Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1861-10-26
DOeStiCIEs- In Washington.
From the SUNDAY Mercury,

Prom the Sunday Mercury.
There is more truth than poetry in the following
from an old friend of ours.
Washington City lies in an angle of the Potsmac
and POtomac's eastern branch exactly like spider
web in the corner Of q rail fence. The whole plan
of the town Is exactly that Of spider-web; the
capitol building is the fat old spider in the middle and
all the other houses are huge flies that have got
into the web and can't get cut The whole country
round Is dotted with little white tents as thick as if
there had been a snOwRtOrm that hadn't melted
away yet; CT as If some Of the huge old heath
en- gods, before tossing of ocean Of beer at one
tremendous gulp, had blown the trCth all over the
surrounding country.
Nobody, IN ordinary times, lives in Washington
folks only stay here snd talk When Congress goes
away everybody goes with it, just if every body
thought he was congress. The public buildings
are taken down 2Gl put away, and the people have
TO pay the storage. When Congress Is gone there
isn't any city here; nothing bus patch Of ground
covered with empty champagne and beer bottles:
and with pieces Of paper, which bills that didn't
pay; and with red taps-as ii the whole place had
been seeded down with these interesting articles in
the hope that they would grow up into splendid
crop.
Washington just row, however, is full of military
mcn-sotleTs and such gaujy animals. As 10 off
GERS, suppose there must be least thirty officers
10 every soldier In fact, think there are q mil
lion CtHtGrs 1T Wizards Hotel every day and IN
derstand that there are as many rs q hundred sol
dIers in the different camps about but the soldiers
don't come to h!i!aTd5 much suppose they don
know Willard.
You can'I migrate g rod without running over a
few colonies. or knocking down jor or so. This
morning stepped on the toe Of lieutenant and as
turned 10 apologize, rammed one of my elbows
into the stomach OF general and the other into the
eye OF captain, who tuBl5ied over little knot OF
lieutenant colonies, who fell in blue and gold bean
dragging down with them some eDsigus and ma
JOr-generel of division. saw l had done mischIef
aud turned to run, when tangled my feet in the
swords OF a couple Of generals, which pitched me
Eead-fTss lEEo the rOs OF another general who also
1el down, tripping in his fall two or three other
generals. expected to have a guard of generals
sent after me with park Of artillery or two to put
me IN the gaai dhouse quite the contrary they
thought from the way knocked people about that
l certainly cOmni2nder-iu-chief so some of the
generals picked ne up, and they all touched their
hats.
This touching Of the hat ID a great institution
but everybody dose it do it. When l first came
here saw every BODY giving the military salute to
everybody else. So began to do the military !
touched my hat to verybo5y; my arm kept gong
up and down like pump handle; pumped away
Tor week, and my arm got so lame that began to
fear empUtGtlon. Ten l conceived the idea of do
ing the military salute with my FOOT though it would
be very effective, especially II man wore patent
leather boot and gllt spur, practiced it two days
in ny room, and then DID it IN the street TO gen
era; he though meanttO insult him, and he threat
ened guard house; when he mentioned gaurd housa
l went away; | don't ike to say ran, but went
away, and the time was good.
Tn5Q studied INTO Ihe philosophy of the military
pump-hGndle salute business; concluded wouldn't
plmp>haadle 10 anybody under general Ihad
hitherto been especially careful TO pump-hande to
the gentlemen with the stripes on their arms. /
thought they were ms OC-Cenerals Now kno " the
whole mystery Of Il, aHd III tell.
There Gse IArce ~ Oh generals: Brigadiar
generals, With One star On the shoulder; major
generals with two stars on the shoulder: and gen>
erals OF division, with three dittOs ditto. l now
pump-handle TO inge>barreled generals, and to-
double barreled generals, and to the high-pressure
generals with three stars but fellow that hasn't