The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1864-01-21
UNION spy ~ THE SOUTH.


a correspondent OF the Olnclnnal
Commercial gives long and interesting
account Of the experiences of . Union
SOY who has been travelling since the
third Of August, through the Rebel States.
He found Gen. Bragg's army, at that
time, on quarter ratiOns he reports that
there is . regular system Of secret spies
in every Rebel Regiment; that all the
disaffected are reported; and that the
puDishments are terrible. Nevertheless
deserlione are frequent.
While riding through Northern Ala
bama and portions Of Georgia, deserters
in squads Of from twenty-five TO one
hundred, were met almost daily in the
woods, seeking safety from the Rebel
cavalry, who were met on every public
and side road, in search Of stragglers
and deserters, and conscriptiDg all
citizens who come in their way. Ia many
places be found regularly organized
bands of deserteFs, strsgglers ard runaway
nearoes. intreuched on the hills and
mountains, prepared to resist attempts
ct their capture. They inhabit caves in
some instances, and, where nc better
means for shelter is At hand, like the
natives of the forest, they make burrows
In hillsides.
These fugitives resist and attack the
conscripting officers they live upon
what they can rob she planters Of.
The coy found Union men in all parts
of the Souh, in the army and at their
home. be found the poor in favor Of
peace and Union the planters generally
desiring peace with disunion.
Wherever be went he found the most
intense suffering prevailing among the
soldiers families Thousands drag out
G miserable existence upon the paltry
pistsnce derived from the Government
for the manufacture Of army clothing, at
which but about one dollar per day in
Confederate money can be realized |
Bread riots are frequent, yet the news |
papers do not mention them, lest the in |
teiIigence reach their soldiery. They |
are not confined to one or two places, but |
are universal in every city aud town |
throughout the South, where the poor, |
starving families can be collected togeth- |
er. The spy Witnessed many Of these |
riots, which be describes as extremely |
narrowing 10 the feelings Of the humane.
To such an extreme are the unfortunate /
families of soldiers driven, that the |
women in towns aud cities, as = last re-
sort, take 10 a life of prostitution. So /
general is this that the name of q "War /
widow" has become synonymous with a
life of debauchery.
All but spectators are represented as /
in favor Of repudialion. Although fear
ing the confscation Of their cotton on /
the advance of the Federals, planters
prefer to trust TO chances than TO dispose
of it for Rebel currency. The soldiers,
when asked what their pay is per month,
reply, 'Fifty-fye cents per month at
present rates" The issue Of notes are
$50 600 1000 per month. There is between
$4,000 600 and $40 100000 Of rebel
counterfeit money in circulation, he was
informed.
PEELRG THE DEAD.
The supplies of shoes and other arii-
cles is exhausted since the close block
ade, and those articles are no longer is
sued. To clothe himself the soldier must
appeal to his wits. Instinct naturally
tells him that Federal clothes are accep-
table articles, and the instant . Union
soldier falls, if sn opportunity presents
itself, the Rebel goes through the opera
ton called "peeling the dead, or, in 9TH
er words, relieving the dead Yank of
his dry goods and crawling into them"
Bat they do not conine the peeling pro-
cess 20 our men. In all their battles the
shoeless soldiers are held in reserve, and
as the Rebels fall their shoes are gath
cred up and placed upon the shoeless bril-
gade At the battle of ChickamaugA
this was the case, and as many Of our
wounded fell into their hands they had
q large "peeling bee" upon the battle
field on tie night of September 20.
The complete system Of martial law
renders it impossible for citizen or for
eigner 70 pass through \ single street
without showing his papers. At every
corner q bayonet ia presented, and wo be
TO the man who has not The documents.
All authority of foreign Consuls is igno-
red. No redress is given an alien sub
ject for outTages perpetrated. He is
forced into the ranks and kept there.
CURIOUS SCENE IN A SOUTHERN. THEATRE.
He attended The theatre in Atlanta on
the 10Th Of September, when Metamora
was brought out In the scene where
Metamora is assaulted by the British
soldier, Rebel soldier exclaimed, "Whv
don't you do like General Bragg, fall
back on AtlantaY Another exclaimed,
"Pll bet they don't know hog to retreat"
In another scene, where one of the char
acters is in danger, a soldier created
much meFriment by exclaiming: Don't
hurt him, be is one of Bragg's conmisss-
ries. II yOu kill him we will be entirely
without q ration. We are bad enough
off a. it is" Sill another cried, {" Flank
ed again, by golly. Well, Rosie is q great
fellow; hurrah for Rosie" This was the
signal for loud cheers for old Rosie by
the soldiers present The provost guard
interfered, and ended the dislOyal de
monstration by marching OF seven or
eight Of the participants TO the guard
house.
He reported the poor, even in South
Carolina, in favor of the Union. In
North Carolina Unionists speak openly.
The planters, who fee towards the centre
of the "Confederacy" with their slaves
are coldly received and called interlopers.
Male slaves in Alabama and Georgia sell
for less than slave women, because they
arc uoSS APT uuh 70 EAH away IN many /
cases slaves are offered free to planters,
for their keep, but are refused The de-
feat Of Yallandigham in Ohio greatly
discouraged the Rebel leaders. The
railroads are in 5 most wretched cendi-
ton.
now TIE REBELS RESPOND TO HABEAs
CORPUS.
While my informant was soiourning
st Selma, Georgia, Mr. Evans for re-
fusing 10 receive Confederate money fer
some article, was seized, chained, and
sent q prisoner to Fort Morgan, below
Mobile. After lying in the prison for
some time, be applied to an attorney to
take out = writ Of haJaas corpus The
lawyer commenced proceedings, when .
stop was suddenly put 70 them by the
arrest of the lawyer, the application of
balls and chains 10 bis legs, and his
transportation 70 Fort Morgan TO keep
Evans company. This summary way Of
responding to the Writs is quite common
in Dixie.
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