WILSON'S RAID FROM CHICKA SAW TO SELMA, ALA., AND MACON, GA. After the defeat of Hood's army at Nash ville (q.v.) 15-16 Dec. 1864, Gen. James li Wilson proceeded to complete the organization of a cavalry corps, with which it was proposed to overrun the South and destroy its railroads and manufacturing centres. Early in March 1865 27,000 men had been gathered and organ ized, nearly all well mounted, finely equipped and brought to a high state of efficiency. Some of this force was detached for other duty. Wilson, who had been encamped along the north bank of the Tennessee River from Gravelly Springs to Waterloo Landing, crossed the river on 18 March and started from Chicka saw and Waterloo, on the 22d, for a march through northern Alabama, his first objective point being Selma, a great manufacturing place He had the three divisions of Gens. Emory Upton, Eli Long and E. M. McCook, aggre gating 12,500 mounted men with 24 guns. He had also 1,500 dismounted men, who were to act as train guards till they could be mounted from captured horses. General Sherman says it was the largest, most efficient and most powerful body of horse that had ever come under his command. It was not excelled by any body of cavalry in the army. Accompany ing it was a small canvas pontoon train of 30 boats, hauled by 50 six-mule teams, and a supply train of 250 wagons which were sent lock to the Tennessee as fast as they were unloaded This train carried 45 days' rations of coffee, 31 of sugar, 15 of salt and RO rounds of ammuni tion. Each man carried five days' light rations, with 100 rounds of ammunition, and five days' rations of hard bread and 10 of sugar and salt were carried on pack animals As the entire country near the Tennessee was nearly destitute of forage it was necessary to scatter the troops over a wide extent and march as rapidly as circumstances would permit. This, Wilson says, was rendered safe by the fact that General Forrest's Confederate forces were at the time much scattered, some near West Point.
Miss.., 150 miles southwest of Eastport, while Roddey's forces occupied Montevallo, on the Alabama and Tennessee Railroad, nearly the same distance to the southeast. By starting on diverging roads the enemy was left in doubt as to the real object and compelled to watch equally Columbus, Tuscaloosa and Selma. Therefore the divisions marched on different roads, hut the objective point of each was Selma, distant 180 miles, and the average march of each division to reach it was 250 miles. The command moved southward in three col umns and on the 26th reunited at Jasper, about 80 miles southeast of Tuscumbia, from which it crossed the two forks of the Black Warrior, and pushed for Montevallo, a centre of iron manufacture. General Croxton's brigade was detached to move on Tuscaloosa, to burn bridges, factories and public stores, and rejoin the command in the vicinity of Selma. Iron works and rolling mills were destroyed near Elytoo. and 31 March, after passing Monte vallo a mile, Lipton encountered Roddey, who disputed the road to Randolph. After two brisk engagements Roddey was driven back, los ing 1011 men, and was pursued by Upton, who occupied Randolph at dark. Here a courier was captured with dispatches to Forrest, showing that several columns were moving to join For rest for the defense of Selma. and detachments were sent to check them. McCook was left at Randolph to guard the trains and rear, while Wilson, with the divisions of Long and Upton, on 1 April, rode straight for Selma, encountered and brushed away several detachments of For rest's cavalry and at Ebenezer Church came upon Forrest in position, with the brigades of koddey. Crossland and I). Adams, about 1,500 men, covering the two roads from Randolph by which \Vilson had marched. Long's division and Alexander's brigade of Upton's attacked and carried the position in less than an hour, the Confederates retreating in great disorder toward Selma despite all of Forrest's efforts tc rally them. At night the whole command bivouacked about Plantersville, 19 miles from Selma, after almost constant fighting during the day of 24 miles, during which Wilson had captured three guns and over 2t1) prisoners. Early in the day McCook, with Colonel La Grange's brigade, had been ordered to march rapidly to Centreville, 40 miles distant, to seize and hold the bridge over the Cabala, and to fall upon Jackson's Confederate cavalry divi sion, which had thrust itself between the main body and Croxton. At daylight, 2 