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case, agreed with the
Governor; for
Sergeant Stephen A. Swailes was commissioned second lieutenant of the Fifty-fourth Regiment, March 11, 1864, and subsequently was commissioned first lieutenant, April 28, 1865; and was discharged with the regiment, August 20, 1865, when the regiment was mustered out of service, at the end of the war. This officer belonged in
Elmira, N. Y.
Among the many gentlemen living in other States, who entertained for
Governor Andrew a high respect, was
James A. Hamilton, son of
Alexander Hamilton, the friend and confidant of
Washington, who was living at
Dobbs' Ferry, N. Y. On the 16th of December,
Governor Andrew wrote to this gentleman,—
I received your most valued letter of the 10th inst. yesterday, and read it carefully last evening, and am glad to have the opportunity, not only of hearing from you, but of renewing my grateful acknowledgments of your zealous patriotism, and your always suggestive and instructive counsels.
I heartily concur with your estimate of the importance of the promptest and most determined action, in the work of constitutional amendment, to secure the destruction of slavery.
In preparing my annual address to the Legislature of Massachusetts, I intend to urge your views in the most emphatic manner; meanwhile I shall gladly receive and gratefully appreciate any other or further suggestions that may occur to you to present.
Our Legislature will meet the first Wednesday in January.
On the 17th of December, the
Governor received the following telegram from the
Secretary of War:—
The great battle between the United-States forces, under Major-General Thomas, and the rebel army, under General Hood, before Nashville, resulted yesterday in a great and decisive victory for the Union army.
The rebel army has been broken and routed, a large portion of its artillery, and a great number of prisoners captured.
This triumph has been achieved with small loss to our army: General Thomas reports that his loss has been very small, probably not exceeding three hundred, and very few killed.
On the 21st of December, the
Governor addressed a letter to
Lewis Hayden, a colored citizen of
Boston, who, as we have before stated, had been a slave in
Kentucky, but who was at that time, and is now, employed in the office of the Secretary
