Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1864-10-04
LETTER FROM NASHVILLE.

NASHVILLE Tenn, Sept p, 1864.
EDITORS LEADER:-After soiourn o.
two months in Nashville may be able to
interest your readers by giving some o.
the impressions which have forced tn en-
selves upon me, as well as some of the Incl
dents which have come under my observa
ton Nashville was city, before the war
of between twenty-five and thirty thou
sand inhabitants ItnOw has population
of not less than seventy-five thousand.
This influx of people is principally from
the North, who are here for the purpose of
speculation or in the employ of the Gov
ernment. 1t is estimated that there are
twenty thousand men in the employ of the
Quar- termssters Department al one. 1t
has been place Of gresL wealth and i'm
portance before the rebellion, as is evinced
by the costly and ele B, ant private residences
which are to be found here, many of
which will compare favorably with the
richest and test on Euclid street
at the time the Southern army evacuated
this city, great numbers of the wealthy
citizens left with it and went South, leRv-
ing every thing which they could not carry
in trunks and travelling satchels. am
informed BY the African population that
they "gOt heaps of things' which we're
left by their owners in their hurry to get
away, which they Immediately sppropriat-
cd the res ult is that some of the best
beds, carpets, sc, can be found in the ne
gro cabins. Every church Of any size and
many Of the large buildings have been fit
ted up for hospitals. Il would surprise
one unused to war and its ravages to sec
the great number of invalids which they
contain. 1t was the privilege of your cor
respondent to visit the cemetery here.
It has very many costly monuments
which now seem to be entirely neglected
hV the friends Of the departed. One por-
tion of this cemetery is Alled with soldiers
who have died tn the hospitals here, and
contains the bodies of both Union and re-
bel. 1t is here that one gets a 81 ent but
deep impression OF the great mortality of
this war, W ereEa spectator may observe
acre after acre regularly laid
ont filed with graves. They are not more
than two feet apart. Each grave has
head-board, with the number OF the death
marked upon it. 1t will be sn sasy mat
ter to find the grave of friend il it is
known that he died here, by consulting
the hospital register and getting the num-
Der of bis death, the corresponding num-
Der upon the headboard will tell his grave.
During the time of WheeleFs raid there
was considerable excitement here, especi-
ally one day when the reports of artillery
could be distinctly heard. Wheeler's OBJ
iect was not to attack the city, it was to
cut the railroads, and thus cut off General
Sherman's supplies, which be most signal
ly failed TO do.
A good joke occurred about that time
upon two hundred laborers, who are in the
employ Of the Quartermaster's Department
One hundred negroes we're taken out TO
repair railroads, and these two hundred
men were armed, equipped, and sent out
70 guard them. a short time aftec they
had commenced operations, FIVE rebels,
whsphsd struggled from their main force,
suddenly made their appearance,
and, seeing the force of men, were
about to surrender tbemselvss as prisoners.
The armed men who we're unused 10 war,
became terribly frightened, and, supposing
that Wheeler with his whole force was
upon them, threw down their guns and
took to their heels, 1t was impossible to
stop them, and many never stopped until
they arrived here-a distance of twelve
miles. The negroes, deserted by their
guards, we're ordered to pick up the guns,
tell into line and defend themselves, which
they did, VIXEN the FIVE rebels, with shouts
of laughter, put spurs 70 their horses and
we're soon out of sight.
The business of the Quartermasters De-
partment is very extensive here. The
principal part of the business is done by
Captain Charles h. Irwin, who has charge
of government property, and Colonel John
@. Crane, wh0 has control of all the rail-
roads in the Department of the Mlssis-
sippi Colonel Crane has lately been pro
NOTED from the rank of Captain to that of
Colonel, and a more deserved promotion
was never made. In the year 1862 he
was assigned to the post of Quartermaster
- Cleveland, but was soon relieved and
ordsra6 20 the post which he now fills,
Shich is onA pf the highest Importance
all the provisions which supply the vast
army Of the victorious Sherman AsYing to
aass through his hands and oyer the rail-
roads in his charge. He is a man OF the
greatest eRergy sA1 busin X capacity; be
: Is u uAsDuEbluB Ruhtb6ILudSI6I anu pays Out
nAs, two million dollars monthly, and en-
ploves N his department about twelve
thousand meT. Colonel Crane is MAJ Of
great firmness end of the most undoubted
loyalty, and is hated by the rebels here
as much as he is respected by loyal men.
An instance will serve to Illustrate his
character. He is authorized by the gov
I ernment to sell coal to the citizens of
Nashville. Mrs. james K. Polk, wife of
Ex-President Polk, made application
through another Quartermaster to buy
coal. Her loyalty is not beyond question,
and it is one of the requirements that
those who purchase coal must take the
oath of allegiance. Mrs. Folks applica-
tion was returned with the Endorsement
that she could have coal upon the same
terms of other citizens of Nashville, bv
taking the oath. She made several fnef-
fectual attempts to get coal without COM
plying with the rule, but failed. Few
| QuArtermasters would have had the firm.
ness TO have refused coal to the wite of an
Ex-President, but he did his duty. F.