| From the Richmond Enquirer |
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| March 23, 1864 |
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| The Work of Sherman's Expedition into Mississippi |
| ***** The following are extracts from a
long and elaborate report in the Tribune of the expedition: |
| ***** |
| A number of small expeditions were sent
from Meridian in different directions for the purpose of destroying
whatever might benefit the rebellion. Among the places devastated were
Enterprise, Marion, Quitman, Hillsboro', Canton, Lake Station,
Decatur, Bolton and Lauderdale Springs. At Enterprise the depot, two
flour mills, 15,000 bushels of corn, 2000 bales of fine cotton branded
C. S. A., two military hospitals, and several new buildings connected
with a parole camp were laid in ashes. |
| At Marion the railroad station, wood-house
and a few small buildings were burned. Quitman was visited, and two
flour mills, a fine saw mill, railroad depot and other storage
buildings, with several thousand feet of lumber, fell a prey to the
fire king. At Hillsboro' several stores were set on fire. Seventeen
damaged locomotives, six locomotives in fine running order, a number
of cars, and a repair shop; with hand-cars, quantities of sleepers and
tool-house, were destroyed at Canton, all belonging to the Mississippi
Central railroad. |
| ***** |
| Our troops raised sad havoc with the
Mobile & Ohio and the Southern railroad lines, inflicting such
damage as a million dollars cannot repair. The Southern road was torn
up, rails twisted, and sleepers burned from Jackson o twenty miles
east of meridian to Cuba station. The Mobile & Ohio road was
destroyed for fifty-six miles, extending from Quitman to Lauderdale
Springs. Five costly bridges were totally destroyed; the one spanning
the Chickasawhay river was two hundred and ten feet long, with
trestle-work which required four months' hard labour of hundreds of
mechanics to construct it. It was a substantial, covered bridge. The
bridges over the Octchibacah, Alligator, Tallasha and Chunky rivers
were also burned. The destruction of this road will prevent the rebels
from reinforcing Mobile by rail, and effectually cut off the fertile
region of country in Northern Mississippi, from which they derived
immense subsistence supplies. |
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