The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1864-11-16

BY LAST NIGHTS MAIL.

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special Shenandoah Valley carEespon
dent says On Freddy last, the rebel
cavalry made their nppearance in front
Of Custer and Merritt, apparently for
the purpose Of feeling Gen. sheridan 9
strength in the new position 70 which
he has fallen back at JOhnstoWn, four
miles south Of Winchester.
After pretty heavy sl1irmishing with
them for short time, Custer and Mer-
rift fell back in order to draw them on;
but the rebels after advancing to where
the Union Reserves were in position,
soon fell back hastily before several
voileya
Early on Saturday morning skirmish-
ing was resumed with much briskness
between the opposing cavalry, when
the plan was adopted Of slowly retir-
ing IS was the case on the previous day
on the Union side-it being General
/ Sheridan's plan not to bring on a gen~
! eral engagement; but the enemy could
not tie induced to follow our pickets
General Sheridan then ordered Gen.
Powell 10 advance with his division,
and the rebels were driven back with
severe loss They retreated in great
haste and were pursued through and
beyond Front Royal in most hand
some and spirited manner Beside
what they suffered in killed and wound
ed, Powelrs men captured two of their
cannon, made prisoners of $50 men,
and took several wagons and large
number Of horses Our losses are said
to have been considerable. Nothing
but cavalry Was engaged on either day
The Raleigh, n. G., Progress says
Since the establishment Of the prison
at AndersonVille, Ga, last spring, 1900
Yankee prisoners have died, and have
been buried there The mortality ex-
isted among the body Of prisoners at
no time exceeding 4,000. The graves
are marked with a number, and reg
istry kept in the prison, which repre-
sent the name, regiment and State
The same paper says: Our forces
have fallen back from Plymouth to
Rainbow Bend
Plymouth was nearly entirely de-
stroyed by fire during the lombard
ment or after the evacuation. Wash
ington, We think, has been evacuated
by our troops, and occupied by the
Yankees, but we have no approximations
Of anything in the shape of formida~
bic advance, as the force of the enemy
is not equal to the task.
In the rebel Congress On Friday, a
member from Louisiana offered q reso-
luton proposing that Congress enact as
war measure that the prices assessed
for the army by the commissioners as
sessment shall be the prices, and shall
be established for all citizens in the
Confederate States, and anyperson who
shall charge differently shall be deemed
guilty of a criminal offence. The rea-
son for such measure is the exorbi-
tsnt prices now charged bx farmers and
dealers in produce )AlE
Mr. Foote, of Tennessee, proposed to
offer q complete amnesty to 81 citizens
and residents of the Confederate States
who have heretofore been hostile 20 the
cause, and who are now willing to take
the obligation and support the govern
ment.
Mr. Bell, of George, submitted res
olution to inquire into the cause of the
absence of officers from their COM
mands. The President had made the
startling announcement that over one
third of the army officers were absent |
from their posts, and, that if they had |
been in their places, the campaign in
Georgia would never have been lost
Mr. Foote offered a resolution that I
the Committee on Quartermasters and |
Commissaries be instructed to inquire |
into the conduct OF such officers. He |
said that information had come to him |
of more widespread corruption of /
that department than ever marked |
history anywhere before.
afr Hanly offered a resolution that /!
the Military Committee be instructed |
to inquire if the privetes have been |
paid by the government, and if not, /
why
Mr. Foote offered resolution that 4
the Committee on Quartermasters in /
qlIire whether it is true the soldiers had 1
been supplied with unsound aud rotten |
tobacco.
The report OF the rebel Secretary is
remarkable for its frank confession that |
the rebel armies can no longer be large /
ly recruited by CONSUMPTION, which
drags into service all white males be- /
tween seventeen and fifty. and other /
severe measures sanctioned by the ex-
listing administration Seddon acknoWl- /
edges that there is scarcely any fight 4
ing material is not TO be disguised, I
he says, that these measures still leave 4
our armies relatively 70 weak to encoun-
ter the hosts being summoned by the
enemy for subiugation. He calls for adj
ditional legislation to compel all per
sons capable Of military service to en-
ter the army without distinction to oc-
cupation or profession, and to repeal the
exemption laws He says that few in
exceptions for needs Of so
ciety to supply the army might be read
ily and more conveniently provided by
details Exemptions by classes Heces-
sarily cover many not actually demand
ed by society for needs that, on an av-
erage, may have given plausibility to
exemptions Such exemptions compel
discrimination in a call for service which
delays and defeats its full accomplish
ment
1t is therefore urgently recommend
ed that all exemptions except officers
actually essential TO the conduct of the
States government, be abol-
ished, and all physically capable, with~
out distinction or discrimination be at
once devoted 10 the sacred duty of de-
Tending the country in the field
The question of arming negroes was
at length.
Mr. Seldom said no compunction
could be felt in 50 using them, for deep
ly as the whites of, the South are inter
ested in repellining the invasion and
forever liberating themselves from the
or thraldom of our enemy,
the negroes of the South are even more
vitality concerned With the whites it
Is a question of nationality, honor and
but with the negroes the
question is widely different.
Although measures may yet become
necessary, he deems it inexpedient at
present for the following reasons:
Such war as, waged against foes bent
with malignant persistence on our de
struction, and for all that man holds
priceless and most vital, the work Is
that Of the soldier, and for il wisdom
and duty require the most fitting work
men superior instrumentalities should
be preferred. 1t viii no. do to risk our
liberties and safety on the negro