Page:Confederate Military History - 1899 - Volume 7.djvu/680

Rh contending with one corps of the enemy, Starke’s Mississippians were fighting the other corps north of the railroad. His first fight was on the plantation of Joseph R. Davis, and from then until the close of the campaign he was actively engaged, losing 49 men and capturing or killing 128 Federals.

General Ross’ brigade, returning to Benton on February 28th, was attacked by a detachment of the "First Mississippi (A. D.)" about 80 negroes, who were followed and many killed by an equal number of Texans. On March 5th an assault was made upon the garrison at Yazoo City, composed of about 1,000 Illinois troops and negroes, by the brigades of Ross and Richardson, who gained the streets of the town, where a desperate fight was carried on for four hours; but the enemy held their main fortification, a redan. Soon afterward, however, the Yazoo was abandoned by the Federals.

In the latter part of March, General Forrest made a famous expedition through west Tennessee, transferring the theatre of raids and depredation to the country held by the Federal garrisons. Colonel Duckworth, who had succeeded Colonel Forrest in brigade command, captured Union City, Tenn., on the 24th, with 450 prisoners, including the commandant, Colonel Hawkins. Forrest, with Buford’s division, moved from Jackson, Tenn., to Paducah, Ky., in fifty hours, drove the Federals into the forts and gunboats and held the town for two days, doing considerable damage, but was not able to reduce the garrison to surrender. Returning then to west Tennessee, he was in undisputed possession of the territory, except the river posts, and was in hopes of adding largely to his command. On the 28th Colonel Neely met a Federal command near Bolivar, capturing the entire wagon train of the enemy, and driving him to Memphis with a loss of 30 killed and 35 captured.

On April 12th, with 1,500 men, part of Bell’s and McCulloch’s brigades, under General Chalmers, Forrest