Daily Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1860-1862, 1861-03-02
Letter from BIynnks.
WnLARD's, WASHINGTON. Feb. "a, 1sf


have come on to Washington to get an
Office under Lincoln. 1 am not an Office
seeker per x bat in these troublous times, it
becomes the painful duty of every true pat
riot to rush TO the rescue of the Unicn, the
Constitution, and the enforcement of the
laws and if the Nashville Post Office in my
hands will be an instrument for the preserva-
tion of my beloved country, the least can
do is to open my hands and let Lincoln drop
that institution into them. Posterity shall
never have il to say that / hung back in the
hour of my country's peril. | am fully alive
to the fact that in accepting the Nashville
Post Office, l shall sacrifice myself upon the
altar of my country; but as the thing pays
about four thousand dollars year, l am
sure Providence will give me strength to
bear all that may be imposed upon me.
Upon the whole, think | shall be able to
stand it. The consciousness that an acting
in accordance with the earnest and prayerful
wishes of nine-tenths of the people of Nash
vile, viii go far to sustain me
am stopping a Wizards, where all the
principal Republicans and japanese Embas-
sailors put up. The japanese have left but
the Republicans are here yet Wizards,
ike all the similar establishments hare, is
about a two-horse hotel, one of the horses
having the big-head and the other big ap-
petite and no thing with which to crafty at
/ stop here because it is the nearest tavern TO
the White House. Lincoln is also stopping
here, and there is only one room between his
and mine. both of US being on the second
foor-he on the second floor from the ground
and on the second floor from the roof. He
has MT called on me yet, as | was MT intro
duced to him till yesterday, and have made
no effort to cultivate bis acquaintance. l
shall keep him at arm's-length until after the
Inauguration, and then when the Nashville
Post Office comes up for consideration,
shall step in like clap of thunder with my
petition, and bear of the persimmOns. There
are about dozen others here after the same
thing, bat they must see by this time that,
like Fillmore and DonelsOn in 1856, they
have no chance, and will soon begin to wish
that they had stayed at home.
have my reasons for not wishing to see
much of Lincoln until the thing is settled.
used TO know him when he was in the fat
bost business l went down TO New Orleans
with him at that time with bOat-load of
chickens. At Leaf l started with him, but he
accidentally got left. l owned the chickens
and he owned the boat. When we got to
NatchCz about dark one evening, be went up
town to have a small keg filIed with whisky
TO make some medicine to keep of the yell
low fever. He hadn't more than got out o:
sight, when, as was fooling with the rope.
merely to pass away the time. it come united
from the stob, and the boat foated from the
bank, and was so absorbed in thought that
the first thing 1 knew 1 was several miles
down the river. OF course there was no such
thing as stopping a fatboat and 50 went on
down to New OIleans with the boat and
poultry. It was my intention to hand over
to Old Abe the $500 1 got for the boat, but
never heard of him again until about three
years ago, when he turned up in Illinois as
an itinerant candidate for the United States
Senate in opposition to Douglas L would
have sent him check for tie amount, but at
that time my means were all Invested IN
real estate, and were not available. This, OF
course, is strictly confidential.
As there has been some talk among the
are-eaters of taking possession Of the city
and preventing the Inauguration of Lincoln,
it is proposed to arm the office-seekers
now here as a means of defense, which
would be ample. Ifthis is done, it is thought
that | will be put in command of the Ten
nessee forces. In that case, l shall divide
nv immense command into two regiments
or grand divisions, arm them with sledge
hammers and cold-chisels, and station them
at the two chief entrances to the Treasury
Should row occur shall lead an assault
upon the vaults, and will seize upon what
little loose change Cobb and Floyd may have
left sticking about in the cracks. 1t Wont
amount to much, but it viii help to pay my
bill at Willard's.
Please tell Gen. Anderson and the boys il
the Office to have the establishment SWEEP
out and everything in its place by the tint
come to take possession. shall probably
want some of the clerks to remain where
they are until get the hang of things.
l will write again sooR- In the meal
time. remain Yours Truly