A gentleman who left
Nashville on Friday, the 11th inst., furnishes to the editor of the
Atlanta Commonwealth the following interesting details of transactions there.
From his statements it will be perceived that
Nashville is far from being a pleasant place for Federal officials — military or civil:
General Buell left
Nashville at the head of one hundred and ten regiments — which, however, were not entirely full — in two columns.
On the
Duck river, at
Columbia, about forty miles from
Nashville, he encountered
Scott's Louisiana cavalry, fifteen hundred strong, who fought him gallantly, checking his advance across the river.
The stout and determined resistance made by the spirited troop caused him to send to
Nashville to
General McCook, who was left in command there with fifteen thousand troops, to form a junction with him. Against this, however,
Governor Andy Johnson protested, alleging that it would leave him and the city defenceless; that he should not feel safe there; and threatening that if the troops were taken away, he would leave immediately after for
Washington city.
Gen. McCook accordingly left five thousand troops there to defend the arch traitor, taking ten thousand with him. This would indicate that
Gen. Buell's army numbered one hundred and twenty regiments, and probably not less than one hundred thousand men.
The day after these troops left under
Gen. McCook,
Gov. Johnson deposed the
Mayor and Council of the city, and placed them under heavy bonds to meet him every day at the
Capitol, at 4 o'clock in the afternoon, for trial.
The object of this was to assure him of their presence in the city.
Upon deposing the old
Mayor and Council, the dictator-traitor appointed a new
Mayor and a new Council, naming a day for them to meet him and take the oath of office and of allegiance to the
United States.
But one out of the whole number (about twenty) took the oath, the rest refusing, whereupon he denounced them all as traitors, and dismissed them, declaring it would take twenty thousand troops to keep
Nashville in order.
One of the gentlemen, however, took occasion to return the
Governor's complimentary remark with compound interest, by denouncing him as a traitor to his State and section.
The evening following this, as the
Governor was returning from his boarding-house to the
Capitol, he was twice fired at, and since then has been attended by a mounted guard when passing from his lodgings to the
Capitol.--Very many believe he is in great danger of being killed, and it is thought to be quite certain that he will leave
Nashville without delay should the
Lincoln army be routed in the battle impending near
Corinth.
