Today in History:

553 Series I Volume XLV-II Serial 94 - Franklin - Nashville Part II

Page 553 Chapter LVII. CORRESPONDENCE, ETC.-UNION.

also sent a detachment to Bankston and destroyed large Government cloth and shoe factories. From Winona sent a detachment to Grenada to destroy the railroad and all Government property on the route and at that point. Sent a brigade south long the line of the railroad to destroy is as far as practicable. This brigade met the enemy at Franklin, four miles west of Goodman Station, and whipped them killing twenty-five, who were left on the field. Moved the main column, with prisoners, from Winona, via Middleton, Lexington, and Benton, to Vicksburg, arriving a that point with my whole command in good condition, on the 5th of January with 600 prisoners, about thirty of whom were officers.

The destruction of property is as follows; Forty miles of the Mobile and Ohio Railroad, including twenty-five bridges, large amount of trestle-work, many miles of track, and telegraph, depots, switches, turntables, and water-tanks, thirty miles of the Mississippi Central, including all brigades and the trestle-work and the telegraph. Captured and destroyed 300 army wagons, 5,000 and stand of new arms, 4 serviceable locomotives and 10 in process of repair, about 100 cars, a pile-driver and engine, machine-shops, factories which employed 500 hands for the manufacture of clothing, are amount wood, cotton, and leather 700 head of fat hogs, immense amount of corn and wheat, commissary, quartermaster and ordnance stores.

Our entire loss during the expedition was about 25 killed and 80 wounded, many of the latter slightly.

The command arrived at Vicksburg as well mounted as when it left Memphis, and with about 600 head of extra stock. About 1,000 negroes joined the column on the march and were taken to Vicksburg.

B. H. GRIERSON,

Brigadier-General.

MEMPHIS, January 8, 1865.

(Via Cairo. Received 11th.)

Major General GEORGE H. THOMAS:

The cavalry expedition which left Memphis on December 21 has arrived at Vicksburg. Fifty miles of Mobile on Ohio Railroad destroyed; thirty miles of Mississippi Central Railroad burnt; immense quantities of stores of all kinds been destroyed. All Hood's communications are now completely cut.

N. J. T. DANA,

Major-General.

CITY POINT, VA., January 9, 1865.

Major General H. W. HALLECK,

Washington, D. C.:

Were orders sent to General Thomas to send Schofield's corps to Annapolis-as soon as Hood was known to have gone south of Corinth? When started, it would be advisable to have the troops transported on boats, if navigation is not closed, to Wheeling and Parkersburg-one-half to come over the Baltimore and Ohio road, the other over the Pennsylvania Central.

U. S. GRANT,

Lieutenant-General.


Page 553 Chapter LVII. CORRESPONDENCE, ETC.-UNION.