The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1864-05-26

road they had always gone. The onIy
consolation is, that they have done even
less injury than any raiders ever did,
and that a large body of their cavalry
hss been put hOrs de combat for long
time by the fatigues, hardships and
losses of the campaign. No sooner had
they gotten out Of the immediate pres
ence of the Confederate troops than
their true condition was manifested by
the wreck which strewed the road
Many horses, broken down by fatigue,
were shot through the head. Their
/ saddles, blankets, and spurs became a
/ harvest for the negroes in the neighbor-
hood They hurried down the PENN
sula in mere mob, their guard burn
/ ing the new bridge, Of the Nine Mile
Road, on the Chickahominy; evidently
( expecting the Confederate forces to cut
in upon them there, and intercept the
/ tight of their broken column Few.
who were witnesses of these incidents,
/ entertain doubt but that we have
missed a great chance The destruction
or capture Of this expedition, by the
large forces opposed to il, would have
been more than probable by bolder and
wiser management; and had it been
done, this point would never again have
been troubled by raids.
Little is known of the work aeeOm-
plished by the expedition on the south
/ side against the Danyille Road except
that it reached Coal Field Station at
ten o'clock last night, tore up some
rails, and got dead drunk on nine bar
rels of whisky which it found there.
/ Nor is sthere much intelligence from
the fighting between the troops and
gunboats on tho Appomattox An i'm
preston has been made on some, that
the army sent up the James River was
seriously intended for the capture Of
Petersburg, or Drewry's Bluff, or per
haps of Richmond itself But every
development increases the strength
of our first conviction, that the expedi-
tiOn of Butler was designed only as
means Of crippling the resources of the
army Of Northern Virginia Safe at
Bermuda Hundreds, Butler was to be
the support of the cavalry on both sides
of the river, who would cut the COM
munication, both between Richmond
and the South, and Richmond and the
North thus preventing supplies and
reinforcements from arriving here, or
passing to our army during the death
struggle between Lee and Grant How
far this plan has been accomplished
need not be discussed The hour has
come, and we have only to wait the
news of the result Many rumours
were circulated yesterday about a great
battle. But we do not believe any fight
ing has been done IN nSpottsylyania since
that of the lith.
HON TO GIT ENOUGH TO EAT.
From the Richmond Examiner, llth.l
How to feed the towns and cities, is
a question requiring timely attention
with reference to the next harvests.
Supply has fallen so far short of demand
in urban markets, that the populations
heretofore dependent upon those sources
for supplies, must look for bread and
meat to some other quarter
The present situation of Confederate
cities in this respect, is not anomalous
History is full Of examples in which
war has brought cities and towns to the
verge of famine. The instances are
very numerous in which Government
has been obliged to furnish the city Of
Paris, for example, with bread not
merely, indeed, in times Of war, but of
peace. Nothing so checks production
as a state of war Private right then
ceases to exist, and the right of proper
ty in productions being denied, pro-
ducers, sooner or later, begin to raise
only whas is necessary to their own sub
sistcnce. The condition of war also
interferes with the supplies necessary
for urban consumers, by preventing
transportation. Between the combined
effects of diminished production and
impeded transportation, city pOpula-
tions are brought, after time, to starva-
ton.
The condition of Southern cities has
not quite reached that point yet There
IS a remedy open 70 them by which
supplies for another year at least may
be obtained, if measures to that end
are taken in time. The genius Of our
people and institutions prevents a de-
mand, by private citizens, upon Govern
ment for supplies Another and better
recourse is open to the people of towns
Experience already teaches that it is
ruinOus 10 rely upon the town markets;
for the supply they furnish IS totally in
adequate to the popular wants, and the
prices ruling in them bankrupt the rich
while starving the poor
The remedy is, for citizens to look
beyond their town markets, directly to
producers of supplies in the interior
This remedy may be resOrted TO indi-
vidually as well as collectively. By
timely action, each household may pro
cure supplies of the substantials of life
for year, at Government prices. Nine |
tenths Of the producers in the interior |
sell their productions at Government |
prices, chiefly TO Government itself |
These producers would be as willing to |
sell to the residents of towns and cities !
as to the Government, if allowed to do |
so. This permission could be obtained |
from Government, and the necessity Of 1
doing so might afford the means Of pre- /
venting greedy individuals or specu-
latOrs from obtaining an excess Of pro (
visions. The municipal authorities Of 1
each corporation could issue certificates I
Of the quantities Of necessities required
BY each person and these certificates,
indorsed BY the recipient, might be the /.
warrant of the producer for selling to I
the holder of them
But the question whether a strict or 4
ganization of the distribution Of sup 4
plies among nOn-produeers be necessary, /
is secondary to the necessity resting up 4
on towns-people of procuring their sup
plies directly from the producers in
some way or other If the urban mar
kets are much longer relied upon BY
urban consumers, these latter viii soon
find themselves in the very jaws Of
famine Those who possess means
should take measures IN time for pro
curing their next years supplies from
the interior country and those desti-
tute of means viii have 70 be provided
for BY the public authorities in a simil-
ar manner. The sanction, and, to a
certain extent, the cooperation Of
is necessary 10 the success
Of the expedient, which can doubtless
be obtained, as it can not be the interest
Of Government to depOpulate the
towns
But the fact of Its being thus practi-
"a HE 70 feed the towns f7frfaiahaa M