Show J 1 r CAPTURE OF CITY OF MEMPHIS Only a Few Union Men There to 0 Op Oppose Oppose P pose the Confederates Driven Confederates Driven Out by Company of Recruits In an article in iu National Tribune relative to the capture of ot the city of at Iem 1 Memphis his by Gen Forrest Oscar Rankin of Company G Seventh Indiana cavalry describes the condition of affairs at the time He lie says On April 1 Gen A. A J J. J Smith left Memphis with approximately infantry infantry in in- fantry cavalry and artillery for the purpose of giving battle to Forrest Taking all the effective troops including Including Including In In- the cavalry then at Memphis he proceeded to Grand Junction Tenn via Colliersville and from there south to Oxford Miss hiss driving Forrest's forces before them and hoping to get him to make a stand He arrived at College hill Oxford Mississippi on April 7 and the enemy was supposed I I i i r i II I. I l lo I o t f li l The Advance Guard and Flankers Found Only a Few Skirmishers to be in his front On the morning of f the the advance guard and flankers flank ers found only a few skirmishers but no enemy to contend with but learned that Forrest had gone north with his entire force Gen Smith then ordered a return to Memphis hoping to catch catchup up with Forrest Forrest made a forced march with his command crossing Wolf river near Colliersville and keeping a course east of Memphis on his way to Fort Pillow Sending a small detachment of about or under Cols McNeely and McGirk l into Memphis they arrived about 2 o'clock a. a m. m April 10 They came through the chain of pickets at two different points points one one the largest by the river road from the south coming upon a regiment of new new troops 1 I understood at the time the One OneHundred OneHundred OneHundred Hundred and second Forty-second Illinois They rode through the camp firing right and left into the tents and came cameon cameI on into the city one company going directly directly directly di di- to the Gayosa house and taking possession of It They rode their horses Into the office and down through the corridors smashing in the panels of the doors with the butts of their guns I as they said looking for officers Another and larger body went to the post office and the Irving block the military prison wh where whre re about 1000 civil ivil and military prisoners rs were being held They had broken in the In-the the doors at atthe atthe atthe the post office and were de demanding the surrender of the prison which was guarded by a lieutenant and about twenty-five twenty men A few small squads were riding at random through the city The only union troops in the city was a small contingent of provost guards one battery of light artillery I less than a regiment of colored troops Just lust being organized from the contrabands contrabands contra contra- bands from the Okalona raid and a afew afew few tew guards at the post headquarters with with a few more at the hospital The First brigade Cavalry division camp was a at Egypt Station eight miles out on the Collierville road with a few dismounted men A general ral court court- martial was in session at Memphis Col Hurst Sixth Tennessee cavalry being president Capt Frank Iran Reeder Ninth Pennsylvania cavalry and 1 I being members We were rooming and boarding at Capt Hinkles Hinkle's private residence on East Adams street and were awakened 1 by the musket firing I woke Capt Reeder and we dressed put on our side arms and ran up to the corral across the street from rom the Forrest Forrest For For- rest house on Adams street We Ve admitted and soon had our horses sad sad- We rode out into the street and about a half block west to the street looking down to the post office we saw several hundred Johnnies on their horses firing occasionally into the tho building Asking the captain to take command of the rear company I gave the orders orders or or- ders Fix bayonets and Double quick When we reached the next street the company wheeled by company company com pany into that street street and at the com corn command mand we charged them with the bay bay- onet They broke and ran only a few shots being fired by our troops As 1 passed the northeast corner of Court square one of their men and a u horse was on the ground We drove them out of or town to the southeast at what they called Five Points |