General William Sooy Smith did not get to Meridian with his cavalry expedition on February 10th, as Sherman had directed, nor did he get there at all. Sherman waited in hope that he would come, and sent out parties to look for him, but to no avail. He afterward found that Smith had not left Memphis until February 11th, had gone as far as West Point, and had returned to Memphis on February 22d. During his week's stay at Meridian, however, Sherman was not idle. Beside the work of destruction there, he sent out raiding parties in different directions, for the purpose of destroying whatever might benefit the rebellion. Among the places devastated were Enterprise, Marion, Quitman, Hillsboro, Canton, Lake Station, Decatur, Bolton and Lauderdale Springs. At Enterprise, the depot, two flour mills, 15,000 bushels of corn, 2,000 bales of fine cotton, branded C. S. A., two military hospitals, and several new buildings connected with a parole camp, were laid in ashes. "At Marion the railroad station, wood-house, and a few small buildings were burned. Quitman was visited and two flour mills, a fine saw-mill, railroad depot and other storage buildings, with several thousand feet of lumber, fell a prey to the fire king. At Hillsboro several stores were set on fire. Seventeen damaged locomotives, six locomotives in fine running order, a number of cars, and a repair shop, with hand-cars, quantities of sleepers, and tool house, were destroyed at Canton--all belonging to the Mississippi Central Railroad. No private property was molested or injured at Canton, the inhabitants never having fired upon our troops. Beyond the depletion of a few unguarded hen-roosts, very little depredation was committed. "An ardent secession lady," continues the correspondent, "discovered a vile Yankee surreptitiously purloining a pair of fat chickens. Terribly incensed at this wanton robbery and gross violation of the rights of personal property, she make a bold onslaught, but I regret to say that all her expostulations failed to convince the demoralized and hungry 'mudsill' that he was sinning, for he replied, 'Madam! this accursed rebellion must be crushed, if it takes every chicken in Mississippi.' The door was slammed to with violence, and the enraged woman retired, disgusted with 'Yankee' habits, to mourn over the loss of her plump pair of chickens.