April, Wil son resumed his march and by rapid move ment, without opposition, the troops were in sight of Selma and mostly in postilon by 4 e.ia. The city had been sufficiently fortified, as was believed, against any possible cavalry attack. The works contained 24 bastions and a num ber of strong retlans, with deep ditches and an leo nor line of four &welled forts. They were of form, nearly three miles in extent, with both flanks resting on the Alabama ki% r, almo.c and below the city. They mounted runs and were held IN Forrest. with about 4,11111 v, ?frail cavalry and 2,(xa) Alabama militia, home guards and citizens, mostly old nun and young boys. Wilson had obtained accurate plans of the works and of the ground in front of them. During the day these sketches were shown to all his general officers and the plan of attack explained, from which it resulted that upon reaching the vicinity of the works, the various brigades went quickly into position, with great precision. At a given signal Long's division was to lead in the as sault, supported by Upton, but before the sig nal had been given Long had become engaged and without waiting he ordered the charge, and in the gathering darkness his men went for ward, under a severe fire of artillery and mus ketry, scaled the works and after a hand-to hand encounter drove the Confederates from them and took many prisoners. Some of Upton's men joined in the fight. Gens. Forrest, Armstrong, Roddey and Adams escaped. with a number of men. under cover of darkness. A portion of Upton's division pursued on the Burnsville road until long after midnight, cap turing four guns and many prisoners. Wilson had engaged and in support 8,00U men. His loss was 44 killed, 277 wounded and seven miss ing. Forrest's loss in killed and wounded was less. It was one of the most remarkable feats ever accomplished by cavalry, and its result was the capture of 2,700 prisoners, many colors, nearly 2,000 horses, 104 field and siege guns and an immense quantity of ammunition. Wil son destroyed the arsenal, with 44 buildings, covering 13 acres, filled with machinery and munitions, powder works, three gun foundries, three rolling mills and several machine shops, and large accumulations of quartermaster and commissary stores. On the 3d Upton's divi
sion was sent from Selma to open communi cation with McCook and Croxton, west of the Cahaba. McCook had found Jackson's cav alry between himself and Cmxton. and after skirmishing with it at Scottsville, had retired east of the Calusba. Nothing was heard of Croxton and Upton, and McCook returned to Sehna on the 6th. Croxton made a wide de tour to the west and south of Tuscaloosa, and then northward and eastward across Alabama into Georgia before rejoining the corps. Prep arations were now made to march on Mont gomery. It was necessary to prepare 900 feet of bridging to cross the Alabama River, which was running high, horses enough had been cap tured to mount the whole command, supplies in the country were abundant, and on the 9th the entire command, except Croxton's brigade, started for Georgia by way of Montgomery. When the advance, which had not been strongly resisted, was near Montgomery on the 12th, the mayor surrendered the city, Adams. who was in command, having retreated, after burning 9XI.0110 bales of cotton. With bands playing and colors Hying the column marched through the city and encamped. Here five guns, a large quantity of stores, small arms and cot ton were destroyed, also five steamboats loaded with military supplies. On the 14th the com mand moved with the greatest celerity to secure the crossings of the Chattahoochee at Colum bus, on the direct road to Macon and West Point, furthes up the river. On the afternoon of the 16th l'oton's division, in the advance on the Columbus road, struck Fluford's cavalry pickets and drove them rapidly through Girard to the lower bridge over the Chattahoochee. The bridge was fired by the Confederates be fore it could be seised, and it was then decided to make a night attack upon the central bridge, one of the three that crossed the river at this point. Three hundred men of the Third Iowa cavalry, properly supported, were selected to make the attack. The lines were quietly formed and moved up to within range of the intrench ments covering the bridge, and at a signal the attack began at 9 P. 11 ; the troops opened a rattling fire from their Spencer rifles, which was replied to by a storm of canister from 27 guns, but the Iowa men went over the