Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1863-01-03
PUBLISHED DAILY By
EDGAR SNOW DEN, JR. =
nsg OFFICE-No 104 King street, over
stones, formerly French's) Book Store
Affairs at Nashville.


the following picture of that city:
Nashville, once SO renowned TOR social soele-
tv, is sombre and dreary as q. convent. There
IS no social life here. People merely exist.
Most Of the able bodied men have gone to
war. The young men who remain at home
either never had caste, or have lost it by de-.
c]iniBg arms. A few men, receding in years,
remain, Sauntering through tAe streets, the.
eve wearies with the gloom Of closed shutters
and cheerless dwellings. The female popula-
tion is much depleted, but a majority OF the
leading matrons and maldens ofsoclety remain.
They are stately and reserved, but | will do
them the justice to say that the major portion
of them have not violated proprlety since the
army arrived here in November. -
Perhaps tive thousand have applied to the
Provost Marshal General for passes since that
tine, and much less than fifty have been un-
lady-like in department. Is it surprising that
they should be reserved? Who could expect
general sociability between them and us under
the circumstances? There is but little work for
those disposed to be industrious; compensation
for the little labor that is done is inadequate );
prices of all necessares are extravagant; fuel IS
tie tenement of two or three rooms on an OBJ
scure street costs $l2 per month; water for
two rooms, $l2 per annum; green wood, $6
and sS per cord. Sugar and coffee the poor
cannot buy.
The beautiful suburbs of Nashville, the
pride of the people and glory Of the City OF
Rocks. are desolated The exigencies Of war
have compelled the sacrifice ef many noble
groves The charms of stately mansions have
thus been sacrificed Elegant edifces of brick
and stone, surrounded with all the graces OF
rural architecture and beautife1 by all the rich
appliances of culture and art, now stand out in
bleak loneliness, dehowered Of the graces Of re-
fined taste-sad and dreary monuments of the
curse Of the war A beautiful woman, proud
and stately as a Roman matron, untouched by
the seventies Of war until the rude blade Of pi-
0 1eers began to wound the superb grove which
decorated her home, visited headquarters not
long ago, pleading with eloquent tears for the
preservation of her trees 'Do not despoil
my grove, General-next to my children, |
love it. When your axe-men began to tell
those splendid trees, almost fell as it God
had deserted me. Spare them for my Wo-
mans heart. .
Why not? They were spared. Wherefore
wantonly destroy that which is not essential to
public good The engineers did not despoil
property for revenge, or deliberately. War
exists. Fortifcations were to be constructed.
Timber was necessary. This grove was handi-
est, and 50 the rude choppers began, although
there were fine forests. not distant. Had it
been the property Of a loyal man or woman, it
would have been the same, so reckless are men
when there is no personal responsibility y
Thus does the despoiler rage wherever there is
war. Confederates suffer no more than patri-
OTIS. Indeed, the loyal and disloyal are apt, in
1act do, suffer alike wherever an army. en-
oamps.''