The daily Chattanooga rebel. [volume] (Griffin, Ga.) 1864-1865, 1865-01-16

ksvs-R1es LzEeas Sa,f-sGes. lees Nesc
4 Daties--Ar7ziRo sAs Negrsss- Opiniois Of
Lafaential lfeu--Easiizh and French Coo
ernmenss-Or9daisation ef Deserters-
Lonisiana Toops-Tailkee Deserters, etc
etc.
RICHMOND, Monday. Dec. &c, 1864.
It 10 not because your correspondent had
Christmas in his lines thas his regular letter
was DELAYED until to-day, for precious little
Christmas 10 20 be had since the New Years
dinner for Lees soldiers run turkeys up to q
hundred dollars each, and egg-nogg is pos
sible Only with "nsu-dip" apple brandy.
| We have leas shan the usual number of
officers cn furlough in this city, but nuch az
are here are in Gne spirits. They say that
they feel able to hold up their end of the log,
and do not allow themselves to think wheth-
er Hoods men can hold their end up or not.
They also tell me that Lee was opposed to
Hoods late campaign, and advocated the
plan of dispatching two corps after Sherman,
| leaving Hood with the remaining corps, and
FORESTS cavalry, GO divert Thomas, but not
to sight him.
Yet she accredited organ of the administra-
| ton, in late number, attempted to create
the impression that Lee was consulted in re-
! gard to this, a. well as oil other campaigns,
and approved it. / am pleased to hear it
declared generally that Lee will hereafter be
clothed with plsnary powers in directing ali
military operations, and tisat this is done not
only to relieve the President OF burthen
which the increasing feebleneus of his health
prevents him from bearing, but also to pave
she way for the restoration Of Johnson to the
command of Hoods army.
The ides seems to be entertained by few
ay-ofF-the-helve people that Lee is to be made
auasi dictfrsor. Not st sll. His functions
viii be thsse precisely of Grant, and those
whsch Bragg is erronsousiy supposed 70 have
~ r-=1
preme control in military matters, and &C
cspt, tha. will bs considerable step towarjs
| the contamination of ths negro soldier propo-
sition. fur it 10 well understood that Lee il
| in fasorsaf this measure. Committees of
Congress iind of the Legislature have waited
On tsis.a 60 eseertsin his xiesS7, snd learn
informally that h,s plan 10 to put the negro
in permanent works so that his own and
other armies may be free 10 operate in the
field. Plans for the organization of the
negro troops have already been submitted 10
ihc Adjutsnt General.
This subject is far deeper and broader than
il supposed. Looking TO the practical exc
! cation Of the scheme and the utter incompe-
tsncy of Congress or the State Legislatures
| to take legitimate action 70 secure the desired
result, q popular appeal has cen talked of,
and . candid admission in the appeal of an
eventual d5spos:aon of the negro race which
few have CON; eIpplated. 1t would surprise
you 70 learn how far shs thoughts of some of
our thinking msa hare lately lsaped, but
this il not the time to dwell on particulars.
In future letter, it will be my task to lay
before your readers the various phases of the
negro problem as it has recently presented
itself to the minds of influential men here,
| and to relate such solutions rs have been ar
rived at. Is may not be anaiss to say that
the hope of ingratixting ourselves In the
favor Of tha English and French govern
msnts. by consenting 10 gradual emancipa-
ton or anything of that sort, is q fallacisus
hope. Ii trust be placed in Mr.. SlidelPs
statement THAI Napoleon has q secret under
standing with Mr. Lincoln in regard to Mex
ico and 10 nos at heart hostile TO our cause,
We Nay discover, when too late, that the
abandonment Of high ground on the negro
question will avail Va nothing.
l. Ii appears thas the organization Of dsser-
ters, alluded to in former letters, extends
throughout the whole length of the Allegha-
nv sange, from Northern Virginia to North
ern Alabama, and il . more serious matter
than We mt frst supposed-whether serious
enough to justify the universal suspension of
hdbeds corpus ia another question. Many
men, to uhose Judgment l am inclined to
defer, think it il. i shall have more to say
on this subject hereafter.
Ofheers of ths army say that Gen. Gordon
has asked permission TO send the Louisian-
ians in his division, some 400 in number, ,and
all that remsin in Lees army, home y re-
5 eruit, and hare heard, but not Off ioially,
THAI Gen. Lac approves the plan. 1t Is also
said. that, for reasons which nssd not here
be given, no msrs deserters frosi the Yankee
o. army will be allowed to enlist in the foreign
legion. GAMMA. .
y Speaking Of Shermsn's protested march
\ through 4Soatk and North Carolina for the
J. | purpose ef uniting with Gen. Grant, and tn,