The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1864-04-21
CHARLESTON As II Is.
Half the City Deserted SajOFity Of
IFS Citizens for the Union.

The following letter from respec,
table citizen Of Charleston, S. c., Union
man, to gentleman in PHILADELPHIA,
gives a faithful account Of the city, as
il was February -, 1864 The state
ments can be depended upon as accu-
rate and impartial We publish it lit
orally as written, emitting only names
and private matters.-Ed. Phil. Press. :
a great change has come over the
city since you left. The population i
almost entirely above Wentworih-sheet
hardly soul below Marketstreet
The Post office is at the corner Of King
and Annstreets; the banks at the West
end of Cannon-street; the military
headquarters in John-street, and above
that point The lower part of the town
is given over 70 Gilmores shells. Be
low Nentworth-street are fourteen par
allel streets, including the most valua-
bic OF the public buildings, stores, and
private houses. CannOn-street is al
most suburban The deserted portion
Of the city, from which the lombard
ment has driven the few inhabitants
who remain, occupies about three square
miles-Ed. Press
Probably over five hundred houses
have been struck in that portion of the
town Your old room IN the upper
story had a shell exploded in 1T The
prices of living are, IN our currency,
enormous. Hotels charge from ST. TO
so a day, and the cheapest boarding
house is 80 a day At present rates, il
costs me about $500 a month. Beet is
selling at s. a pound sugar (poor
brown at s. 80 a pound; corn whisky
$50 to SO a gallon; oak wood at So
a cord You can therefore imagine the
pleasures Of housekeeping at these rates.
a barrel of salmon from Wilmington
cost me- S4U5, and | bought a box of
herring which used to cost seyenty-tiye
cents, to-day, for twenty five dollars
- has lam il a hiding place for
some months 10 avoid consumption lie
does not dare % 60 even as tho owls
80 out OF nights once he was the vic
tim Of misplaced confidence; he went
to Wilmington 10 try and get a chance
a,a he wa, nabbed, enrolled, and only
escaped 10y jumping from the ears and
taking 10 the woods
Finally, after enduring Incredible
hardslips and walking seventy-live
mics in tliirJy-three hours, he gos back
20 @ place OF hiding I'm Wilmington
whence be returned here and Is now
5ses. where only intimate friends can
find him Deserters throng the woojs
and swamps ali over tho country the
rebels must hunt them as they do
negroes, with dogs. --savs ne SAW
twenty-five brought in the other day,
tied two and two, who had been caught
by hounds. Two others were shot ia
at emTting to escape.
Our condition Is as bad IS Il can be.
The dcspotism IS as bad il can toe,
though curses loud and deep sre after
ed against the Government by many
men who were Secessionists There is
"a very large sprinkling OF Union here
u IS quite dgalyHk u tter. IS s9t q E,Qjor.-
~ y. Charleston rho ars for tbs Lli0H.
The town is very much changed.
Scarcely any body believes that slavery
can live much longer The thing is
about up Ii tie EsdcrdhSts make he
spring campaign sohct il oygbt 10 b, The peo-
re 1lA cry enough
~. 49, JN9b l'aaoFA q law Noii-
peihng the funding Of Confederate notes
IA four per cent bonds before April /,
on penalty Of paying a tax Of 33l per
cent on the notes Alter that date, and
if they are not funded by January 1.
$500, they are to be taxed 100 per cent.
THIS is reputation with a vengeance.
Then tax Of five per cent on every
thing adds 10 the delighta eli our stu
alton