The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1864-01-07
THE LATEST NEWS.
BIZ Last NIGHT Small.



bic bodies, approved Dec. %, 1858, tn
paying Of b0uniies to veteran volunteers
as now practised by the War Depart
ment, is to the extent OF $500, 10 escl
case prohibited after the 5sh day Of the
present month. / transmit for your con
siderstion q communication from tn
Secretary of War, accompanied by ont
from the Provost Marshal General Il
him, both relating TO the subject sbov
mentioned. I earnestly recommend tina
the law be modified so as to allow bcun
ties to be paid as they now are ct less
until the ensuing first day Of February
/ am not without anxiety, lest | apps&
TO be importnnate in thus recalling you
attention to = subject upon which yol
have recently acted, and nothing but
deep conviction that the public interes
demands il could induce me to incur th,
hazard of being misunderstood on thil
point. The Executive approval wa
given by me to the resolution mentioned
aud it is now by aclOser attention and 1
fuller knowledge of facts, that l feel con
strained 70 recommend a recon sideratioI
of the subject.
Signed, ABRAHAM LINCOLN.
The Secretury of War, IN = letter
accompanying the message, says; NJ
one seems to doubt the necessity of in.
cressing the military force for speedy
termination, of the rebellion, and, al
though much difference of opinion exists
in respect to the system Of raising troops
by recruiting and the payment Of boun-
ties zud the system Of raisi1g al ade-
quate force by draft, yet tEo things are
certain: first, that whatever may be the
weight of argument or the irflaence OF
individual opinion, large p3r:ion of the
people in every State prefer the method
of contributing the. proportion Of the
military force by giving bounty 10 vol
untesrs rather than have draft second,
that veteran soldiers, who have become
Injured to the service, even when paid
bounty, constitute . cheaper force than
raw recruits or drafted men without
bounty.
The information received by the War
Department. from the armies IN the field
prior to the passage of the resolution OF
December last indicated that = very
large proportion of the force now in the
service would have cheerfully re-enlisted
for three years under the terms author
lied by this department, bat such en-
enlistmsnts have been checked, and will,
in . great measure, be put t. an end by
the restrictions imposed by the action of
Congress.
1t is believed that il any limitation
should be imposed upon the payment of
bOunties to encourage the re enlistment
of the veteran forces now in the field, it
could not be sooner than the 15t of Feb
rusry. The Postmaster General, in a
Communication, says that after great
labor the volunteer recruiting system,
under the Presidents call Of October
17th, is practically in progress. Letters,
all dated between the 20Ih and oath of
December, from the superiatendeDis Of
the recruiting service in sixteen States
are in the main very encouraging as to
sac prospect of getting 3 large number of
recruits by volunteer enhsimengs. Several
of the States were In fair way to raise
thu quota assigned to them.
forbidding after January 9th, the pay
ment to volunteers of all bounyies, ex-
cept 500 authorized by the act of 1861.
was not known at the time these favor
able reports were made &c me. l have no
doubt that the effect of that act will be
to check, if il does not stop, enlistments
Of the hundred dollar bounty provided
By the act of 1861, but S25 can be paid
in advance; the SIS being due only after
.wo years of service. 1t took some tine
after October IL to get the people reused
to the subject of volunteering. They are
now most earnestly engaged n it, and I
have reports for October and November
and part of December, showing that A.
529 men have been enlisted, aad the daily
average of enlistments is increasing.
Under these circumstances, l respectful
" suggest the prOpriety of 3 reconsider
alton of the act fOrbidding bOunties after
January 5th.
These communications were referred to
the Committee on Military Affairs.
New YORK, Jan. 5.-The Tribune
vouches for the genineness of the follow
iag letter, which intimates that the city
of Charleston is mined with powder:
Charleston N0p 9-Desr Cousin: Fred
has consented at last to let me come TO
Macon, so you may expect me in q few
days. A Yankee shell exploded just
around the corner from our house, tear
ing a building to pieces and setting two
others on fire NOBODY was injured, as
all the buildings were vacated some
weeks ago.
81 don't believe there are two hundred
ladies in town who are able to get away,
but Fred declared we should not leave
while We had roof over US, bat
now that he sees the danger we are in he
is glad to hurry as of! Most of the
families have gone to Dorchester, Sum-
merville, Combahee, and even to Water
boro, and every hOuse in those places is
crowded; nearly every room is filed
with beds. shd every bed has to aceomo-
date three or four persons. SO much for
war, but would willingly live in . ETY.
the remainder of my life it would keep
the Yankee miscreants out Of our city.
"Tbs majority of our people haVe left
their furniture in their houses, expect
ing in few weeks to return 10 them,
but of course they know il the Yankees
take the city their houses and furnituse
will be destroyed.
"Gen. Beauregard caused information
to reach ell that if he fnds it impossible
to hold the city he will leave it mass Of
ruins. No one will complain Of thiF, 10
they know the barbAFians have sworn to
destroy every vestige Of the secession
nest if they can take it. If they should
ever do 60 may God have mercy on them,
| can't. II they ever enter, you will hear
Of the greatest earthquake caused by hu-
man agency. Il will be . consolation,
Louisa, for you to know that should the
vAndSls ever get here they will not be
able to reach Macon.
"Gen. Beauregard is confident they
could never get ten miles beyond the city
in any direction, but be is equally conf /
dent they can never come. IL ia mourn
full to go through our streets, once alive |
with beauty and fashion, and see them
entirely deserted, with the exception now
md then of one Of our eOlOFed people OF /
\ squalid Irish woman. But ss am to /
see you soon I will no. write 3 long let
ter. Fred sends his love, but says be |
viii not write until, dipping bis pen in
Yankee CARCASS, be can write With red 4
nix"
NASHVILLE, Jan. 5.-Col E. NJ