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On the day after the capture of
Fort Pillow,
Buford appeared
before
Columbus, and, in imitation of his chief, demanded an unconditional surrender, saying: “Should you surrender, the negroes now in arms will be returned to their masters.
Should I be compelled to take the place by force,
no quarter will be shown negro troops whatever.”
The demand was refused.
Buford did not attack, but, with
Forrest, retreated rapidly out of
Tennessee, on hearing that
General S. D. Sturgis (who had come down from
East Tennessee), with a heavy force, was about to march from
Memphis to intercept him. It was soon found that the practice of the indiscriminate slaughter of prisoners, which
Forrest inaugurated for the purpose of intimidating the negroes and preventing their enlistment in the
National armies, had an opposite effect, and was likely to react with fearful power; so it was abandoned.
Sturgis did not move from
Memphis in time to intercept
Forrest.
He marched
out to
Bolivar with about twelve thousand men, but his intended prey had already escaped across the
Wolf River, and was safe in
Northern Mississippi with his plunder.
Several weeks later, when it was known that
Forrest was gathering a larger force than he had ever before commanded, for the purpose, it was supposed, of either making another raid into
Tennessee and
Kentucky, or re-enforcing
Johnston, then contending hotly with
Sherman in
Northern Georgia,
Sturgis started from
Memphis with a force of nine thousand infantry and artillery, and three thousand cavalry under
General Grierson (including a greater portion of
General A. J. Smith's corps, lately returned from the
Red River region), with instructions to hunt up and beat the bold cavalry leader.
Sturgis pushed in a southeasterly direction, and struck the Mobile and Ohio railway near Gun Town.
Grierson, in advance with the cavalry, there met
a large force of
Forrest's horsemen, and pushed them back to their infantry supports, when they took a strong position for battle on a commanding ridge.
Grierson had sent back word to
Sturgis, six miles in the rear, of the situation of matters at the front, when that commander pushed forward the infantry at double-quick, under a blazing sun, and with them a train of about two hundred wagons.
Finding
Grierson hotly engaged, the exhausted infantry, without being allowed time to rest, or be properly formed in battle order, were thrown into the fight directly in front, no attempt being made to turn the flank of the
Confederates.
The result was most disastrous.
The whole National force were speedily routed, and their wagon-train, which had been parked within range of
Forrest's guns, was captured and lost.
The vanquished troops were driven in wild confusion over a narrow and ugly road, without supplies, and with no re-enforcements near, covered, as well as possible, by the Second Brigade, under
Colonel Winslow, which formed the rear-guard.
The pursuit was close and galling, until the fugitives crossed a stream at
Ripley, where they turned
upon the pursuers, and gave battle.
The struggle was fierce for awhile, and was favorable to the Nationals; and thereafter the retreat was less fatiguing, because the chase was less vigorous and more cautious.
When
Sturgis returned to
Memphis he found his army full three thousand five hundred less in number than when he left, and stripped of almost every thing but their arms.
This disastrous failure produced alarm and indignation, and another
