The
Yankees are improving on raids.
Their last was from
Pontotoc, Miss., nearly 150 miles into the
State.
They cleaned up the country generally as they passed, aiming to "capture"
Houston, the county seat of
Chickasaw co., Miss., and the treasury of the same, with $10,000 in funds, including $4,000 in gold.
The Mobile
Tribune gives an account of the raid which the telegraph has in vain been attempting to explain:
‘
"Reports were brought to
Okalona on Sunday, 18th inst., that the
Yankees were approaching by way of
Pontotoc, said to be 1,200 strong — all picked cavalry.
Cols. Bartow and
Inge had a skirmish with them on Saturday afternoon, not far from
Chesterville and
Birmingham, and checked them immediately, posting a courier to
Okalona for reinforcements, stating that he (
Col. Bartow) would hold them in check until help came.
His loss in the fight was said to be thirty-one killed, wounded and missing. It is said the militia behaved very badly.
They broke and ran after the second fire, leaving
Bartow and
Inge to bear the brunt.
"On Tuesday another party of Federals--about 400--came suddenly on
Okalona.
They came in between
Bartow's command and the 2d Alabama cavalry, who were out west of
Okalona hunting for them.
The boys had passed through
Okalona on Monday, but were poorly armed.
Nearly all had sabres, and their pistols and shot-guns were so divided that nearly every man had something to shoot with.
They number 960 men, but not more than 450 could go out after the
Yankees.
Our men also had a battery eight miles east of
Okalona, but for lack of horses could not move it with the cavalry.
On Monday the
Yankees arrived in
Houston, Chickasaw county, and captured the treasury, $10,000, among which was said to be $4,000 in gold.
"They captured and paroled a number of citizens who come under our conscript laws.
This they have done all the way down.
They destroyed all the records of the county, and their depredations were conducted in their usual brutal manner.
While at
Okalona they captured
a Mr. Smith, who is section master on the Mobile and Ohio Railroad, and a German named Charley, who attends the tank.
They threatened to burn the depot-house and tank, but Charley told them if they destroyed the road there that he and
Smith would have to go into the army to make a living, but by saving the houses and roads the Yanks would have two men less to fight.
After this kind of reasoning the Yanks thought best to let the road and wires alone, the operator,
Mr. Walker, having just made his escape with the instruments.
"They also made feints on
West Point,
Artesia, and came within two miles of
Macon.
They threatened several other points on the road down, but did not come quite to them.--The manner in which this raid has been conducted proves that the Yanks are greatly improving in the art of raiding; for they would send out small parties with big stories and threaten points on the Mobile and Ohio Railroad, while their main body was striking a
bee line for the
Southern road, thus drawing our forces up the road and away from the real point of attack.
"They struck the
Southern road at
Newton about 7 o'clock Friday morning. They arrested the agent there, but he managed to have his son run down the road to warn the trains from
Meridian of their danger in time to save them, though they caught a freight and construction train, burnt the depot, a large amount of sugar and molasses, and other stores; and damaged the road for three miles by burning the little trestle works, the largest being about 70 feet in length.
The damage to the road does not amount to near so much as was at first thought.
They then moved toward Enterprise.
Keeping their main body back, they sent 78 men into the town to demand its surrender, and gave the
Mayor one hour, and during this hour they made their escape; for
Gen. Loring was after them from
Meridian, with two regiments of
General Buckner's pets, the 3d and 7th Ky., and the 12th La.
"
Gen. Loring started with his men on foot, having heard that the Yanks were in line of battle about seven miles from Enterprise, but after double quicking that distance the Feds were
non est, and the boys came back quite put out because they could not catch the scoundrels.
This
alarming body of cavalry, while at
Newton, were numbered, and they had 1,000 men all told, and four light pieces of artillery.
But they are well mounted, and armed as only Yankees are, and help themselves to fresh horses wherever they can find them.
"But now a question arises, how are they going to get out?
The last heard of them they were about twenty miles from Enterprise, going west.
It does seem that they ought to be caught.
There was no necessity for the great alarm which prevailed; for surely these Yankees have got themselves in a predicament in which they are very liable to lose all the glory they have won in the bold raid, if the game is only played right at them."
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