The Hillsdale standard. [volume] (Hillsdale, Mich.) 1851-1909, 1862-05-13

IN NAShNlLLh'
THE following letter was written with no though
Of publication, but are sure that our readers wi
be glad "to rejoice with them that rejoice."l
Ebs N. Y. fNDEPENDENT.
Rejoice with me, dear grandma The gle
rious Star-Spanglcd Banner of the Unite
States is again floating above usl Oh, hoy
J we have hoped for, longed for, prayed 70
this joyous day l am wild, crazed, almost
with delight. am still fearful that | shal
awake and find our deliverance, our freedom
is all dream. l cannot believe that il il
positive fact, / has come upon us so uncxpect
edly, this successful move e the Union army
Grandma, | cannot write connectedly at all
Forgive me all faults Of composition, for car
see the Stars and Stripes Of my own ever loved
flag floating from the state. house, the frs,
time my eyes have been gladdened by such q
sight for nearly year. So great is my &c
stacy cannot sit still cannot keep my
eyes on the paper-indeed, / canno! DO any
thing but sing, whistle, or hum "Yankee
Doodle" "lIail Columbia" "Tbe Star Span
gled Banner" and feast my eyes on those VIC
torious colors.
Oh, grandma, you cannot imagine our hap
pincss at this sudden change in the aspect of
public affairs. The morning that Fort Don.
elson surrendered, there seemed to be such an
intense feeling of bitterness here against the
Union men! The papers chow little did they
imagine that Tint would be their last ssue)
came out on that Sunday morning with NAL
edictions and threats tie most inhumau
against them, saying that if any such feadjsh
palaia vet remained in our midst, he must
and should be dealt with instantly as traitor
of the deepest dye.
We have had so much to bear since | wrote
you! My father and brother have been taun-
ted, snecred and hissed at threatened by ev.
cry ono, until endurance was becoming i'm
possible. But nothing, q am so proud to
say it, and thank God for it,) nothing could
make them play the hypocrito. They believ-
ed the Federal cause was just and right, and
they would, in spite Of our prayers and tears,
express their opinions openly, and denounce
secession boldly. We have been warned, since
Xollicotfers death, that there was imminent
danger here for them; and the hatred toward
Union men was becoming so intense that both
ma and | have been in an agony of suspense,
We could not leave home, as we never did,
without being insultcd, | have had to sit
quietly by and hear nv father aud brother de
nouncod as traitors. Ny temper is quick, and
the curb that have been Obliged to keep up
on it has been a CALLING onc--indeed, some.
times have thought all that Was gentle a
womanly in me was turned into bitterness and
hate.
For my idolizcd brother ! have felt more
kcenly than rnr anything else. He is nstu
rally sensitive, auA Of such dcicacy of feeling
that he has suffered deeply. Being drafted,
he procured a substitute; and, though dis
playing much moral courage, he has been
hsscd at as a coward ever since, until he
would VOW to escape and join the Federal ar
my, and several times endeavored 10 do so;
but pa, discovering his plans, prevented him
from it, 10y showing him tho ruin he would
bring upon Us all by such step The cloud
Wa lowering over US, growing darker dav lv
day. aud thought the silver lining never
wou'd appear; but IL is hercI-evcn now
beaminG upon us so brightly that We scarce
can credit the reality
Can you wonder thai, in the state Of feel
iog | was in that Sunday morning, dear
grandma, when Tom knocdcd at the loor,
and -alled out to me that Fort Douelson was
surrendered. and the Federal army would
soon he in Nashville, | became perfectly fran
tic with JOY?
ran screaming over the house, knocking
down chairs and tables, clapping my hands,
and shouting for the "Union,' until the chill
drcn were terrified, and pa and ma thought
was delrious! | rushed into the parlor and
thundcred yankee Doodle" on the piano in
such a manner as had never done before
| caught little johnny up in my arms, and
held him over the porch railing up stairs un.
Ill he hurrabcd for the StH-Spaneled Ban
ncr, Seward, Lincoln, and Mcclellan. The
little fellow thought his sister was going to
kill him, she looked so wild, and would not
come near me again for several days.
Just in the midst Of these rejoicings, intel
liccnce came that Johnston's army from Bow
ling Green had evacuated that place, and was
even then passing on the turnpike to Nash.
VILE. Could it be possible3 Yes, indeed
There they were retreating rost valianty.-
Grandma, you never saw such a frightened
looking SET Of men! They could not get over
the lvcr fast enough! / never bade the
Southern army "God speed but that once !;
aud then did it with my whole heart. May
lItF IsPstUl di!Nditc w huINtSoiul SNtu W
the Gulf Of Mexico Itself!
If YOU could have seen Breckinridge! the
meauest, most dowufaen 10 king specimen Of
humanity imaginable. The army did not
stop in Nashville one day, but went on a.
swiftly as possible. The citizens hero were
mortified and cxasperated to the quick by this
surrender. Floyd remained in Nashville a
few days after bis Jr7ve escape from Fl. Don
elson. After the army had gone, and tic city
had sent commissioners to surrender, he had
both bridges destroyed, though he could give
no reason for it, and though it was against the
prayers and protestations Of the citizens He
is wicked wretch. Is it wrong to wish that
he may soon meet the fate lie deservesl
1t was not until week after Donclson's
fall that the Fedcrals came in. We, whose
all depended upon their speedy arrival, had
begun to think that they were not coming af.
ter all, and our freedom was not yet at hand
but on Sunday afternoon, my brother came
in the picture Of happiness, with the inteli-
gence that Buell. wo IL be here in few days
that he bad ridden up and met his advanced
guard, and that Row at last We could rejoice
Buell. came in at night. The troops were in
nerfcct discipline, and COMPLETELY amazed the