The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1862-09-04
Gideon J. Pillow.

Gideon J. Pillow.
This pestilent traitor makes about as
bad fist Of il in attempting to spell as
he did in digging ditch in the Mexican
as win be seen by letter Of
his below. Captain Rabbit, Of Newark,
Ohio, sends home copy Of Inc letter,
which letter was found on Pillows boy
SOL who was captured by the LIST Ohio
Cavalry in Tennessee, Capt. B. says:
lie had several letters on his person
from the wife and daughter Of Cid
containing nothing .contraband, with
which Sol was allowed 20 depart
Meanwhile the mule was retained and
the accouirements carefully searched--
The letter inelosed was found in the
skirt Of ile saddle. lhage made a literal
copy.
The letter was designed Cor a brother
residing ia Mount Pleasant, Tennessee.
We passed through the place last April,
on our way to Corinth The General
owns q splendid mansion, beautifully
situated, in one Of the richest sections Of
Tennessee, and his fine house and sur
rounding plantation, together with his
portable property Of every Kind, were
objects of our watchful care and giqyl-
ianship. They remained as securely as
though they had been in Northern
State. The largest portion of Pillows
negro men--betWeen three and four hun
drcd--were on a large plantation Of his
in Arkansas OF this we were informed
by some OF the house servants of his
sister, where we dined There il no
place mentioned in the letter to indicate
where il was written but il was sent
from near Tupello, Mississippi, where
there is a considerable force Of rebels I'M
der Bragg.
CEN. PtLLow's LETTER.
July goth, 1862.
nv DEAR BBoTHEE: The Northern Gov
eminent is ALARMED (alarmed) The pco-
pie are not volunteering as they expected.
/ am satisfied that they will ultimately
adopt the policy Of Selling our negro men
wherever they can be had, with the aid
of their army-that they viii arm these
and place them in their army. / am not
afraid Of these negroes in the field, but
all negroes so taken off, viii be lost for
ever TO US. That this policy is certain
TO be adopted in the future, entertain
no sort of doubt think our only safety
TO our men is to bring them to the inter-
Tor of the South. The women and chill
dren aud old men they will not take for
this use, Whenever they shall have set
tied their policy, they will go to catch
ing and gathering negroes. From the
great number TO be found in Mississippi
Bottom and from the facility Of reaching
them and of transporting them North to
| camps of instruction, they will have their
| boats, with armed bodies Of men, in ope-
ration in less than thirty days, and they
| will siDeeD tie yiUer lotion. / intend, as
soon as Curtis gets out of the way, to
make an effort 10 get my negroes across
| the river, and have them brought to this
region Of country. ! send this TO you
by Sol.
wrote to you q few days since to send
| down acGq9on8 (wagons) for my family to
move home. That had betterbe deferred
until fall, and until our army enters Ten
nessee and drives back the Federals. In
the meantime, you had better look to
| your yamg negro men. | want your
/ services TO aid me in getting mine out,
\ but do not know il il would be safe to
wait until you can come We will &C
complish our independence, but we will
4 loose llosc) One Thousand Million Dollars
worth OF Negroes. If our negroes learn
that the Federals are catching negroes to
I I'll their arnV--and are told that when
/ the war is over they will be taken to Gu
ba and sold 10 the Spanish--tbey would
be hard TO catch. II will, beyond doubt,
come TO that. Two ship loads have al
ready been taken from the South Carolina
coast and sold TO Cuba, and the North
will make any disposition of the great
agi,m Of negroes they find TO their inter-
est in the future. Come by this place to
see me. It is importa7t The policy Of
which / speak viii be in full operation ia
thirty days, possibly sooner.
Your brother GID. j. PILLOW
Come without the loss OF day, and
don't hint the matter to any living crea-
ture The secret must Be kept else it vii
fail; and in Arkansas, if my movement
is known or suspected, 1t viii produce ;
stampede q. D.. 7.
If from i'll health you cannot come
write mo freely about matters at home
/ am satisfied the army viii soon NOV,
into Tennessee. The safety Of our pro
perty depends upon early action. If yoI
cannot come send the bearer back as early
as possible, and let him have a fresl
mule if ono can be,had The system o
catching once commenced, it viii be t0'
late 60 remove our fellows. There il
great difficulty in feeding negroes owe
here, or of hiring them out, or making
other disposition Of them, but prefer al
these 10 the danger Of losing dosing
them altogether. q. J. p.
So. ...,.,v.s "a mani p,,a