The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1864-12-20
Fighting on the James.
The Rebel on Arming
Slaves
General Lee Said to
Favor it.
Rebel Reports from
Sherman:
Capture of Fort Nc
Allister.

NEw YoRK, Die. 19.-The Herald's cor
respondent at Butlrs's heaquarters dating
the 18th, says: Last evening about SIX
o'clock, the lines of Brevet Major General
Ferren, commandingth the Bermuda Hundred
front, were attacked by the rebels. The
firing which was both heavy and ineessant
for an hour, was mostly confined TO the
pickets, though therewas sufficient artillery
used on our side to repel it.
Five rebel gunboats and two rams, the
Virginia and Richmond, were observed ly-
ing under the guns of Fort Darling yester-
day towards evening. They are doubtless
there for purpose.
The Richmond Enquirer Of the 18th, has
a semi official editorial in favor of arming
slaves, and says General Lee is in favor of
the proposition. The Enquirer says when
we supphcste European nations for help We
must be prepared to receive it on their con-
dition, which wiz be the abolition of sla-
very. It also asks shall we prolOng the
war, sacrifice our children and destroy our
country for the sake of the negroes. It
concludes, we hate and despise the enemy
far more than we love slavery.
A telegram to the Riehmend Wing from
Lynchburg, dated on the 18th, says body
Of Yankees returning towards Bean Station
encountered our forces at East Zollicoifer
Station, East Tennessee, nine miles west Of
Bristol, where fight was said TO be pro
crossing at last accounts.
The Richmond Sentinel of the 10th SAYS
Foster is quiet under his failure on the sa-
vannsh Railroad, and Sherman has seem
ingly despaired of opening communication
with the sea at Beaufort. q
The capture of Fort McAlister is an
nounced. The liability Of its capture has
been well understood. Sherman willnow
be able to get supplies by way Of ossabaw
SOnnd. Should he capture Savannah, he
will have exchanged a city in the interior
for city on the coast, which has been com
pletely closed to commerce since the loss Of
Fort Pulaski in 1862.
WASHINGTON. Dec. I9.-H0usE.--Mr. Da-
Wis of Md, offered the resolution reported
by him Thursday. and which the House
then tabled, declaring that Con gress mas the
constitutional right to an authoritative
voice in declaring and prescribing the
foreign policy of the U. s., and that il
il the duty of the Executive department to
exercise that voice. &e. Mr.. FsrnsWOrth OF
Illinois moved to lay it on the table; disa-
greed to, nays IS, yeas 40.
NEW YoRK, Dec. ia letter was re-
ceived from Admiral Dshlgren, by secre-
tary Welles on the 18th, saying he was
then (l4th) in the presence of Gen. sher-
man, he ahsving come around to Warsaw
Sound with Gen. Foster, to meet Dshlgrsn.
The Admiral was busy buoying the Ssvan-
nah river, for an attack on Savannah by
water, and was about to proceed to Ossabaw
in hope Of communicating with Sherman,
when that General, as the Admiral says,
walked over from Fort McAllister and came
aboard the flag ship.
The Richmond Sentinel has dispatch
dated Kingston 18th, stating that a union
gOree was repulsed on the Heuss road. two
miles from Kingston, and driven across
the southwest bridge, which they de-
stroyed.