The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1864-10-25
LATEST NEWS.
BY LAST NIGHTS MAIL.

WAsHIxcToy. Oct 23.-The following
is President Lincoln's reply TO TIE Pres
ident of the Committee from Tennes-
1 see against the test oath required by
Governor johnson, preliminary TO the
exercise of the elective franchise IN the
coming Presidential election:
ExccUgfsE MANSION, !
WAsHNoTGS, D. C., Get 20, 1864
Msssrs. IT, H. Clap5slz, r. 4. r. Nelsoa.
J. r. p Carter, John Williams, 4. BIZ
zara. Hsary Coeper, Bqihe Peytoa, .}ofa
s. PyTygtan, John Lelhycti, md Emer-
son EtkYidge:
GENTS: On the fifteenth of this month,
az / remember, printed paper, with a
few manuscript iRteFlineabiens, called
a protest, with your na1nes appended
thereto, and accompanied by smother
printed paper purporting to be proela
nation by Andrew johnson, Military
Governor of Tennessee, and also q
manuscript paper puFporting to be iex
tracts com the Code of Tennessee. /
we're laid before me- The protest, pro-
clamation, and extracts are respectively
as follows
THE protest il here recitei and also
the proclamation of johnson. dated I
September 30, to which it refers, to-
gether with list of counties in East,
Middle, and West Tennessee; also ex-
tracts from the code of Tennessee N
relation to elections of President and
Vice President, qualifications ofeyoterB1
for members Of the General Assembly,
and places Of holding elections, and
officers Of popular eleetions.) 2 iie0 i's
The President then says, that, At the
time these papers presented, ] had
never seen either of them, nor heard OF
the subject to which they relate, except
in a general way only one day previous
~ Up to the present moment, nothing
whatever upon the subject has passed
between Governor Johnson, or any one
else connected with the proclamation,
and myself Since receiving the pa~
pers, as stated, have given the subject
such brief consideration as have been
able to do in the midst of so many
p ,essing pablo duties
Ny conviction is that l can havt1
nothing to do with the matter, either
to sustain the plan as the convention
and Governor johnson have initiated
it, or to revoke or modify, IS you de-
mand, by the constitution and the laws.
/ The President is charged with no duty
in the conduct OF presidential electors
in any State. Nor do !, in this case,
perceive any real reason for his inter
ference in this natter The movement
set on foot by the convention and Gov
ernor johnson does not, as seems 70 be /
assured byyou, emanate from the,n
tional executive. In no proper sense \
can it be considered other than an in~
I dependent movement Of at least por-
ton of the loyal people Of Tennessee.
/ Go not perceive IN the plan, any me-
mace of violence or coercion toward
any one. Governor Johnson, like any
other loyal citizen, has the right to fa~
vor any political plan he chooses. And
as military Governor it is his daty to
keep peace among and for the loyal
people of the State.
/ cannot discern that by this plan he
purposes any more But you object to
the plan Leaving it alone will be your
perfect security against it. 1t is not
proposed to force you into it. DO as
YOU please on your own account, peace
fully and legally, and Gov Johnson will
not modest you, but will protect you
against violence, so far as is in his
power.
presume that conducting Presiden-
tial elections in Tennessee IN accord
ance with the old code is not now pos
sible. 1t is scarcely necessary TO add
that, if any election shall be held and
any votes shall be cast in the State Of
Tennessee for President or Nice-Presi-
dent Of the United States, it will be-
long not TO military agents, nor yet the
Executive Department, but exclusively
to another department OF the Govern
ment to determine whether they are
entitled to be accounted in conformity
with the constitution and laws of the
United States.
Except it be to give protection against
violence, ! decline TO interfere in any
way with any election.
Signed, a. LINCOLN.
NFw YoRK. oct. 23.-Richmond pa
pers of the Doth had not heard Of Sher
idans victory of the 18Th, and indulge
in gratulations that a memorable yicto- |
ry was brought forth.
Late rebel papers ell contain mach |
speculation in relation to Sherman and |
Hoods movements, their conclusions
being that Sherman will be compelled |
to either fight Hood under disadTant- |
ages or get out of Atlanta
The Heralds 9TH corps special says:
Some new rebel bat cries were unmask |
ed this morning in front Of the first di- |
vision. Our army is quiet but not idle. |
The Herald's City Point special says |
The military situation remains nm
changed throughout the entire 40 miles |
of our entrenched front Extended |
strategic movements can alone change |
the relative positions, and TO this end |
we are all anxiously looking
The times special says Gen. Lee has
officially notified Gen, Butler that negro |
soldiers recently placed in the fortihca- |
lions have been taken from the work |
and sent back to Richmond, and will /
be treated as prisoners of war. Gen. |
Butler at once relieved the rebel pri-
soners from further labor upon the ca
nal After being relieved one-fourth OF
them took the oath.
KANSAS CITY, Oct. pa great battle |
has been fought, and great victory |
won. Prices whole army has been
routed. and is rapidly retreating South
Our cavalry is in hot pursuit, together
with Pleasantons force, numbering fif-
teen thousand men. The enemy may
strike Fort Holt, but will be too closely
followed to do much damage. Pleas
anton closed yesterdays battles at In
dependence by capturing a large num-
Der of prisoners and three pieces of ar
tillery. This morning, eur line was
formed five miles south Of Kansas City, |
on the Westport road.
Skirmishing continued several hours,
when the whole force advanced, and |
heavy fighting ensued The enemy |
rapidly fell back, formed new line
mile and half from the first position. |
An artillery engagement ensued, our
infantry slowly advancing. Fighting
was kept up for ten miles from this
point, the enemy gradually falling back.
Pleasanton then came in on our left, and
a grand charge followed, resulting in
the total rout of the enemy. When
our informant left the front our whole
cavalry was in vigorous pursuit, the in
fantry following. Gen. Blunt COM
manded the volunteers on the left, and
Gen. Deitzel the centre. Our loss is
light The rebels left very many OF
their dead on the field.