HOLLY SPRINGS, Miss., a point on the Mississippi Central Railroad, about 40 miles southeast of Memphis and about 25 miles south of Grand Junction, on the Memphis and Charleston Railroad, and an important stra tegical point. After the battle of Iuka, 19 Sept. 1862, and the Confederate defeat at Corinth, 3-4 Oct. 1862, the Confederates fell back to Holly Springs. Early in November General Grant had concentrated an army of 30,000 men in the vicinity of Grand Junction to make a movement along the line of the Mississippi Cen tral Railroad in the direction of the rear of Vicksburg. On 8 November General McPherson, with 10,000 infantry and 1,500 cavalry, advanced from Grand Junction southward and pushed the Confederates under General Pemberton back to Holly Springs. The main body of Grant's army moved forward, and Pemberton, abandoning Holly Springs, fell back to Grenada, Grant fol lowing to Oxford, 30 miles beyond Holly Springs. There he arrived 5 December, and arranged with General Sherman a combined movement on Vicksburg. Grant was to move directly south on the line of the railroad and take the place in rear; Sherman to move a force from Memphis, accompanied by a gunboat fleet, to descend the Mississippi and attack in front. A depot of supplies was established at Holly Springs, guarded by Colonel Murphy, with two regiments of Wisconsin infantry and a regiment of Illinois cavalry, and Grant was about to move forward from Oxford, when Gen. Earl Van Dorn, at the head of 3,500
cavalry, dashed into Holly Springs at daylight, 20 December, and attacked Murphy, who had been warned of the impending danger on the 19th, but neglected to take the necessary pre cautions and was surprised. He made a feeble resistance and surrendered his infantry; the cavalry cut its way out and escaped with the loss of only seven men. Van Dorn took about 1,500 prisoners, destroyed stores to the value of $1,500,000, and left town in the afternoon. This disaster, in connection with Forrest's raid into West Tennessee, which destroyed Grant's communication, forced him to abandon his movement on Vicksburg and fall back to Grand Junction, leaving Pemberton at liberty to con centrate his forces at Vicksburg against Sher man. Sherman was informed of Grant's failure, but the information reached him after his bloody repulse at Chickasaw Bluff, 27-28 Dec_ 1862. Consult 'Official Records' (Vol. XVII) ; Greene,