Comte de Paris, History of the Civil War in America. Vol. 4.
Henry Coppee , LL.D., Ed.

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[340] and, avoiding the well-fortified post of La Grange, vigorously attacks in the evening of the same day the post of Moscow. He is repulsed with loss, and retires without having been able to destroy the railway-bridge over one of the branches of Wolf River. But this demonstration, and that made by Chalmers at the same time against Collierville, divert the attention of the Federals, and Forrest arrives at Jackson without having been molested. Colonel Bell was waiting for him there with a small body of troops raised in the country. Received with open arms by the people, Forrest restores the fortified enclosure around that town, which, since the breaking out of the war, has been used alternately by both parties. He assigns to Richardson the western districts, with Brownsville for the centre, and both set about recruiting men and horses, picking up wagons and provisions, as though they were not on all sides surrounded by the Federals.

Although they could not be ignorant of his presence at Jackson, the latter leave him alone for more than a fortnight. They are no doubt biding their time to close against him the return road, and do not wish to remove any force from the Memphis and Corinth Railway, which Lee's troopers are always threatening. Finally, toward the 15th of December they make ready to attack him. A column of infantry and cavalry, under the orders of General A. J. Smith, leaves Columbus on the Mississippi and proceeds toward the south against Jackson. A few days thereafter two brigades—one of cavalry under Mizner, the other of infantry under Mower—which were at Corinth start toward the north-west to bar the passage to Forrest as soon as Smith's manoeuvre shall have determined his retreat. Colonel Prince, with several regiments of cavalry, has posted himself to the northward of the Memphis and Corinth Railway to cover the approaches thereto. He has established his headquarters at Sommerville, and pushes his outposts as far as the left bank of the Hatchie. Thomas gave on the 20th the order to General Cook, who commanded the second cavalry division of the Army of the Cumberland, to quit Huntsville with his two brigades, leaving the care of guarding the railways to Sherman's troops, and to move rapidly toward the north-west, via Prospect on the