--A gentleman who arrived in
Mobile Wednesday night, says the
Advertiser and Register, of the 25th, confirms in general the accounts from
Mississippi and adds some interesting items:
‘
He reports, on the authority of Yankee prisoners at
Enterprise, that
Hurlburt's corps is retiring on
Yazoo City and
McPherson's on
Natchez.
The prisoners attribute the failure of the expedition to the fact that
Grierson and
Logan were unable to make a junction with
Sherman at
Meridian.
We do not understand
Logan's whereabouts, but
Grierson came by
Pontotoc.
We are assured that
Gen. Forrest whipped
Grierson soundly at
Tibbee, taking a considerable number of prisoners, and the latter retreated in the direction of
North Alabama.
The report of his being at
Aberdeen is not fully substantiated, though there is a rumor that he has burned the town.
’
The damage done to the Mobile and Ohio Railroad extends from
Lauderdale to two miles below
Quitman, a distance of forty-six miles, all the bridges and trestle work being destroyed, and the track torn up for miles at intervals, as is elsewhere stated.
Everything at
Lauderdale Springs was destroyed.
The Southern road is completely torn up from
Jackson to
Meridian.
Our informant states that the enemy committed few depredations upon private property, beyond helping themselves to provisions.
At
Quitman they took bed clothing, but their excuse was that they were misinformed as to the distance, and came without blankets, expecting to return the same day. They are supposed to have carried off about 800 negroes, selecting the likeliest, and in one or two instances driving back some lots that they did not consider eligible.
Some persons about Enterprise took the
Yankee oath, and accompanied them on their retreat, but this was entirely voluntary, no attempt was made to enforce it.
The brigade that visited
Quitman conversed freely of their plans, and inquired if there was not an attack going on upon the forts below
Mobile — They understood that to be a part of the programme, the object being to divert the Confederate forces.
They said they had no intention of moving against
Mobile, and their excursion to
Quitman was only for the purpose of destroying the bridge over the
Chickasaw, to prevent troops from coming up the road.
Their plan, as gathered from their movements and conversation, and from the statements of prisoners, was, after uniting with
Grierson and
Logan, to move upon
Selma and
Montgomery.
According to the prisoners their next schemes is to hasten back to
Grant and march upon
Columbus,
South Carolina.
