Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1861-06-08
Posr OFFIcE DEpARrNENr,

DEAD LETTER OFFICE, June Ist, 1901.
SIR: The Postmaster General directs that all
letters mailed distributed at your Office, directed
to Southern States which cannot be forwarded to
their intended destination account of the discon
tnuance of mail service, any other causes, shall
be at once returned to the Dead Letter Office. You
will therefore once week. Cor oftener If they ac-
cumulate rapidly make a separate return of such
letters-post mark each on the sealed side-put do
mestc, foreign and registered letters in separate
parcels, and mark each parcel outside, and bills
sho wing their number and rates.
This return must be put up in package or
pouch separate from any other matter, directed to
Dead Letter Office" stmarked. and plainly
labelled outside Letters for Southern States"
Very respectfully, your obedient servant,
A. N. ZEyELY,
Third Assistant Postmaster-Gen
Postmaster, Nashville, Tennessee.
And on this morning ! received the following dis
patch; - -. roc,
To PosT MASTER The Post Office at Memphis,
Tenn, is discontinued The Post Master General
orders Postmasters to forward 10 the Dead Letter
Office at Washington all mail matter which is di-
rected TO that office.
JNO. A. KASSON
LIST Assistant P. 81. Gen1.
Immediately on receipt of this dispatch sent the
following answer
PosT OFFICE, NASHVILLE June 6, 1861.
MASTER G GENERAL, Washington. D. c.:
ton to the Southern Mail also dispatch of June 9th
in relation to Memphis Office received Neither can
be complied with by me- Accept this as my resig-
nation, which is on the road.
W. D. McNIsH,
Post Master. Nashville.
Subsequently sent the following letter by mail :
NASHVILLE, Tenn, June 1851
Jao. A. Edsson, FIRST Assistant Postmaster General:
SR-Your order (per telegraph) notifying me OF
the discontinuance of the Pc. Memphis Tenn, and
directing me not emily to withhold Southern cores
pondence intended for that point but to send to
the dead letter Office at Washington, Is now before
me. Nv honor. interests and ncllnatlons forbid
compliance l therefore cheerfuly tender you my
resignation to take place atonce; and may be per
mirted to add that suppose the mails will still con-
tinue to be transported South without interruption
Yours respectfully, W. u. MCNlsH'
will be seen that by the instructions every letter
written here elsewhere by the fathers, brothers,
sisters wives and children of our brave volunteers
now in Virginia, and in other Southern States, are
20 be handed over to the Paul Pry's" of the Dead
Letter Office at Washington; and all the cores
pondenee of the Governor Of our State the Military
Board, and every military officer, here and else
where with the Major General at Memphis, and
other officers, are to be likewise examined and
read by the officials at Washington, instead
Of being read by our officers to whom they are ad-
dressed This might be convenience tothose who
are preparing to assail with fire and sword, but
conceive that would be traitor to my State and
TO the South to either directly indirectly aid and
assist in such scheme-and, before stated, have
rendered my resignation and leave such work to be
done by some one, whose love Of Office, and the
emoluments thereof may induce him TO sacrifice the
lives and property of his neighbors, their wives and
their children by giving the aid and comfort to the
enemy, which, carrying out the instructions would
do. / cannot do 1T will not doir And in conclu-
clusion can only return my grateful thanks to the
many friends whs have stood by me and supported
me since as well as before, my entering the du-
ties of tile Office. To explain 10 them the reasons
of nv resignation is the cause of this card, and to
assure them that they will always be kindly remem-
bered by their friend, W. d. McNISH.