works at many points and all rushed for the bridge. At the same time the Confederates tried to escape by the bridge, which was so crowded with the men of both forces that the Confed erates holding the works at the east end of the bridge and commanding it with two guns, were restrained from firing and the Union forces made a rush upon them and gained possession, and Columbus was taken. Wilson's loss was six killed and 24 wounded. He captured 1,200 prisoners, nearly half of the militia that had defended the place under command of Gens. Howell Cobb and Robert Toombs. Columbus was one of the great manufacturing centres of the Confederacy, and its capture resulted in the destruction of a great quantity of war material, 63 guns, the ram Jackson, mounting six guns, 125,000 bales of cotton, 15 locomotives, 250 cars, a navy yard and armory, two rolling mills, powder magazines and an arsenal, with a great quantity of machinery, two iron-works, three foundries and 10 mills and factories turning out war material. The Confederates abandoned and burned the gunboat Ckatiachoockee 12 miles below Columbus. On the same day that Wilson captured Columbus, La Grange's bri gade captured West Point. La Grange had been detached at Tuskegee and marching north east, after some sharp skirmishing, appeared before West Point about 10 A.K. of the 16th to find that the bridge spanning the river was defended by an earthwork, mounting three guns, and held by Gen. R. C. Tyler with about men. The fort was taken after a hard fight, during which La Grange's men bridged the ditch of the work, under fire. General Tyler and 18 of his men were killed, 28 wounded and 218 captured. La Grange had seven killed and 29 wounded. The captures were three guns, 500 stands of small arms, 19 engines and 245 cars loaded with army supplies. After destroying the bridges, railway equipment and stores, La Grange moved toward Macon. With the main column Wilson also marched for the same place on the 18th and when nearing the city, on the 20th, his advance was met by a communication from General Beanregard, with information of a truce between Generals Johns ton and Sherman. Before the communication could reach Wilson, who was marching near the rear of his column, his advance had dashed into Macon and received the surrender of Gens. G. W. Smith, Howell Cobb and other promi nent officers, and these, with the garrison, were held as prisoners of war. Here \Vilson heard of the surrender of General Lee, and the next day. 21 April, he received a dispatch from General Sherman to suspend hostilities until notified of the result of the negotiations then pending between Sherman and Johnston. The surrender of Macon included four generals, 3,500 men, five colors, (t) guns, a large number of small arms and great quantities of military stores and supplies.
Croxton, who had been detached from Mc Cook's division at Elston on V March. rejoined the corps at Macon 1 May. He had captured Tuscaloosa and advanced as far as Bridge-silk. then returned to Tuscaloosa and Jasper. thence his line of march was 100 miles north of that pursued by Wilson, and on the nay through Alabama he had a sharp engagement at Blue Mountain, near Talladega. He marched ti.S3 miles, most of the time through a mountainous country, so destitute of supplies that his com mand could be subsisted and foraged only by the greatest efforts. Swimming four rivers, destroying five large iron-works— the last in the cotton States — three factories, numerous mills, immense quantities of supplies, capturing four guns and several hundred small arms and near 300 prisoners, he rejoined the corps with men and horses in fine condition. He last la all 172 officers and men. The closing act of Wilson's campaign was the capture of Jefferson Davis by regiments from his command In the campaign Wilson had marched 525 miles, captured five fortified cities. 288 guns. 6,820 prisoners and 23 colors. He subsequently paroled over 59,000 officers and men of the armies of Lee, Johnston and Beauregard, and had destroyed a vast amount of property of every kind. He lost 99 killed, 598 wounded and 28 missing, an aggregate of 725.
He had conducted the most notable cavalry movement of the war, none other equaled it in skilful planning, bold and successful execution Consult 'Official Records' (Vol. XLIX); The Century Company's 'Battles and Leaders of the Civil War' (Vol. IV): Cox, 'The March to the Sea' ; Piatt. 'Life of Gem George H. Thomas': Boynton, 'Gen. Geo. H. Thomas at Nashville,'