebellion in the United States of America, 1860-65: its Causes, Incidents, and Results: Intended to exhibit especially its moral and political phases with the drift and progress of American opinion respecting human slavery from 1776 to the close of the War for the Union. Volume II.

[622] being placed in command. It was fully equipped at Salisbury, 50 miles east of Memphis, advancing¹ thence, skirmishing incessantly with Forrest's cavalry, to Tupelo, where the Rebel chief had concentrated his command, estimated by our officers at 14,000, and where he had decided to fight. Thrice his infantry assaulted² our lines, and were each time repulsed with heavy loss; being finally driven from the field, leaving on it as many of his men killed or desperately wounded as the whole number of our killed, wounded, and missing.

Gen. Smith made no farther advance; but there was a sharp, indecisive cavalry skirmish next day at Old Town creek; after which our army was withdrawn to the vicinity of Memphis ; whence Smith once more advanced,³ with 10,000 men, by Holly Springs to the Tallahatchie;⁴ but found. no enemy to fight, save a very small body of cavalry. Forrest's main body had been drawn off for service elsewhere. Smith remained in this region several days, and then returned to Memphis; whence he was soon called to the aid of Rosecrans in Missouri, as has already been stated.

But while Smith was vainly hunting for Forrest in Mississippi, that chieftain reported himself in person at Memphis. Taking, 3,000 of his best-mounted men, Forrest flanked⁵ our army by night, and made a forced march to Memphis, which he charged into at dawn;⁶ making directly for the Gayoso house and other hotels, where his spies had assured him that Gens. Hurlbut, Washburne, and Buckland, were quartered. He failed to clutch either of them, but captured several staff and other officers, with soldiers enough to make a total of 300. Yet he failed to carry Irving prison, where the Rebel captives were in durance, made no attempt on the fort, and was driven out or ran out of the city after a stay of two hours, in which he had done considerable damage and appropriated some plunder. He lost some 200 men here and at Lane's, outside; where a smart skirmish occurred on his retreat, and Cols. Starr and Kendrick on our side were wounded. On the whole, the raid can hardly be deemed a success, and can not have realized the enemy's expectations, unless they were very moderate. As Hurlbut had at least 6,000 men in or about the city, it was not practicable to do more ; and Forrest left not a moment too soon. He made his way back to Mississippi unharmed.

In East Tennessee, Gen. Longstreet's withdrawal into Virginia, after his failure at Knoxville, was at first closely pursued by our cavalry under Shackleford, on whom he turned⁷ at Bean's station, near Morristown, and a spirited fight ensued, with no decided result; but Shackleford does not appear to have hurried Longstreet thereafter.

Wheeler, with 1,200 mounted men, struck⁸ a supply train from Chattanooga to Knoxville, guarded by Col. Siebert, near Charlestown, on the Hiwassee, andl had easily captured it — Siebert having but 100 men — when Col. Long, 4th Ohio cavalry, came to his aid with 150 more cavalry and Col. Laibold's 2d Missouri infantry; wherewith he quickly retook the train, and hurled the