Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1866-01-12

the whistle Of the engine away down the
valley In the elbow Of Hickory creek. 1t
. pipei s doleftll sound which IS as distinct
: 10 me now as on that dismal night. Ten
, minutes later amid the darkness and
rain, a brakeman stood upon the
platform and said to a crowd collected
In the depot, whose very silence be-
tokened a premonition Of evil, "Don-
elson has fallen. The whole Of the gar
3 rison, except "a thousand Of Floyd's men,
wss put 10 the sword. Nashville Is sur
rendered. white flag Is waving from
( the Capitol, and yellow flags from all
! the hOsphals.n The story was brief, and
/ % all intents, was true. It thrilled
through the rustic assembly Ike knell
summoDing each particular person 70 bis
grave. Slowly, sadly the crowd dis
persed, and few Ia the pleasant village
slept thEt night. The people felt the first
sorrows of war. Up 10 this moment they
had not realized the line in the prayer
book: from war, pesilence ana famine,
good Lord deliver u.s. II now broke
over their hearts as the moaning of sea
surge; and, although in the progress OF
the dreary years which followed the
community was robbed Of nearly al It's
youth, who fell upon the battle held !
doubt whether Il ever received a shock
so sensible and crushing IS the few words
/ spoken by that simple brakeman from
| the platform Of box car.
Refugees from Nashville.
/ To get back 20 Nashville became at
/ once q prime concern 20 both my friend,
/ the arIilieTist and myself; and as there
was no train before nine o'clock the next
morning. we had 20 practice a degree Of
resignation which subsequent events
taught us 70 improve, and which those
familiar with the progress Of military
operations viii understand 10 be - diff 4
cUlt as il Is an Indispensable virtue 10 q
period Of war We passed the night in n
fever Of suspense, and hailed the dawn 4
As a relief procuring our tickets an 4
hour in advance and waiting the time .
Of departure, ike Don Caesar de BaZan 4
for his execution, with III concealed I'M
patience. It was nearly noon before we
reached Tuliah0ma, where we received
the first particulars Of the disaster. The
little station was crowded With people,
and every traiu-they wereal going one
way-Was packed with refugees. The
whole Of the low country seemed 20 be
running away from the Yankees. Old
gentlemen who had never gone out Of
the log of a silver headed cane old Ia
dies who had never before disturbed tho
reD0se Of gold rimmed spectacles, exhib-
tied sn amount of mortality which no
one would have suspected. Young misses
whose sweet school girl faces were lately
8 bloom with health and carelessness,
peeDed shyly cat Of the car windows
with ewes which showed traces Of tears,
and cheeks which were strangely altered:
and galsnts, mostly Of the civil depart
mants of the service, who had breGthed
such murder0us defiance a few days ago, .
were toned down % a moderation, which
was at once respectable and gentlemanly.
The servants, who accompanied most OF 7
the parties, were in whirl Of excite I
menI, full Of gossip and narrative; and :
the very dogs moped under the seats J
Wistfglly, with ears down and tails /
2droOp. The spectacle would have been g
amusing had 1t been less real At the {
IA Jmeut IL was indeed most matter of '
fact, most melancholy. Terror Is itself {
lUmiliating, and this was humiliation g
,u-mOunrel by terror. The announce I
ueut OF the fall Of D0nels0n had been so
sudden that its victims possessed as little z
purpose as preparation, and were bound, C
hey knew not whittier; and, as is gene d
ally the case, embraced hundreds Of o
persons who had lao other motive for b
light than the magnetism Of panic. On a
Sunday morning the city papers teemed Z
With cheerful intelligence. On their part
{ was entirely sincere, and was not a
TO deceive The community was &
by the deiUsion, and the s
hurches were filed with more "
han their usual congregations. Ser ?
ices were just begun when the IT
staI result was announced by
curriers' upon the streets, and by the va
ious ministers from the pulpits As by Il
nsgic the scene shifted from serenity 70 lC
EmUlr, and, a. described by those who a
Witnessed IT, must have been as heart Ii
ending in the experience Gs It is absurd tC
Il theconremplati0n. " You surely don't II
mean 10 try u go back 20 Nashville2'i vi
lon Of band boxes and carpet sacks, q
ghen she heard the destination Of my n
ompanion and myself Why, the a
Rnkees II git you," There was no T
owu traln-ll0 more trains were 60 u
az 70 the city-and az dark we al Il
most despaired. At zen O'Clock, how a
ver, three box cars and an engine s.
n charge Of q drunken conductor, a
a q glazed cap and duck trousers, who a
eclared that "he'd take 'em 70 Nash III
.ilIe or hell" relied in from Dechsrd, d
nd although the prospect seemed 10 in \
lcate the latter locality as the llkslter II
estimation, we took the chances, and rC
et out through q night Of intense dark "a
less, and q steady rain. But luck, which d
avors fools and drInkards, did not ci
baudOn our reckless cicerone in duck q
nd oil cloth, ami at iOur o'clock we were "a
ragged through pools Of water and fall C,
ing streams into the Nashville depot. D.
The conductor refused 70 charge Us for IN
ur .are, as we were his only passengers, d
sharing his canteen with bt
Is. snd remarking faCsciOusly IS o,
re left him: "Ba keerful as you 20 up b
OWL a. no but the city'E IN the han5s tJ
Z the Tanks. SO fur's I'm concerned, 1 81
.ope II is.n We we're simple enough SC
nd frightened enough 70 be nervous; n
nd as we wEied along Church street, T
.ssseG sentFies in blue sJrtOuts and bell q
r0wned hats, We wondered why they U
liiad % halt US, and if they were really st
'ederals. Soaked through and through, D.
We reached the fortalia Of the amlable a.
}iddleburger, mounted the stairs. built a.
Ire, changed cur clothing and slipped it
nt0 bed, weary, d0wnhearted and very a.
ID
Nashville In Retreat, q
At nine O'Clock we were wakeued by n
he strange notes Of ''Hau Columbia" Il
ghislled by an Israelite, in whom there u
pos 80, r-1rfFo d, Hha oTfr4rF-.a- r,,rs1 II d