Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1867-03-28

| Carolina, Pennsylvania and in Washing
| ton, under the direct orders of the War De
| partment, and had the personal recon-
mendaiion of Gen. Simeon Cameron, Sena-
| tor POmeroy and Commodore Foote at that
| time certifying to his competency and dis
| cipline-signifed his willingness to accept
commission. But the Governor refused
! TO trust this man, with all his experience
as a recruiting officer and as Sergeant
| Major of The 18th u. S. Colored Infantry,
and sought out one James Sumner, who
never saw days service, and who has no
! knowledge or experience of the military
art, for a eaptaincy. Very properly the
| colored veteran" Of Nashville look with
aversion upon this discrimination against
| them in favor of a mere "civilian," and
the recruiting service is not lively.
Extracts from the Diary OF "a GSn.
fedeFRie Prisoner.
We commence this morning the publica-
tion misunderstanding Of Confederate
officer, who was captured at Fort Donelson
and served long Imprisonment at Camp
Chase and Johnson's Island. II some of
I the expressions used should be considered
| rebelliOus, il must be remembered, that at
/ that time the author was soldier and had
| the right TO express his opinions Since
| then, he has been entirely reorganized and
| reconstructed, and to-day wears an iron-clad
| shield, to which the seven-fold shield of
| Ajax would be considered a thin game.
| He has not only been reconstructed HIM
| self, bat feeling il was good thing, he has
reconstructed his entire family. His chill
dren, who used TO delight him SO much,
warbling out "Dxie" and "The Bonny
Blue Flag" now greet his return home with
that beautiful little ditty, "The Blue-tailed
| Fly" but somehow or other their voices
seem to have a sadder tone than in the
olden :ime, but this is perhaps attributable
to the fact that their music teacher has a
melancholy turn Of mind, she having
arrived at the age of thiriy-six years. four
months and ten days, and still unmarried.
To prove his reconstruction has been |
thorough, he has ordered all of his chill i
dren's clothing 10 be made of blue, and as |
for the American Eagle, he has il ever |
sitting over his door, but some naughty |
hand has torn from its beak that good old |
motto "Fhe Constitution and the Union" |
and it now sits like that raven upon the |
bust OF Pallas, crying In an Oracular tone. |
"Never more The author says the only |
evidence which can be adduced TO prove |
his disloyalty is the fact that his little son |
has little PET dog, which is proverbial |
for drinking all the dishwater, and some
times by accident the cook leaves the silver |
spoons in the water and he drinks them |
too. In view OF these facts, in fit of bad |
temper he called his dog Butler As these |
extracts were written strictly for the au- /
thor's family, we trust that they will meet /
with a charitable criticism. We commence /
with the 10th of February, 1852, the day /
Of the surrender of Fort Donelson.
DIARY OF THE THOUGHTS, HOPES AND |
EMOTIONS OF A PRISONER,
The muse Of history when weaving the |
incidents Of this revolution into historic /
beauty, will linger with thrilling interest /
upon the deeds of daring, the heroic en-. |
durance and unfinching gallantry uf the /
Confederates, who after four DAYS of hard /
fighting, we're compelled to yield to the |
force of superior numbers. shall not at
tempt TO give even an outline of that memoir |
able siege and surrender. | leave that |
task TO the pen of the historian Satur- /
day. the 18th, had been a day of victory 10 /
the COnfederates. The faces of officers /
and soldiers were wreathed in smiles when /
night hung her pail over the field of blood |
and carnage. But morning came, and we /
were prisoners, Oh, what fall was
there my eountrymenp
Night closed upon a bloody day Our |
hopes were Glazed, our JOY knew no bounds, |
but morning found us sunken 10 the lowest
depths of despair. The flag which had |
waved in defiance through the storm of
battle for four long, weary days was sup |
planted by the STARS and stripes the flag /
once cOnsecrsted by the blood of our /
fathers, but now (then) 10 us the emblem /
of tyranny and despotism. Oh, how my /
heart bled st the thought of seeing our hag |
stricken down and that of the enemy I'M |
furled to the morning breezel May these |
eyes never again behold so sad a sight |
A prisoner How full of meaning the |
word What phantons stalk before the |
vision at the thought What gloomy fore
bodings does it conjure mp 10 torture the |
mind 1t tells of disappointed hopes, of |
gloomy fears and excitement rom loved /
ones. Ii brings mp troop Of ghost-like |
fancies which torture the mind and sadden |
all the emotions Of the human heart. But, |
alas this Is one of the fortunes of war. One /
day the wreath Of victory il entwined |
around our brow the next day we bear |
about us the air Of the vanquished. Strange |
as IL may appear, but few soldiers when i
entering the service ever contemplate the /
idea of being prisoner, | thought when /
l went into the service that it might be /
my destiny 10 fall, like the gallant Bee or /
Barlow, in leading some desperate charge, |
OF perhaps, il | survived, would carry home |
with me some honorable scar as a memento |
OF the war but never did / entertain for |
a moment the thought OF being a prisoner, |
| The bare contemplation OF such thought |
would have frozen the life-cnrrent in my |
veins. / have now learned that every bat |
tie 6eld has not only its catalogue OF killed !
and wounded, bat also those who, after all
hope Of success had lied, we're compelled to
! WELD as prisoners OF war.
lt was a beautiful Sabbath morning on
the 10th Of February, when a proud and
| insolent army marched into the fort with
| banners streaming in the wind, 20 the tune
| of Yankee Doodle from a number Of bril-
| gade and regimental bands This was the
saddest day Of my life. | saw those who
! had courted danger on the battlefield those
| who had stood unuioyed for DAYS amid the
| iron hail. weep like very child when We
| were ordered to surrender The Federal
| army presented a splendid appearance
/ when entering the fort. They were dressed
| In new and handsome uniforms, and
| eouipgsd with All the latest improvements
| in DE ART of war. heoficers with whom
/ We became acquainted were generally Well
| informed and gentlemanly in their deport-
| ment, bat the priyates were, As a general
/ thing. sel OF hireiings whose only care or
thought vas plumber and the spOils Of war.
| We remained al the tort all the day ader
cur surrender Il was a day Of memory
| and tears