Rebellion Record: a Diary of American Events: Documents and Narratives, Volume 6.
Frank Moore, Ed.

[282] 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 powder, knocked down nearly all the houses on the south side of the square. Surely such a scene of devastatation was never before presented to the eye of man. Glance at the gigantic estimates:

One million eight hundred and nine thousand fixed cartridges and other ordnance stores, valued at one million five hundred thousand dollars, including five thousand rifles and two thousand revolvers.

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. I 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.

When our forces first reached the depot, 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.

After the complete destruction of all public property about the place, and after each man had supplied himself with a suitable quantity of clothing and boots, at six o'clock in the morning the march was renewed, and Davis's Mill was the next place of attack. Here the enemy were intrenched, and sheltered themselves in a blockhouse and fort formed of cotton-bales. The cavalry was commanded to charge, and attempted 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 gallantry 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.