The Xenia sentinel. [volume] (Xenia [Ohio]) 1863-186?, 1864-07-19
The Fourth Of July in Nashville.
An Interesting Letter,
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE.
July 1864

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July 1864.
I Mr.. EDITOR:
Nashville is getting to be gool way
in the rear of Sherm1n and his army, aud
in these days Of heavy fighting, a letter
from here will probably not be SO interest
ing as one from the extreme front; yet
thoughta short account of the celebration
of the ever glorious Fourth might not be
| amiss.
The day was ushered in by tho ringing
Of bells from the most Of the helfrys, aHd
the booming of guns from all the f1rts
that encircle the city. Some of the bells,
thopght,were a lit;lequavery in their voice,
for there Is strong ..robel element in the
congregations over which some Of them
swing, but the guns gave forth no qncor-
tain sound-=a fact in which you would
substqptiate me if you had been sleeping
at sunrise as close under the guns Of f9rt
Negley as some of US were,
/ The displ y of the national bunting was
harl lily up to the regulation standrrd. Here
and there a quartermas'er's Office, or
generals headquarters famed out in the
grandest glori,s Of the stars and stripes,
but saving these, the show was rather
limited. The enthusiasm seemed Mt to
reach the high places. There was an cz-.
csedingly splendid military parade, but as
you walked along the streets ia which
the procession was passing you could not
fail to notice the windows close curtained
and blinded, which in a northern city would
have been filed with .'fair women and
"brayo meu"-especially Uf the shoulder
strap persuasion. From whit I have
written you will Infer that Nashville is
yet " secosh" city, AMI yoqr inference
viii be correct. Napo.eOn said scratch q
Russian aud you will find Tartar" and
so scratch one of these galvanized Union
men and you viii find the very meanest
kind Of a rebel 1 noticed, however, the
widow of Ex-President Po.k standing at
her gate and viewing the long line of
soldiers with apparently considerable Of
interest.
They say she is a rebel, but not Bit
ter one. She could hardly feel hatred in
her heart for these b'ue coats, I should
think, when she remembers it was they
who stormed the nights of Cerro Gordo
and stood up 50 nObly against tie iron
hail at Bucna Vista wbere her dead hus-
band was their commander iu-ehief.
The military mBraeod tho.tAree arms Of
the service, infantry, artillery cavalry, and
was, as l said, very fne, but it is hardly
worth while to describe it further, to you
who witnessed the 'pJmp and circumstance
of camp Greene last fill. It wound
around through several of the streets, and
steamed of across the plain towards
grove wherein it was proposed to bold the
celebration ofthe day. did not go out,
as it looked rather warm that day along
the road they took, especially to a man
standing in the shade. Governor John
son spoke, and for the rest they reported
a hot an a dusty time Of it. Besides tue
big celebration, there were good many
side shows in the shape Of picnics, eTcpr-
sions, &c. the particulars of which I did
not get, with tue exception Of one which
started from the Chattanooga depot. "Your
CORE pondout' having had frien Is am ing
the party, lolrncd that as the train moved
out through the suburbs Of the city
switch was discovered that ran elise to
W t~t tt' .''f