Lamoille newsdealer. [volume] (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1860-1877, 1862-03-14

their equanimity in the face OF vague
and unauthentic rumor that the enemy
were near at hand. Comment upon such
management is unnecessary in these col
umns, it can be heard loud and unsparing
from every mouth in the land. s..
Sunday morning small advance of
Gen. Buel's column arrived and took pos
session of Edgerfeld. small town oppos-
ite Nashville. Nothing was done until
Monday evening, when Gen. Buell. arrived
at Edgerfeld and was Immediately visited
by committee from Nashville, headed by
Mayor Cheatham. The hour for formal
interview was fixed at IL AM, Tuesday,
before which time Gen. Nelson arrived
with his column on transports. accompan-
by the gunboat St. Louis. ..
At the appointed hour the Mayor and
some ten citizens waited on Gen. Buell.
and surrendered the city, receiving assur-
ances that the liberty and property of all
citizens would be sacredly respected.
have spent good deal of time to-day
in conversing with the citizens, and found
but little union sentiment. Men asserted
that they were not citizens Of the United
States-didn't want any protection from
the Government, and in several cases even
refused to sell any goods to the soldiers
or officers. One man said he was union
man, but never had dared to say so for
fear of being hung, and another said the
only two nights sleep he had in weeks
were since the arrival of the national ar
my. Another individual assured me with
very naughty air. that there were no
union men in Nashville except among me-
chanics and laborers; no gentlemen, he
said, were anything but Secessionists, Or
Rebels. if liked the term any better.
Gen. Grant and staff came up here TO-
day from Clarksvillc and spent several
hours in looking around the city. Among
others whom they called upon was Mrs.
Polk. the widow of James K. Polk, for
merly President Of the achole United
States. The residence of the relict of the
late President is a handsome brick man
sion, on fine street, and shows by her
surroundings that she is woman of taste
A large yard lies between the street and
the house. which is filled with clumps Of
the trim and elegant cedar, stately mag.
nolias, all green as in summer, while here
and there dafodils and other plants have
pushed forth their leaves and flowers with
all the richness and beauty of a northern
midsummer. In one corner, surrounded
BY emblematic evergreens, is tasteful.
costly tomb, beneath which sleeps the
once powerful chief of united nation.
Mrs. Polk is well-preserved lady Of
perhaps so years Of age. She received
her visitors courteously, but with apolish-
ed coldness that indicated sufficiently in
which direction her sympathies ran-she
was simply polite and lady like; in nc
case patriotic. While she discreetly fore
bore to give utterance to any expression
Of sympathy for the south, she as rigidly
avoided saying anything that might bt
construed into wish for the success o.
the Government. She hoped, she said
that the tomb Of her husband would pro
tect her household from insult, and hel
property from pillage, further than this
she expected nothing from the United
States, and desired nothing.
i Soon after this her visitors left, salts
fled that Ephraim was joined to his idols
and might as we'll be "lct alone" AS tn,
widow is Of more than ordinary intelli-
gence, and owes the ample fortune which
smooths tho declivity Of her old age t
the Government, it is somewhat strang'
that she should be at once SO blindly ig
norant of the true character of the pres
ent war, and so ungrateful.
The ladies Of Nashville-that is, tn
few of them who have not struck for th,
warmer and less Yankee haunted portions
of Dixie-are, of course, as full Of trea
son as they are in occasional cases Of Low
illness. have seen only two cases Of wo
men who are loyal, and both Of these ar
amonO what might be called the lowe