I have three first hand accounts that put Van Dorn's route through Houston, and only one of them from a Texan!

John M. Hubbard of the 7th Tennessee in Notes of a Private says, "So after making a march of one day and two nights, much of which was at a trot, and during which we had, after starting from Grenada, swept around by way of Benela, Houston, Ponotoc and New Albany, about 100 miles, we surprised and captured the Federal outpost..." Page 55-56.

Sgt. James Bates of the 9th Texas Cavalry in A Texas Cavalry Officer's Civil War wrote, "Crossing the Yazoo [Yalobusha] river some distance above Grenada we proceeded to Houston & from Houston to Pontotock." This was in a December 29th letter to his mother.

Colonel A. F. Brown wrote an article entitled Van Dorn's Operations in Northern Mississippi for the Southern Historical Society Papers. In Volume VI, page 155, he says, "During the entire day and most of the night of the 16th the command moved steadily in the direction of Houston, which place was reached about noon on the 17th.

My article on the raid comes out in a few weeks.

http://www.bluegraymagazine.com/page/sneak.html

All the best,

Tom